VCU news

Everett “Ev” Worthington, Ph.D., professor, VCU Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Sciences

Worthington is the recipient of a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Pepperdine University, the highest honor that the university's Board of Regents awards.

In addition, Worthington will deliver the commencement address at the university this spring and attend a luncheon hosted in his honor. A historically Christian university, Pepperdine is honoring Worthington for his work in the Christian psychology and counseling field.

Some of Worthington’s previous accolades include being the first recipient of the Gary R. Collins Excellence in Christian Counseling Award from the American Association of Christian Counselors and VCU’s Award for Excellence. He served as president of Division 36 (Psychology of Religion) for the American Psychological Association and received its William Bier Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research in the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

Worthington has published more than 250 scholarly articles and papers and has written or edited 25 books. He has been identified as being in the top 20 of productive counseling psychologists.

Medicine and pharmacy researchers earn prize for study

“Interactive Preventive Health Record to Enhance Delivery of Recommended Care: A Randomized Trial,” a research paper published in the July/August 2012 edition of the Annals of Family Medicine, has earned several VCU researchers the 2014 Society for Teachers of Family Medicine Best Research Paper Award.

Researchers include VCU School of Medicine faculty members Alex Krist, M.D.; Steven Woolf, M.D.; Stephen Rothemich, M.D.; Robert Johnson, Ph.D.; and Daniel Longo, Sc.D., and VCU School of Pharmacy faculty member Gary Matzke, Pharm.D.

The group tested the effectiveness of an interactive preventive health record (IPHR) that links patients to their clinician’s record, explains information in lay language, displays tailored recommendations and educational resources and generates reminders. The researchers found that information systems featuring patient-centered functionality have potential to increase preventive service delivery.

The award will be presented and the authors will present their findings during the 47th STFM Annual Spring Conference in May in San Antonio.

Colin Banas, M.D., chief medical information officer, Office of Clinical Transformation, VCU Health System

Banas has been chosen as a Health IT Fellow by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Banas is one of 15 providers and administrators chosen for this national honor following ONC’s rigid nomination process.

Fellows deliver critical feedback and insight regarding clarity and effectiveness of resources, tools and other technical assistance initiatives provided by ONC. Fellows also serve as champions in their provider and practice communities on local, state and national scales. This role will enable Banas to share his experience and opinion regarding ways providers can help health IT to improve the patient engagement and experience in the delivery of patient care, making meaningful use “meaningful.”

Banas is looking forward to this opportunity and said he is very excited to have been selected.

“It’s an honor to be selected to contribute to such a think tank of great minds. It is a group of individuals that have an opportunity to collaborate and influence the direction of health IT. I’m hoping that my participation will benefit not only my clinical colleagues, my health system, but also the nation,” Banas said.

Randolph T. Barker, Ph.D., professor of management, VCU School of Business
Janet S. Knisely, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, VCU School of Medicine
Sandra B. Barker, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, VCU School of Medicine
Rachel K. Cobb, Ph.D., research faculty, VCU School of Nursing

This research team, which also includes Christine Schubert, assistant professor of mathematics at the Air Force Institute of Technology, was awarded the 2013 Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Business Communication for its article “Preliminary Investigation of Employees’ Dog Presence on Stress and Organizational Perceptions.”

The article found that dogs in the workplace may buffer the impact of stress during the workday for their owners and make the job more satisfying for those with whom they come into contact. It has received significant national and international media coverage since its publication.

The award is presented annually to an outstanding book, book chapter or journal article that contributes significantly to scholarship, research and/or pedagogy; demonstrates originality of thought and careful investigation; and is well written, lucid and engaging.