"Virginia Commonwealth University has been approved to create a School of Population Health, designed to help replenish understaffed state and local health departments — a vulnerability the pandemic exposed.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia endorsed the project Tuesday, more than two years after VCU began planning.

'We are excited to launch the School of Population Health and to address this growing need in the commonwealth,' VCU spokesperson Michael Porter said in a statement.

Graduates will be prepared to work for state health departments and local health districts. In 2021, there were hundreds of vacancies across the state, Dr. Art Kellermann, then-CEO of VCU Health, said at the time

'We look forward to working with our partners at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as we prepare for a formal announcement in the coming weeks, Porter said,'" reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Photo: VCU Health System. DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD