A New Academic Health Sciences Enterprise Is Shaping Hampton Roads

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Health care stands as one of Hampton Roads’ most vital and rapidly expanding industries. The integration of Eastern Virginia Medical School into Old Dominion University – now Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU – strengthens this momentum. By aligning elite education with clinical research, the partnership serves as a primary engine for the region’s workforce and economic vitality.

Sentara Health has committed to funding 200 additional physician-residency positions over the next six years. Nursing enrollment is expected to expand by more than 50% within two years, following the launch of a new spring admissions cycle.

And beginning this fall, ODU will offer a three-year accelerated MD program in emergency medicine – shaving a year off the traditional training timeline, lowering costs and encouraging graduates to remain in the region longer.

Closing Regional Gaps

The integration’s impact goes beyond enrollment figures. In the time since the July 2024 merger, new clinical programs have launched to provide essential medical care to the surrounding area. A neurology residency program began in 2024, followed by a cardiology fellowship.

Late last year, the Sentara-EVMS Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program opened – the first clinic of its kind between Hampton Roads and Richmond – providing specialized care for thousands of patients who previously had to travel hours for treatment or go without.

“We were losing students we wanted to keep in the Commonwealth to other universities because we didn’t have a large scholarship pool,” says Dr. Alfred Abuhamad, Executive Vice President of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at ODU and Dean of EVMS. “Now, with the resources we have available, we’re able to retain some of those students we want to keep here.”

That retention matters in a region competing for health care workers at every level. Abuhamad pointed to expanded scholarship support for medical, nursing and other health care students as one of the integration’s most immediate benefits – an investment aimed at keeping skilled graduates practicing locally rather than leaving Virginia after training.

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Building Research Capacity and Partnerships

The merger also gives the region greater scale and the research capacity needed to compete for major federal funding and industry partnerships.

ODU’s R1 research designation, combined with EVMS’ clinical expertise, positions Hampton Roads to attract top-tier faculty and drive innovation in new ways.

One early example is the Joan P. Brock Institute for Nutrition Science and Health, announced in December 2025. The institute will integrate nutrition education into medical training, support research-focused on chronic disease prevention and work directly with communities to improve health outcomes.

Dr. Brian Hemphill, ODU President, views the integration as central to the university’s role in regional economic development.

“Workforce development is also economic development,” he says, noting that health care jobs remain among the most stable and fastest growing in Hampton Roads.

The health sciences enterprise strengthens the entire pipeline – from undergraduate education through clinical training and residency to graduates practicing in the region. The goal is not simply to train more health care workers, but to retain them.

Promoting Collaboration

The integration has also deepened collaboration with regional partners. A Joint School of Public Health, launched in 2024 with Norfolk State University, is helping address public health workforce needs. Digital course offerings are expanding to reach more learners. And clinical research increasingly takes place in partnership with Sentara, leveraging expertise across academic and hospital settings.

“A lot of the research is done in collaboration with Sentara,” Abuhamad says. “It’s a collaboration that has been strengthened with the integration.”

For Abuhamad, the pace of change since the merger has been notable.

“You can see in a short period of time how many things we’re working on and how much growth we’ve put in place,” he says. “There’s a lot we still need to work toward given the needs in the community, but we have the support and the means to move forward.”

Leaders say success will be measured not just by program launches or research dollars, but by graduate retention, improved access to care and measurable gains in community health.

“With state and community support,” Hemphill says, “Hampton Roads has the opportunity to become a recognized national leader in academic health sciences.”