Who we are

Research support, built around faculty.

FMROCS is a dedicated group within the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, focused on promoting and facilitating research, grants, and scholarship growth among our faculty, medical residents, and students.

Five people cover protocol development, IRB, scientific writing and data. Our goal is to provide comprehensive, timely support for every research endeavor in the department.

5
Team members
4
Service areas
1
Intake form
Services and support

Four ways we can help.

Protocol · IRB · Writing · Data

Every request starts with the intake form. Tell us which of these you need and we will match you with the right person on the team.

01

Protocol development

Guidance and assistance in developing research protocols, ensuring they meet ethical standards and research objectives.

Turnaround · 1–2 weeks
02

IRB management

Guidance navigating the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process — submission requirements, protocol amendments, and compliance with ethical guidelines.

Turnaround · 2–4 weeks
03

Scientific writing

Support in scientific writing, manuscript preparation, editing, and publication strategies to enhance the quality and impact of research publications. Assistance with abstract submissions and posters can also be requested.

Turnaround · Scoped per project
04

Data processing and management

Assistance with data processing, management, and basic statistical analysis.

Turnaround · 1–3 weeks
Requesting support

It starts with one form.

How it works

Complete the intake form to specify the type of assistance you require, whether it is related to grant management, protocol development, IRB management, scientific writing, or data processing. Our dedicated team will review your request and provide timely assistance to meet your research needs.

1
Tell us what you need
Identify the type of support you are looking for: protocol development, IRB management, scientific writing, or data processing.
2
Complete the intake form
Share the details of your project through our secure REDCap intake form.
3
We follow up
Our team reviews your request and reaches out with next steps and an estimated timeline.
Intake form
Tell us about your project.

One secure REDCap form covers every service area. Submit it and the team takes it from there.

Start the intake form →
Not sure where to start?

Reach out to the team directly and we will point you in the right direction.

fmrocs@vcuhealth.org
The office in numbers

What we have supported so far.

FY 2026 · approximate
~15
IRBs assisted
Protocols and amendments taken through review
~10
Faculty assisted
Investigators supported across the department
4
Service areas
Protocol, IRB, writing and data
5
People
One team, one intake form
Our team

The people behind the office.

Five people · one door
Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH headshot
Leads the office

Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH

Director of Research

Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler serves as the Director of Research for DFMPH and oversees FMROCS. He has nearly 30 years of research experience, has published over 150 scientific papers, and has been the recipient of multiple extramural grants throughout his career. He has also served on NIH and NCI review panels and teaches grant writing through the T32 training grant he directs in cancer prevention and control and cancer health equity. Dr. Fuemmeler also serves as Associate Director for Population Research at Massey Cancer Center and is the director for the VCU Cohort and Registry Administration (CARA) Core — a VCU shared resource.

Carrie Miller, PhD, MPH headshot

Carrie Miller, PhD, MPH

Research Faculty

Dr. Carrie Miller is research faculty in the DFMPH and brings 20+ years of experience in clinical, behavioral, and population health research. Her diverse research experience provides her a broad perspective on the research process and the opportunities and challenges faculty, residents, and students may encounter as they develop their scholarly work. Dr. Miller currently serves as PI of an NCI K01 career development award and as pilot PI on other NIH-funded studies. She has authored more than 45 publications in peer-reviewed journals. As part of FMROCS, she looks forward to connecting with colleagues, fostering research collaborations, and helping members of the department identify resources and opportunities to advance their research and scholarly ideas.

Obinna Diala, MBBS, MPH headshot

Obinna Diala, MBBS, MPH

Senior Research Associate

Dr. Obinna Diala is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, where he coordinates research operations for FMROCS and for studies led by Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler. A physician by training with more than 10 years of combined experience in clinical medicine, clinical research, and public health practice, he manages protocol development, IRB submissions and amendments, participant recruitment, and data collection across multiple concurrent studies, and supervises the research staff who carry them out.

Dr. Diala has authored 10+ publications spanning tobacco and e-cigarette research, cancer prevention and survivorship, health equity, and pediatric sleep medicine. Before joining VCU, he coordinated pediatric sleep apnea research in the Department of Otolaryngology at Children’s Hospital Colorado. He is the first point of contact for faculty bringing a new project to FMROCS.

Lisa Rollins, PhD headshot

Lisa Rollins, PhD

Consultant

Dr. Lisa Rollins serves as a consultant to the department of FMPH. She has a 24-year history of supporting medical school faculty in their scholarly endeavors and career development. She has expertise in survey development and grant writing in cancer prevention, medical education, and manuscript history that addresses faculty development.

Joshua Mercadel, PhD headshot

Joshua Mercadel, PhD

Data Analyst

Dr. Joshua Mercadel serves as a data analyst with 9 years of experience spanning state government, health insurance, community-engaged initiatives, and academic research. His expertise includes clinical and population-level research, with a focus on using data to support meaningful research questions and improve health outcomes. Dr. Mercadel is particularly interested in autonomic health and cancer prevention and is eager to help facilitate research and collaboration within FMPH.

News and events

Upcoming conferences, all in one place.

AQCS
ASCO Quality Care Symposium
Oct 16–17, 2026
Visit site →
ESMO
ESMO Congress 2026
Oct 23–27, 2026
Visit site →
NAPCRG
NAPCRG 54th Annual Meeting
Nov 20–24, 2026
Visit site →
NCCN
NCCN Annual Conference
March 2027 (dates TBC)
Visit site →
SRNT
SRNT 33rd Annual Meeting
Mar 3–6, 2027
Visit site →
AACR
AACR Annual Meeting 2027
Apr 2–7, 2027
Visit site →
ASPO
ASPO 51st Annual Meeting
Apr 11–13, 2027
Visit site →
SBM
SBM 48th Annual Meeting
Apr 14–17, 2027
Visit site →
STFM
STFM Annual Spring Conference
May 1–5, 2027
Visit site →
SGIM
SGIM 2027 Annual Meeting
May 5–8, 2027
Visit site →
ASCO
ASCO 2027 Annual Meeting
Jun 4–8, 2027
Visit site →
ICSN
ICSN Conference 2027
Jun 16–18, 2027
Visit site →
Preparing an abstract or poster for one of these? We can help with writing, editing and data.
Request writing support →
Resources

Tools to make your research life easier.

NIH Study Section Finder
→
Internal Grant Resourcerequest access
→
Pre-Award ContactKrenare Skivjani
→
Post-Award ContactMohera Khan
→
FundingMassey ORD
→
Clinical Trials OfficeMassey
→
OVPRI / Pivotfunding search
→
Wright CenterCCTR
→
Need help building your SciENcv profile or NIH biosketch? We can help with the formatting.
Request SciENcv help →
Contact

Find us on the 6th floor.

One Capitol Square
Family Medicine Research Office Core Support
6th floor, Room 637, One Capitol Square Building
830 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Division main phone
(804) 628-4649
Walk-in hours
Fridays 10am - 1pm

At FMROCS, we are committed to supporting your research, grants, and scholarship pursuits. Our team is dedicated to providing the resources and assistance you need to succeed in your research endeavors. We look forward to working with you and contributing to the advancement of family medicine research.

The FMROCS team