This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2025-2026 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Iain M. Morgan, Ph.D.
Director
The mission of the Philips Institute for Oral Health Research is to carry out fundamental research on diseases of the oral cavity and head and neck, and to translate the knowledge gains for the improvement of human health.
The institute is home to a Ph.D. program with two areas of strength. The focus of cancer research is to gain an understanding of fundamental genetic and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the formation of cancer and to exploit this understanding for therapeutic gain. Research in the area of bacterial infection and inflammation addresses oral bacteria, their interactions with one another and the host, and their role in extra-oral diseases.