VCU news

R. Andrew Chesnut, Ph.D., School of World Studies

Chesnut has been appointed as the first Bishop Walter F. Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies in the VCU School of World Studies. He comes to VCU from the University of Houston, where he served as professor of history. 

“The dynamism of the university is what really attracted me,” Chesnut said. “This is a university that is clearly on the move and is engaged in the surrounding community.”

Chesnut is an internationally recognized expert on Latin American religious history and is the author of two books, “Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty” and “Competitive Spirits: Latin America’s New Religious Economy.” He is writing a third book about Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Mexico’s patron saint.  

“Dr. Chesnut’s research is certainly global, including his work in Brazil and Mexico. But it is also surprisingly local. For example, his interest in the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose portrait resides in the Sacred Heart Cathedral here in Richmond,” said R. McKenna Brown, Ph.D., director of the VCU School of World Studies. “So he is going to be of great interest inside the classroom and to the community at large.”

The Catholic Studies chair is named in honor of Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, who headed the Diocese of Richmond from 1974 to 2003.

David A. Holdford, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacy
Holdford, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy, delivered the keynote address at the 26th annual American Association of Pharmacy Technicians national convention. Holdford spoke on “Developing and Maintaining Strong Professional Relationships” at the convention in Raleigh, N.C. Topics addressed during the three-day meeting included the technician’s role in preventing medication errors, drug preparedness and response to bioterrorism, prescription drug fraud and medication challenges before and after organ transplantation.

Jeffrey C. Delafuente, School of Pharmacy
Delafuente, professor and associate dean for professional education in the VCU School of Pharmacy, recently was appointed to a four-year term on VCU’s Commonwealth Council on Aging. Delafuente is one of four at-large members appointed by the speaker of the House of Delegates. Another four members are appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections, and 11 are designated by the governor – one from each of Virginia’s congressional districts. The Commonwealth Council on Aging also has four ex-officio members. On the council, Delafuente will advise the governor, cabinet and legislature as to the most efficient, coordinated approaches for meeting the needs of Virginia’s elderly.

Victor A. Yanchick, Ph.D., dean, School of Pharmacy

A scholarship at the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy has been established in honor of Yanchick. Patrick Fuchs, who graduated from OU in 1985, credits Yanchick as a mentor and an inspiration. When he was suspended from University of Texas at Austin in the early 1980s, Fuchs was just about to give up his academic career. Yanchick, then assistant dean for students at UT Austin, encouraged Fuchs to start again at OU. Yanchick followed suit and moved to University of Oklahoma in 1985, where he served as dean and professor until 1996. The scholarship, which also is in honor of Fuchs' father, pharmacist John Edmund Fuchs — will give special consideration to applicants who are dealing with difficulties, especially of the academic kind, while pursuing a degree.

In addition, Yanchick has been elected President-Elect-Designate of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The AACP is a national organization committed to serving as an advocate and spokesman for over 100 U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy including more than 4,000 faculty members, 46,000 students enrolled in professional programs and 3,400 individuals pursuing graduate study. Yanchick will serve as president of this organization during the 2008-2009 academic year. 

Mary Jo Grap, Ph.D., R.N., VCU School of Nursing

Grap, professor of nursing in VCU's Adult Health and Nursing Systems department, has been awarded the 2009 Distinguished Research Lecture award from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. The award honors a nationally known researcher who presents the annual Distinguished Research Lecture at the National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition. The recipient is viewed as a nationally recognized nurse researcher, known for publications, presentations and mentorship in research relevant to acute and critical care.

Grap's research is focused on optimizing pulmonary function in the mechanically ventilated, critically ill adult. Her studies have focused on airway management, prevention of ventilator associated pneumonia and recently on sedation evaluation during mechanical ventilation. Her funded work has consistently investigated clinical issues that have directly impacted nursing care of the mechanically ventilated patient.

David G. Bromley, Ph.D., professor of religious studies, School of World Studies and professor of sociology
Bromley, a professor of religious studies in the School of World Studies and professor of sociology, is coordinating student research and development of a Web site exploring the diversity of religious traditions in Richmond and their impact on the community.

The World Religions in Richmond, Virginia Project began in the summer of 2005 as a student internship research project sponsored by the VCU Honors Program.  Since the fall of 2006, students have been able to take an academic course to continue the research. Each student is required to research and write about six religious traditions during the semester and add what they've learned to the site.

The site includes information about religious congregational units, businesses, charitable foundations, hospitals, celebrations and festivals, retirement communities and educational facilities. Bromley said that with so many diverse religious groups in Richmond, the Web site is a work in progress and could take another five years to be truly reflective.

In addition to the World Religions in Richmond, Virginia course, Bromley teaches courses on the sociology of religion, cults and religious movements, and deviant behavior. He is past-president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and editor-emeritus of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Lemont B. Kier, Ph.D., professor emeritus and past chair, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, VCU School of Pharmacy; senior fellow, VCU Life Sciences Center for the Study of Biological Complexity
Kier received The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists 2008 Research Achievement Award in Drug Design and Discovery, the highest honor conferred by the organization. The award recognized Kier's position as a leader in the area of theoretical rational drug design.

Kier's research focuses on the use of molecular orbital theory to identify active pharmacological agents. He is considered one of the pioneers in the area of molecular connectivity, which has been applied to quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). He also is investigating the use of a modeling technique, cellular automata, to better explain a variety of solution phenomena that are relevant to the pharmaceutical sciences.

Kier has authored seven textbooks, seven book chapters and edited a textbook.  He also has authored 260 research articles which have been published in pharmaceutical sciences journals.

Gary Bowlin, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Robert F. Diegelmann, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, anatomy & emergency medicine at the VCU School of Medicine, Kevin Ward, M.D., a VCU emergency physician and associate director of VCURES

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Combat Casualty Care Research Program gave Bowlin, Diegelmann and Ward the Award for Excellence in recognition of their outstanding contributions to combat casualty care. The researchers, all part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Reanimation Engineering Shock Center, or VCURES, invented WoundStat, a lightweight, granular, dressing compound that quickly stems high-pressure bleeding in moderate to severe wounds. WoundStat received federal approval last September and this year gained the endorsement of the Department of Defense's Joint Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care for wide-spread military use. The award was given "in recognition of their hemorrhage control research, and the resultant development of WoundStat, a product that will significantly increase survival of the combat wounded."