School of Medicine
At the VCU School of Medicine, we believe in the potential within every student, faculty member, researcher and clinician — a potential that drives medical breakthroughs, expands access to health care and transforms patient care. Unlocking Potential: VCU’s Campaign for the Future is a bold initiative to invest in that potential by expanding access to medical education, supporting leading-edge research and preparing the next generation of physician-leaders and scientists.
Your support during this campaign ensures our graduates are exceptional clinicians and innovators in medicine, community health and biomedical discovery. With your help, we will create scholarships that reduce barriers to medical education, strengthen hands-on training that prepares students for real-world challenges and fuel research that improves outcomes for patients and communities alike.
Together, we will unlock potential at the VCU School of Medicine — and shape the future of health care, here in Virginia and around the world.
Our goal
You will unlock potential in the School of Medicine when you help us reach our goal of $534 million.
Our priorities
Increasing access and fostering student success
At the VCU School of Medicine, students are immersed in rigorous, hands-on training, mentorship and innovative learning experiences that prepare them to become tomorrow’s health care leaders.
Your support empowers the next generation of physicians by making medical education more accessible and impactful. Investments in scholarships as well as residency and fellowship programs help attract top students and reduce financial barriers, ensuring that talented individuals from all backgrounds can pursue a career in medicine. Support for educational resource funds further enhances student success through mentorship programs, state-of- the-art training and access to leading-edge learning tools — all within the dynamic environment of our academic medical center — preparing our trainees to excel in today’s health care landscape.
Together, we will unlock the potential of every medical student, advancing the future of health care one leader at a time.
Blazing trails and leading change through innovative research
Every day, researchers in the VCU School of Medicine are advancing bold ideas, driving health innovation and pushing the frontiers of science to improve lives. From tackling urgent health care challenges to translating new discoveries into clinical solutions, our mission is to achieve breakthroughs that improve patient outcomes — work that has earned VCU recognition as one of the nation’s top 50 research institutions.
Your support is essential to this vision. By establishing dedicated funds for pioneering research, you fuel research in critical areas of medicine and help us address the most pressing health issues of our time. Seed grants and innovation funds empower early career researchers to pursue transformative ideas and accelerate the path from discovery to clinical impact.
Together, we will drive scientific progress, strengthen our research enterprise and unlock a future where medical innovation changes lives.
Recognizing faculty and nurturing scholarship
VCU School of Medicine faculty are more than educators — they are leaders in clinical practice, mentors shaping the next generation of health care professionals and researchers driving innovations that improve patient care, medical treatments and health outcomes. Their expertise and dedication ensure that VCU remains a leader in medical education and clinical excellence.
Your support strengthens faculty excellence. Increased funding for endowed faculty chairs and recruitment funds will help us attract and retain distinguished clinicians and researchers who bring world-class expertise to our institution. By investing in endowed professorships and faculty development, we can advance academic leadership, strengthen our educational programs and drive impactful research in critical health care areas, ensuring students and patients benefit from leading-edge knowledge.
Together, we will unlock faculty excellence and empowerment to push the boundaries of medicine, enhance the educational experience for students and advance the quality of care for future generations.
Sustaining institutional excellence and achieving prominence
The VCU School of Medicine is shaping the future of health care by keeping patients and community health at the center
of all we do. To enhance our impact on the health of our communities and advance innovative, transformative care, we strive to expand programs that connect the academic medical center to people in need, address social determinants of
health and extend outreach to in-need populations.
Your support enables the expansion of community-based health programs, which bring essential services directly to those in need, especially in underserved areas. These efforts ensure that our work extends beyond the classroom and laboratory to directly contribute to improving the health and well-being of our local communities.
In addition, your generosity supports the development of centers and initiatives that foster collaboration across medical
specialties, advancing team science and innovation. By creating spaces for interdisciplinary research and practice, we cultivate a culture of collaboration and position the VCU School of Medicine as a leader in transformative health care.
Together, we can expand our community health impact, advance groundbreaking research and prepare the next generation of health care professionals to unlock solutions to future challenges.
Shape what’s next
I want the next generation of VCU doctors and researchers to come full of ideas on how to positively change the world. What diseases will we cure? What frontiers in science and medicine will we explore and advance? Put simply, this campaign will allow us to dream, and the generous partnerships forged by our collaboration will provide the opportunity to turn these dreams into reality.
As a medical school dean whose career in medicine would not have been possible without the generosity of others, Unlocking Potential is just that — it’s an investment in our future. A future that will fuel innovation, advance care and empower the next generation of medical leaders to improve the lives of patients and communities.
Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D.
Dean, VCU School of Medicine
Executive vice president for medical affairs, VCU Health
You are the key.
You’ve seen how this historic effort is unlocking potential across VCU and VCU Health for students, patients, faculty members, researchers, clinicians and members of our community. Now it’s your turn. How will you help shape what’s next?