Led by Dr. Jessica LaRose, our team consists of faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, interns and research staff. We also collaborate with other researchers throughout VCU, Richmond community organizations, and researchers from other universities. If you are interested in joining our team, email a statement of interest and current CV/resume to optforhealth@vcu.edu.
Faculty
Jessica Gokee LaRose, PhD
Director, OPT for health
Professor, VCU Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Jessica LaRose is a tenured Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Policy in the VCU School of Public Health. She is a clinical psychologist with specialized training in cardiovascular behavioral and preventive medicine in both pediatric and adult populations. Her program of research is focused on developing novel and sustainable interventions to promote cardiometabolic health among marginalized and underserved populations. Partnership with participants and the populations she aims to serve is a core tenant of her work. She has expertise in the use of digital health and community-based implementation efforts to enhance the reach, impact, and sustainability of behavioral interventions.
Autumn Lanoye, PhD,
LCP Associate Director, OPT for Health Assistant Professor, VCU School Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Devision of Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Care
Dr. Lanoye is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Palliative Care where she works with Massey's Survivorship Program to provide psychotherapy services and develop research projects related to well-being in survivorship. Her primary research interests are the treatment of overweight/obesity with an emphasis on tailoring interventions in service of cancer prevention and control efforts, the development of lifestyle interventions to improve health and quality of life in cancer survivors, and the role of physical activity in improving executive functions. She is currently working with Dr. LaRose on projects related to weight control and chronic inflammation reduction among emerging adults. Her independent research efforts are focused on developing and piloting a mindfulness/physical activity intervention to improve cancer-related cognitive impairment and quality of life among breast cancer survivors. Dr. Lanoye received a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester in 2009, an MS in Clinical Psychology from VCU in 2014, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology (Behavioral Medicine track) from VCU in 2018. She completed her clinical residency in psychology at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center in 2018.
Research Staff
Morgan Meyer, MS, ACSM EP-C
Clinical Research Coordinator
Morgan has always had an interest in exercise and physical activity and loves being able to apply these in her career. Morgan received a BS in Exercise Science from VCU in 2018 and a MS in Health and Movement Sciences from VCU in 2020. Her research interests are in healthy lifestyle changes for teens and young adults.
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Janai Anderson, MPH, CHES
Community Research Coordinator
Christina La Rosa, BS,
Clinical Research Associate
Christina has always had a passion for mental health care- and a belief that an integrated, holistic approach between mental and physical healthcare is critical in cementing lasting change. She received a BS in Psychology from Furman University in 2022 and is currently enrolled in the VCU Clinical and Translational Sciences Masters Program. She is thrilled and excited to be able to help more young adults take control of their mental and physical health.
Postdoctoral Fellows
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Chloé S. Jones, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Chloe Jones is a trained exercise physiologist and behavioral scientist with a focus on developing sustainable behavioral interventions for underserved communities. Her overarching research utilizes culturally tailored and theory-based methods to improve physical activity and lifestyle behaviors in Black communities to reduce health disparities including cardiometabolic risk factors. By fostering partnerships with residents, recreational facilities, health and other community-based organizations, she hopes to enhance the knowledge of health and overall wellbeing of underrepresented populations to increase health equity.
Karly Casanave-Phillips, PhD, MA
Postdoctoral Fellow
Karly is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Cancer Prevention and Survivorship-Cancer Health Equity training program. She joined the OPT for Health team in August 2023 after completing a dual degree program in Sport and Exercise Psychology (PhD) and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA) at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on developing integrated lifestyle interventions for AYA cancer survivors using a community based participatory approach. Ultimately, she hopes to leverage her work to advance health equity through multi-level interventions and community collaboration.
Doctoral Students
Lenka Zoey Juricekova, PhD Student
Graduate Research Assistant
Lenka’s primary research interest is in psychological trauma and how people exposed to adverse experiences cope with distress. Currently, she is interested in vicarious trauma in pediatric oncology settings. Lenka received her degree in counseling in 2007 and psychology in 2013. She used to work as a crisis intervention specialist and counselor, focusing on the pediatric population. She enjoys yoga, horseback riding, hiking, and writing short stories in her free time.
Anu Owolabi, MHA, PhD Student
Graduate Research Assistant
Broadly, Anu’s research interest lies in using social and behavioral sciences to understand the mechanisms behind risk-taking behaviors and health behavior changes among adolescents and young adults. She aims to explore how social relationships and social
processes influence health-related behaviors, such as physical activity, sexual risk behaviors, and substance use. Anu’s goal is to develop interventions that can prevent unhealthy lifestyle choices and improve behavioral health outcomes among adolescents and young adults. In her spare time, she enjoys engaging with the community, playing the violin, trading financial markets, and spending quality time with her family.
Masters of Public health Students
Maria Fatima Ali, MPhil
Masters of Public Health Student
Maria is an international student from Pakistan and a trained dentist with an MPhil in Microbiology, where she researched Hepatitis C (HCV). She is currently in her second year of pursuing an MPH in Epidemiology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her capstone research project focuses on periodontal disease and its association with smoking among adults with hypertension. With a robust background in both teaching and research, Maria is dedicated to advancing public health through her innovative research and educational efforts. She is actively applying her dental expertise to deepen her MPH studies and enhance her research outcomes.
Maryanne Kungu, CCRP
Masters of Public Health Student
Maryanne earned her Bachelor of Health Informatics degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, and an associate degree in pre-nursing from Atlanta Metropolitan State College also in Atlanta, Georgia. She obtained her SOCRA certification in 2018 and graduated with a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Clinical Research from VCU in May 2023. She is currently pursuing her MPH with a concentration in Applied Public Health at VCU’s School of Public Health. Her research interest is in health disparities impacting disadvantaged communities. Maryanne joined VCU in May 2016 as a Clinical Research Data Manager in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Massey Cancer Center. She served in this role for 2 years before joining the Cancer Care Delivery Research team as the Research Coordinator. In this role she worked with Massey researchers to improve clinical outcomes and patient well-being through care delivery. Her last role at the Cancer Center was as the NCI/Affiliate Network Coordinator. She subsequently joined the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation as a Research Integrity Analyst in the Conflict-of-Interest Program in February 2022.
Melanie Bean, PhD, LCP
Co-Director, Healthy Lifestyles Center
Professor, VCU Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Bean is a pediatric psychologist, Professor of Pediatrics, and Co-Director of the Healthy Lifestyles Center at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She and Dr. LaRose are actively collaborating on Hydrate RPS, which is a multilevel intervention to promote healthy hydration for elementary school students in Richmond Public Schools. Dr. Bean was also a Co-Investigator on our REACH trial and Dr. LaRose is a Co-Investigator on her ongoing TEENS+ trial, which is testing the comparative efficacy of two distinct approaches to parental involvement within the context of adolescent weight management.
Anika Hines, PhD
Assistant Professor, VCU Department of Health Policy
Dr. Hines is a health equity scholar whose work is focused on chronic stress within the context of neighborhoods and the broader social environment, with the goal of designing multilevel interventions to eliminate racial disparities. She is a faculty member in the Department of Health Policy, and Co-Investigator on our recent HER2 and Ready SET Health trials, as well as our current BMI Project trial. Dr. LaRose also serves as mentor on her DYNAMIC and DYNAMIC moms studies.
Tricia Leahey, PhD
Professor, University of Connecticut Department of Allied Health Sciences
Co-Director, UConn Weight Management Research Group
Dr. Leahey is a tenured Professor at the University of Connecticut, where she directs the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP). She and Dr. LaRose have a longstanding history of collaboration. Dr. Leahey was a Co-Investigator on our REACH trial, and on Dr. LaRose is a Co-Investigator on her ongoing RISE trial, which is testing a novel behavioral economics mHealth intervention for long-term weight loss in economically disadvantaged adults.
Maghboeba Mosavel, PhD
Professor, VCU Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships
Dr. Mosavel is a health disparities scholar and expert in community-based participatory research. She is a tenured Professor and Associate Vice President of Community Partnerships at VCU. She and Dr. LaRose have a longstanding history of collaboration spanning more than a decade, specifically conducting community-engaged research focused on promoting health and wellness in Petersburg, VA. In collaboration with their community partners and advisory board, they are currently MPIs on Wellness Engagement Petersburg, which is a cluster randomized controlled trial testing a multilevel, grassroots lifestyle intervention to promote cardiometabolic health among Petersburg residents.
Robert Perera, PhD
Associate Professor, VCU Department of Biostatistics, Interim Chair
Dr. Perera is a biostatistican specializing in analysis and design of clinical trials, longitudinal data analysis, and psychological/behavioral measurement. He was a Co-Investigator on our recently completed HER2 and Ready SET Health trials and is also a Co-Investigator on two ongoing trials—Wellness Engagement Petersburg and the BMI Project.
Arnethea Sutton, PhD
Assistant Professor, VCU Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences
Dr. Sutton is a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at VCU. She has expertise in identifying multilevel factors that contribute to racial inequities and racial disparities in cancer and is a Co-Investigator on our ongoing AYA WELL trial.
Carmina Valle, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, UNC Chapel Hill Department of Nutrition
Dr. Valle is a faculty member in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a behavioral scientist whose program of research is focused on eliminating cancer disparities. She and Dr. LaRose Dr. LaRose are currently MPIs on the AYA WELL trial, which is an mHealth lifestyle intervention designed specifically for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.
Edmond "Trey" Wickham, MD, MPH
Director of Research, Healthy Lifestyles Center
Associate Professor, VCU Department of Internal Medicine
Dr. Wickham is a board-certified endocrinologist with expertise in the pathophysiology of obesity across the lifespan, and Co-Director of the Healthy Lifestyles Center at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. He is a Co-Investigator on our BMI Project trial.
Alumnae
Jean Reading, PhD
2022 Graduate
T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in Cancer Prevention and Control at Northwestern University
Autumn Lanoye, PhD, LCP
2019-2021 Cancer Prevention and Control Fellow
Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University
Kristal Lyn Brown, PhD, MSPH
2020 Graduate
Assistant Professor at Drexel University
Brandi Galloway, PhD
2020 Graduate
Nurse Practitioner at Virginia Department of Health
Laura Caccavale, PhD, LCP
2017-2018 Postdoctoral Fellow
Assistant Professor, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU