VCU news

LaChelle Waller, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences

Waller has received the 2016 Virginia Tech Influential Black Alumni Outstanding Ut Prosim Award.

In addition to her role as a professor, Waller, who received her doctorate in genetics, bioinformatics and computational biology from Virginia Tech in 2010, is also the VCU Department of Chemistry’s director of undergraduate advising and research, a position in which she is helping to prepare the next generation of diverse students in chemistry.

Waller received the award at the Virginia Tech Black Alumni Reunion in Blacksburg in April.

As a science educator and genetics researcher, Waller administers programs and conducts research to improve outcomes for underrepresented minority STEM majors. Her future research will focus on technology and science to provide direct support for underserved communities and to improve STEM education.

She is an active member on the Forsyth Technical Community College Department of Life Sciences and Environmental Science Technology Programs Advisory Board and the Virginia Tech Women’s Leadership Education Advisory Council.

Waller also is founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization TRAK’D, which is dedicated to improving science, technology, engineering, arts and math for pre-K-5th grade students and parents of at-risk and underserved communities.

 

Erin E. Stanforth, director of sustainability
Hannah Wittwer, learning garden coordinator

Stanforth and Wittwer co-presented a session about VCU’s Monroe Park Campus Learning Garden during the recent Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference in Baltimore.

In the presentation, which was titled “Relieving Food Insecurity Through Engagement, Education and Eggplants: A Case Study,” they discussed how VCU is addressing food insecurity with the new garden, which is dedicated to growing food for the RamPantry student food pantry and the Center for High Blood Pressure.

“We hope to educate the attendees around how our on-campus learning gardens assist to feed and educate our on-campus constituents while simultaneously combating food insecurity through our external communities,” Stanforth said.

Crops are planted and growing at the garden, which has undergone transformation from a grassy plot just six months ago. It now features raised garden beds, vertical garden structures, Mason bees and a small greenhouse, Wittwer said.

Stanforth co-presented two other sessions at the conference, held April 4-5. “Parking Woes and Sustainable Solutions” was held with Megan Litke from American University and Anna McLaughlin from University of Maryland, while “Climate Action Planning: Making Plans That Are Ambitious AND Implementable” was presented with Laura Draucker from Amherst College. It included lessons learned about on-campus parking solutions, with a focus on sustainable solutions to combat parking issues on campus.

Stanforth also presented a version of the parking woes session during the Big 10 and Friends University Transportation and Parking Conference, held April 10-13 at the University of Maryland. That event had a different focus, leading to different questions and conversation about parking. “Both events allow for really open and honest sharing. I like to be as open with information as I can be. I view it as me learning from the audience, as well,” Stanforth said.

 

 

Jeffrey Smith, Ph.D., Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics, School of Business

Smith has been named chair of the Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics, effective July 1.

Currently the Steve Leonard Term Chaired Professor of Operations Management at Florida State University, Smith has taught operations management courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and served in administrative roles as director of the Marketing Ph.D. Program and director of the Master of Science in Marketing Program.

He actively conducts research on the design of service systems with a specific emphasis on service recovery and the manner in which technology enables new processes. His recent publications have been in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Production and Operations Management, Journal of Retailing and Journal of Service Research.

 

 

 

Leslie J. Cloud, M.D., assistant professor of neurology, VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center

Cloud is the lead investigator on a study that has been awarded a three-year research grant, totaling $868,000, by The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research. The study will investigate the safety and efficacy of the drug RQ-00000010 (RQ-10) in Parkinson’s patients.

For the study, VCU Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center has partnered with RaQualia Pharma Inc., developers of RQ-10. A positive result from the study will enable development of RQ-10, which may answer an unmet medical need for Parkinson’s patients: providing a new treatment for gastrointestinal tract disorders, such as gastroparesis and constipation, which are common complications of Parkinson's disease.

The MJFF is the world’s largest private funder of Parkinson’s research, dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today.

 

 

Donna H. Jackson, Ed.D., assistant dean for admissions, director of the Office of Student Outreach, School of Medicine

Jackson will be honored by the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation at the RPS Living Legacies Breakfast on the morning of April 24 at The Jefferson Hotel.

A committee of community representatives selected Jackson and seven other RPS alumni to be recognized and applauded for exemplifying the criteria of living extraordinary, honorable lives as inspirational leaders.

“I knew I had been nominated by some colleagues, but was not considering that I would actually be chosen,” Jackson said. “When I received the congratulatory email, I was surprised and humbled. My experiences in Richmond Public Schools contributed significantly to my growth as a person. As an RPS student, I was allowed to hone communications and interpersonal skills that have been integral in my professional life as a leader and administrator.”

The Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that partners with the school district to improve student learning and achievement in preparation for success in college, career and community. The RPS Living Legacies Breakfast was established in 2012 to celebrate the accomplishments of RPS alumni in their personal and professional lives.

 

Jerome F. Strauss, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the School of Medicine

Strauss was honored with the Frederick Naftolin Award for Mentorship by the Society for Reproductive Investigation at its 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting in Montreal, Canada, on March 18.

The SRI was established in 1953, and has almost 1,000 members from around the world. The organization’s mission is to advance reproductive and women's health care through outstanding basic, translational and clinical science and by training and mentoring future generations of investigators. Strauss is a past president of the SRI.

The Frederick Naftolin Award for Mentorship was established in 2003 to recognize the contributions of an SRI member to the training and career development of investigators in the field of reproductive and women's health. The award is named in honor of Frederick Naftolin, a former president of the SRI and a staunch advocate for creating a mechanism for the organization to celebrate outstanding service to the scientific community through excellence in mentoring.

“Mentoring is an imperative in biomedical research because the public investment in educating scientists and physicians, and starting their careers is substantial,” Strauss said. “Experienced scholars must insure that the money and the time spent in cultivating the next generation of investigators yields a return on investment.”

 

Nelson Wikstrom, Ph.D., emeritus faculty, VCU Political Science, College of Humanities and Sciences

Wikstrom received the Mario D. Zamora Distinguished Service Award by the Virginia Social Science Association at the annual VSSA Conference at Lynchburg College on April 2.

Dr. Nelson Wikstrom is surely one of a kind.

“Dr. Nelson Wikstrom is surely one of a kind,” Deirdre Condit, chair of political science, wrote in a note to colleagues. “On simple prima facie evidence, Nelson Wikstrom has more than earned this wonderful award. As indicated by the VSSA, the Mario D. Zamora award is intended to acknowledge the contributions of those who have made outstanding contributions to the Virginia Social Sciences Association over the course of their time as faculty members at a Virginia university.”

Wikstrom served as a member of the VSSA’s executive committee from 1978 to 1984, as secretary treasurer from 1979-81, as vice president from 1981-82, and as president from 1982-83. Additionally, during the most active years of his research development, he published six journal articles in the Virginia Social Science Journal between 1973 and 1991.