We are proud to work with a variety of students, including graduate students (MD, biostatistics, psychology, etc.) and undergraduate research assistants.

Summer research program

Following their first year of medical school, students enrolled in family and underserved medicine programs at VCU have the opportunity to participate in a four-week research experience with us. Students are matched with faculty mentors to learn about primary care research by working with study team members on specific projects. Then, with the help of faculty mentors and staff, they develop a research question, complete the analysis, and present their findings during the closing symposium.

Summer 2026 (Class of 2029)

13 students participated and 7 were selected to present their projects at the 54th North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) Annual Meeting in Toronto, ON in November 2026.

  • Sonia Fung, Vitality Signs

  • Susannah Gale, Reducing opioid mortality among high-risk populations in Virginia

  • Mecayla Gray, Exploring factors that influence student experiences in family medicine rural clerkships

  • Kristin Griffin, Primary Care Quality and Chronic Disease Prevention in Rural/Low-Resource Areas

  • Sean Le, Kids Meal Moments

  • Helen Liang, E-Cigarette Decision Aid Pilot

  • Zyannah Mallick, Quit and Screen Project

  • Tanisha Roy, Va-AHEAD: Colorectal Cancer Topic Team

  • Olivia Thompson and Jenifer Yi, Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP)

  • Sagar Vellalath, Virginia Accountable Health Engagement and Action Dashboard (Va-AHEAD): Bright Spot Communities for Primary Care Access

  • Sedona Walker, THRIVE Project

  • Jeong-Yoon Wu, Flash Survey

Summer 2025 (Class of 2028)

22 students participated and 10 presented their projects at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA in November 2025. You can click on the hyperlinks below to read abstracts presented by students at the conference.

Summer 2024 (Class of 2027)

  • Rebecca Alemu

    Multi-Cancer Detection Test NCI CSRN Vanguard Study

  • Cameron Kelly

    Patient Perspectives in Addressing Mental Health Needs in Primary Care

  • Grace Rauch

    Pediatric Mental Health Outcomes in Low and High Behavioral Health Resource Areas

  • Shaun Yu

    Petersburg VA: A Case Study on Opioids in Virginia

Past years

Graduate students

  • Erin Donahue

    PhD, Biostatistics

    Graduated in 2020

  • Adam Funk

    PhD, Biostatistics

    Graduated in 2026

  • Camille Hochheimer

    PhD, Biostatistics

    Graduated in 2019

  • Martin Lavallee

    PhD, Biostatistics

    Graduated in 2022

  • Kristen O'Loughlin

    PhD, Clinical Psychology

    Graduated in 2023

  • Alicia Richards

    PhD, Biostatistics

    Graduated in 2023

  • Hannah Shadowen

    MD/PhD Candidate, School of Medicine

    Graduated PhD in 2024

  • David Zhu

    MD/PhD Candidate, School of Medicine