On November 19, members of the Commonwealth of Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee visited Radford University Carilion in Roanoke as part of the group’s annual meeting activities.

In a collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health, Western Virginia Water Authority and Carilion Clinic’s Basic Sciences Research Lab, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Radford University Carilion biomedical science program has been participating in a study that compares methods for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater in the Roanoke and Salem areas. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the causative virus of COVID-19.

If there are words that exemplify second-year Radford University Carilion Doctor of Physical Therapy student Natalie Weber, they are empathic, compassionate and caring. From the patients she works with to her classmates, Weber continually works to find ways to support others and improve their lives.

Kirsten Walker likes working with complex machines. She has transitioned from flying Blackhawk helicopters in the Army to being a student in Radford University Carilion's physician assistant program and working to care for the human body.

An injury while wrestling in high school introduced first-year RUC Doctor of Physical Therapy student Austin Slone to physical therapy. Today, he is learning to become a PT so he can give physical therapy patients the power to drive their lives forward without recurring pain and endless rehabilitation.

Leidy Montoya explored a variety of healthcare professions for over a decade before settling on becoming an occupational therapist. All of her roles, however, had one common element: patients and their well-being.

Third-year Radford University Carilion Doctor of Physical Therapy student Sally Sroge helped raise $4,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association during the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Roanoke last year. In 2021, she aims to beat that goal which will help find further treatment and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease in the near future.

Radford University’s strong academic tradition and commitment to student success continue to garner recognition in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges report.

Three Radford University Carilion online healthcare leadership programs have been ranked as some of the best in the nation by Academic Influence, a company that uses artificial intelligence to arrive at its various rankings.

Binuk Samarasinghe says the RUC biomedical science program offers him versatility. As he works toward his goal of becoming a physician, the program gives him the opportunity to conduct important healthcare-related research that can improve the lives of patients around the world.