Kathryn H. Jacobsen, William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair and professor of health studies, served as a Higher Education Ambassador for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) during the 2025-2026 academic year and will serve as a Distinguished Ambassador for CFR Education in 2026-2027.
Kerrissa MacPherson, adjunct instructor of health studies, was awarded the Community-Engaged Teaching Award by the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the ninth annual Engage for Change Awards.
Kathryn H. Jacobsen, William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair and professor of health studies, coauthored Global Burden of Disease Study papers on breast cancer in The Lancet Oncology, enteric infections in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, mental health disorders in The Lancet, and tuberculosis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Kathryn H. Jacobsen, William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair and professor of health studies, was an invited participant at the Council on Foreign Relation’s 2026 Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, along with Jada Pederson, ’27, Huong Doan, ’27, Liam Hayes, ’28, and Leah Suggs, ’27, published “Food Insecurity and Mental Health Among High School Students: Evidence from National and Virginia Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data” in the Journal of School Health.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, along with Julia Messerman, ’28, and Callia Nickels, ’27, published “‘It’s Not Just Cost’: Barriers to Mammography Screening Access Among Low-income Women in the United States –– A Scoping Review” in the Journal of Cancer Prevention.
Rick Mayes, professor of health policy, published the chapter “Policy Process: Problem Identification and Agenda Setting” in Milstead's Health Policy and Politics: A Nurse's Guide.
Over the next three years, Stephanie Spera, associate professor of geography, environment, and sustainability, Hemali Oza, assistant professor of health studies, and Todd Lookingbill, professor of geography, environment, and sustainability and biology, will work closely with the local environmental justice nonprofit Southside ReLeaf on a community-led study of flooding on the Southside of Richmond with the support of a grant from the Jeffress Trust.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, published “Conflict, Climate, and Child Health: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa” in Population and Development Review.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, published “Quality of care and health insurance uptake in Namibia” in Journal of Public Health in Africa.
Nigel James, assistant professor of health studies, has been appointed to the YIELD Hub Advisory Board. The group of global leaders are committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), youth leadership, gender justice, and systems change across the world.
Margaret Tait, assistant professor of health studies, presented "Platformed Persuasion: TikTok and the Marketing of Wellness through MLMs" at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA).
