Amy Adkins
Email: adkinsae@vcu.edu
Pronouns: She/her
Amy joined the School of Social Work in 2024 as a scientific writer. She has authored successful proposals for federal, state and local funding, and led grant writing workshops for early-stage investigators across a variety of disciplines. She enjoys grant writing and opportunities for collaboration. Her own research interests include sense of belonging in undergraduate researchers and the genetics of risky alcohol use.
Amy is passionate about eliminating barriers and increasing access to undergraduate research experiences. The most enjoyable aspect of her work is the ability to meet and mentor amazing students. She has developed and led foundational research experiences for >400 undergraduates through an interdisciplinary research course and two NIH-funded research training programs.
Areas of expertise
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Human Genetics
Education and credentials
Postdoctoral fellow, Va. Institute for Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics
Ph.D., human genetics, VCU
B.S., biological sciences, Virginia Tech
Work
Selected publications
Reid, J., Ahmadian, M., Jennings, D., Pepperl, A. A., Adkins, A., Anthony, K. C., … Johnson, A. A. (2025). Saying it aloud: inclusive teaching statements impact on sense of belonging and engagement. Journal of College Science Teaching, 1–14.
Williams, K.D.A., Adkins, A., Kuo, S.I., LaRose, J.G., Utsey, S.O., Guidry, J.P.D., Spit for Science Working Group, Dick, D.M., & Carlyle, K.E. (2022). Risk, protective and associated factors of anxiety and depressive symptoms and campus health services utilization among black men on a college campus. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 9(2), 505-518.
Williams, C. D., Smith, T., Adkins, A., Walker, C. J., Santana, A., Lozada, F. T., Su, J., & Dick, D. M. (2021). Effects of receiving genetic ancestry results on emerging adults’ ethnic racial identity affirmation. Emerging Adulthood, 9(4), 422-428.
Thomas, N. S., Barr, P. B., Hottell, D. L., Adkins, A. E., & Dick, D. M. (2021). Longitudinal influence of behavioral health, emotional health, and student involvement on college student retention. JSCD, 62(1), 2-18.
Su, J., Hancock, L., McGann, A., Alshagra, M.*, Ericson, R.*, Niazi, N.*, Dick, D.M. & Adkins, A. (*students) (2018). Evaluating the impact of a campus-wide social norms marketing intervention on alcohol use, perceptions, consumption, and blackouts. J Am Coll Health, 66(3), 219-224.
Adkins, A., Hack, L.M., Bigdeli, T.B., Williamson, V.S., Mamdani, M., Edwards, A.,...Riley, B.P. (2017). Genomewide association study of Alcohol Dependence in a homogeneous Irish sample identifies risk loci supported by model organism studies and convergent functional evidence. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 41(5), 911-928.
Professional highlights
Teaching areas and interests
- Mental Health and Criminal Justice Involvement
- Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics
- Student Success
- Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors
- Experiential learning
- Genetics of Substance Misuse & Related Outcomes
- Research Methods
- Science Identity
- Sense of Belonging
Recent courses taught
- BIOL 391/PSYC 494/SLWK 391 - Spit for Science: Conducting and Understanding Research
Selected affiliations and service
- VCU Institute for Research on Behavioral & Emotional Health
- School of Social Work Evaluation Hub
- Spit for Science data registry steering committee
- Program Director, VCU Guided Research Experiences & Applied Training (GREAT)
Ad-hoc reviewer
- Journal of American College Health