Letter from the dean

Delivering on promises

Dear alumni and friends,

I hope you and your family are doing well, and staying healthy.

I am so happy to be sharing this issue of the VCU College of Health Professions Alumni Magazine. I am so proud of how our college and VCU have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am hopeful the worst is behind us as vaccinations accelerate across the country. Not that there was any doubt before, but living through the pandemic certainly crystallized the importance of our college’s focus on training health care professionals. Our alumni and many of our students have been on the front lines across Virginia and beyond. Our mission has never been more imperative.

In this latest issue, you will find two central themes that reflect our recent experiences. In “Form and Function,” we proudly share how the new College of Health Professions building has enhanced our collaborative efforts. Despite the constraints of health and safety modifications we made to ensure our community’s well-being — from remote classroom learning, teleworking and added safety measures — our faculty, staff and students exhibited the highest levels of strength and resilience. Additionally, “Pivoting During the Pandemic” shares the courageous efforts of our college in response to the pandemic.

Everyone in the college and our community partners collaborated to ensure we could fulfill our educational mission through the crisis. I appreciate the efforts of so many faculty and staff who continue to deliver on the promises we make to educate our students. Despite the chaos and uncertainty created by the pandemic, we rose to the challenge.

Thank you for your continued support. I would love to hear from you, and hope you will reach out.

Sincerely,

Susan L. Parish, Ph.D.
Dean and professor
College of Health Professions
Virginia Commonwealth University