Faculty Research News

New research from Mount Holyoke College and Virginia Commonwealth University finds that people with a history of adverse childhood experiences were more likely to bear a heavier burden during the pandemic’s initial surge. (Getty Images)

What was COVID-19’s impact on mental health, well-being and substance use early in the pandemic?

June 2, 2021

Research shows that those with a history of adverse childhood experiences were more likely to bear a heavier burden during the pandemic’s initial surge.

Mariam Alkazemi’s “Arab Worlds Beyond the Middle East and North Africa,” celebrates the achievements and acknowledges the challenges of new communities built by the Arab diaspora around the world.

New book co-edited by a VCU professor offers a more inclusive understanding of the Arab diaspora

June 1, 2021

Mariam Alkazemi’s “Arab Worlds Beyond the Middle East and North Africa,” celebrates the achievements and acknowledges the challenges of new communities built by the Arab diaspora around the world.

The development of an accurate teacher-report measure would support schools’ efforts to implement evidence-based programs for children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders in elementary schools. (Getty Images)

$2M grant to support programs for elementary school students at risk of social, behavioral, and emotional problems

May 28, 2021

The award, from the Institute of Education Sciences, will fund a four-year project co-led by researchers from VCU and the University of Minnesota.

A new book co-edited by a VCU professor explores a variety of journalistic genres that cover the news in ways other than the traditional problem-based narrative. (Getty Images)

How journalism can empower and engage audiences without making them feel depressed

May 18, 2021

A new book co-edited by VCU journalism professor Karen McIntyre Hopkinson explores eight socially-responsible news reporting practices.

A screenshot of a "nature is healing" meme shared on social media.

A new VCU study explores the ‘nature is healing’ memes that dominated social media at the height of the pandemic

May 18, 2021

The jokes have been called the pandemic’s best meme. A study that originated out of a VCU class examines why.

Hog Island, part of the Virginia Coast Reserve site, in 2004 (left) and 2020 (right). It has transitioned from new grass to shrub and has since started to erode, which is altering the island's response to sea-level rise. (Photos courtesy of Julie Zinnert, Ph.D.)

Climate change is contributing to ‘state change’ in diverse ecosystems, including in Virginia

May 18, 2021

A new VCU-led study examines how small changes in an environmental driver are transforming the structure or function of some ecosystems.

Fantasy Lozada, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, received an NSF CAREER award to investigate how African American youth develop emotion regulatory flexibility, which can protect against racism. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

VCU professor to explore ‘emotional code switching’ among African American youth

May 5, 2021

Psychology professor Fantasy Lozada received an NSF CAREER award to study emotion regulatory flexibility among African American youth, which helps them to protect against racism.

A new study led by VCU researchers finds that students who have been exposed to interpersonal trauma prior to college consume more alcohol than those without interpersonal trauma exposure. But romantic relationships mitigate these effects of trauma on a student’s drinking behavior. (Getty Images)

Romantic relationships mitigate effects of trauma on alcohol use among college students

April 22, 2021

A new study led by VCU researchers shows students exposed to interpersonal trauma prior to college are more likely to engage in risky alcohol use — but effects can be mitigated through romantic relationships.

A drone image of icebergs broken off from a glacier at Vatnajökull, Iceland. (Getty Images)

President Biden’s climate change pledge sets a global example, VCU expert says

April 22, 2021

Biology professor Chris Gough says Biden’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half is a move in the right direction, but solving climate change will take a global effort.

Left: Plan of the City of New York from William Duncan’s 1793 city directory. (Digital Collections, New York Public Library) Right: Portrait of Alexander Anderson, c. 1815, by John Wesley Jarvis (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Here’s how New York City survived a deadly outbreak — in the 1790s

April 21, 2021

Through the eyes of front-line medical worker Alexander Anderson, a forthcoming book by VCU history professor Carolyn Eastman will explore how New York grappled with yellow fever epidemics.