Our team
Expertise
- Brain Health and Dementia
- Substance Use and Aging
- Health Behaviors and Health Promotion
Education
- PhD/MA in Human Development and Family Studies, from Pennsylvania State University
- BA in Psychology, from Cedar Crest College
Research Interests
Health behavior change, health promotion, mental health, substance abuse/use, medication safety and community health interventions, in both urban and rural communities.
Bio
Dr. Faika Zanjani is a Professor in the Department of Gerontology and the Associate Dean of Research at the VCU College of Health Professionals. She has a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies, with a concentration in Gerontology, from Pennsylvania State University, with postdoctoral training in Geriatric Psychiatry from the University of Pennsylvania. She also has had appointments as NIH/NIMH Predoctoral Fellow, APA Minority Health Fellow, NIH/NIMH Geriatric Postdoctoral Fellow, NIH BIRWCH Scholar, USDA Grant Awardee, and NIH/NIDA K Awardee.
Zanjani has worked in geriatric public health issues, particularly within the areas of health behavior change and health promotion; brain health; mental health and substance abuse/use; and community health interventions, in both urban and rural community applications. Her research covers the behavioral and public health spectrum, including examining process (change), predictors, outcomes, treatment and community health promotion issues. She has been actively involved in promoting alcohol-interactive medication safety and preventing dementia and mental health/substance misuse, among older community-dwelling adults using principles of community behavioral change. At the basic level, she explores the consequences of moderate/healthy levels of alcohol consumption throughout the adult lifespan.
Here at VCU, she conducts research and oversees ongoing academic programs and research training at the graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral levels, to improve brain health and reduce community health disparities.
Highlights
- NIH Clinical Loan Repayment, 2006
- NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH): Fellow, 2007
- Provost Outstanding Teaching Award Finalist: University of Kentucky, 2008
- NIH Career Award (KAward), 2012
- Gerontological Society of America Fellow, 2019
- ACL ADPI: Richmond Brain Health Initiative 2021
- Virginia Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF) Director, 2023
- Virginia Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Commission Member, 2025