Academic Affairs

Office of the Provost

VCU Convergence

Purpose and Mission

VCU Convergence is a university-wide initiative that reimagines how VCU fosters innovation, collaboration and real-world impact. It brings together faculty, staff, students and community partners across disciplinary boundaries to advance outcomes through transdisciplinary research, interdisciplinary curricula and transformative, experiential learning opportunities. 

VCU Convergence is organized around themes to address some of today’s most consequential societal challenges, or “wicked problems.” These wicked problems are shaped by biological, psychological, social, technological, cultural, and structural forces; they are not reducible to a single discipline or method. 

VCU Convergence represents what’s possible when higher education breaks barriers and operates without walls.

Themes

VCU Convergence is organized around five themes that run horizontally across all VCU units: 

  • Applied/Practical Artificial Intelligence
  • Health Outcomes
  • Mental Health
  • Neuroscience (including Neurodegeneration)
  • Sustainability

Events and Announcements

Leadership

VCU Convergence is an initiative of the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost in partnership with VCU’s schools/colleges and administrative units.

VCU Convergence oversight

  • Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs: Andrew Arroyo, Ed.D. 
  • Faculty Director: Daniel Gutierrez, Ph.D., LPC, CSAC
  • Assistant Director: Timothy Luckritz Marquis, Ph.D.

Faculty theme leads

Program managers

  • Program Manager; Convergence Applied/Practical Artificial Intelligence: TBA
  • Program Manager, Convergence Health Outcomes and Convergence Sustainability: Rebecca Bruhl, Dr.P.H., M.P.H, M.E.M.
  • Program Manager, Convergence Neuroscience and Convergence Mental Health: Alison Breland, Ph.D.

Other Office of the Provost leads

  • AVP for University Interdisciplinary Programs, Mariah Crilley, Ph.D.
  • AVP for Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry, Herb Hill, Ed.D.
  • AVP for Engaged Transformative Learning, Shanza Isom, MSW
  • AVP for Learning Experience Design, Elaine Reeder, Ph.D.
  • Executive Director, VCU Continuing and Professional Education, Tinsley Jones

Information 

Interested in learning more? Email convergence@vcu.edu for information and/or to be added to our distribution lists.

 

 

Definitions

Transdisciplinary research stands on the premise that addressing wicked problems must bring together faculty, students and community members across disciplinary and institutional boundaries to ask new questions and develop new methods to address society’s most complex problems.

Interdisciplinary curricula intentionally blend two or more academic disciplines to examine a central theme, issue, or problem. It is distinguished from multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinary teams by its emphasis on teaching individuals how to integrate insights from at least two disciplines. It includes instruction in interdisciplinary theory and methodology.

Transformative learning is a process in which students critically examine and revise the underlying assumptions and frames of reference they use to make meaning, often after an experience that disrupts their expectations (Mezirow 1991). At VCU, Transformative Learning occurs through high-impact experiential learning activities such as undergraduate research, internships, service-learning and project-based learning. These experiences are frequently interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary and create especially strong conditions for transformative learning by immersing students in hands-on, complex work with sustained effort, feedback and structured reflection. 

Wicked problems are complex social problems whose causes, boundaries and solutions cannot be definitively determined through individual disciplinary approaches. They are characterized by uncertainty, interdependence among contributing factors and competing values. Unlike “tame” problems, which can be addressed through linear analysis and technical expertise, wicked problems are embedded within evolving social contexts in which proposed solutions alter the nature of the problem itself and often generate new difficulties. (See Rittel & Webber 1973)

Themes

Human Factors of Artificial Intelligence

AI is increasingly embedded in decision-making, education, healthcare and daily life. Research consistently highlights that the success and legitimacy of AI systems depend on human-centered design, ethical governance, trust and social context (Floridi et al., 2018; Shneiderman, 2020). This theme brings together technical, behavioral, ethical, educational and policy expertise to ensure that AI innovation is aligned with human-centered values and societal needs. 

Health Outcomes

Health outcomes are shaped by interacting biomedical, behavioral, social, environmental and systemic factors. Research in population health and implementation science consistently demonstrates that meaningful, scalable improvements in health outcomes require integrated, community-engaged, health systems-level strategies rather than isolated interventions (Glasgow et al., 2012; Marmot et al., 2008).

Mental Health

Mental health addresses many complex areas through integrative, transdisciplinary research and innovation. Recognizing the influence of social determinants, Convergence Mental Health uses a comprehensive framework that considers socioeconomic conditions, education and community context, alongside cultural and geographic factors emphasized in global mental health. Rather than solely treating a person’s individual mental health, the lab examines how biological regulation, relationships, institutions and social environments interact to shape well-being across the lifespan. This approach integrates place-based initiatives, neuroscience, behavioral science, data science and community-engaged practice. The initiative develops and evaluates scalable strategies that strengthen resilience, improves access to care. and supports participation in school, work and civic life.

Neuroscience (including Neurodegeneration)

Advances in neuroscience increasingly demonstrate the interconnectedness of brain function, mental health, aging, and neurodegenerative conditions. Integrative approaches that bridge basic neuroscience, clinical research, and community contexts are essential for progress in prevention, intervention, and care (Insel & Cuthbert, 2015; National Institute on Aging, 2020).

Sustainability

Sustainability focuses on the stewardship of natural systems to ensure they can continue to support human health and flourishing for future generations. This theme emphasizes the interaction between human and environmental health, requiring transdisciplinary approaches that address conservation strategies, climate resilience or otherwise promote sustainable systems to address the escalating impact of human activity on the planet (Whitmee et al., 2015).

Citations

Floridi, L., Cowls, J., Beltrametti, M., et al. (2018). AI4People—An ethical framework for a good AI society. Minds and Machines, 28, 689–707.

Glasgow, R. E., Vinson, C., Chambers, D., et al. (2012). National Institutes of Health
approaches to dissemination and implementation science. American Journal of Public
Health, 102(7), 1274–1281.

Insel, T. R., & Cuthbert, B. N. (2015). Brain disorders? Precisely. Science, 348(6234), 499–500.

Marmot, M., Friel, S., Bell, R., et al. (2008). Closing the gap in a generation. The Lancet,
372(9650), 1661–1669.

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning. University of Michigan Press. 

Rittel, H.W.J., & Webber, M. M. (1973). Dilemmas in a Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences, 4(2), 155-169.

Shneiderman, B. (2020). Human-centered artificial intelligence. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 36(6), 495–504.

Whitmee, S., Haines, A., Beyrer, C., et al. (2015). Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: Report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health. The Lancet, 386(10007), 1973-2028. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60901-1