New River Academic Health Department

In May 2015, the New River Academic Health Department was formalized. Virginia Tech President Dr. Timothy D. Sands and Virginia Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine signed a memorandum of agreement to establish the New River Academic Health Department.

The purpose of the New River Academic Health Department is to strengthen the linkage between public health practice and its academic base in the New River Valley. The mutually-beneficial partnership is designed to enhance public health instruction, practice, research and workforce development and to improve community health in the New River Valley.

The New River Health District and the Department of Population Health Sciences collaborate and share resources, including student and faculty collaborative research projects. The agreement encourages interaction, collaboration, and coordination of projects between the two.