Program History

In 1943, MCV Hospital employed its first professional chaplain, The Rev. Dr. George D. Ossman. Fifteen years later, in 1958, The Rev. A. Patrick L. Prest, Jr. was hired to establish an accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program. Pat Prest was a visionary who sought to be inclusive. The very first CPE group, in 1959, included George Polk, an African American clergyman, who went on to become a CPE Supervisor. Two years later, Nora Calvert from New Zealand, became the first woman to take CPE at MCV.

We were the first CPE Program to integrate a year of CPE into a Master of Science in Patient Counseling so that our advanced CPE students receive both a MS from VCU and CPE units registered with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Educational (APCE).

The program has benefited from the generosity of benefactors. In 2010, two major endowments were received, creating the Rev. Robert B. Lantz Chair and the Katherine I. Lantz Professorship of Patient Counseling. Other significant endowments include the John and Jessica Loftis Memorial Bereavement Fund (2003), the Alexander F. Tartaglia Scholarship Fund by an anonymous donor (2013), the Alexander F. Tartaglia Supervisory Education Fund (2014) by Ann Sidney Charlescraft and the Bob and Susan Nash Forever Heartfelt Bereavement Support Fund (2018). We are also deeply grateful to the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation's sponsorship of a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Chaplain and to the Children's Hospital Foundation for their support of a Pediatric Chaplain.

Department Personnel History

  • Rev. Dr. A. Patrick L. Prest, Jr., 1958-1993.  CPE Supervisor (CCT & ACPE)
  • Rev. Dr. Jacob Luther Mauney,  1971 – 1996, chair 1991-1996. ACPE Supervisor
  • The Rev. Robert Young, Interim Chair, July 1 – November 1, 1996.  ACPE Supervisor
  • Rev. Dr. Alexander F. Tartaglia, 1996-present; chair 1996-2008, ACPE Certified Educator
  • The Rev. Dr. D. Mark Cooper, 2005-2012; chair 2008-2012, ACPE Supervisor
  • The Rev. Dr. Angela S. Duncan, 2004-2023; interim chair 1/2012-6/30/2012
  • The Rev. Dr. Russell H. Davis, 2012-2021, ACPE Certified Educator
  • The Rev. Marilyn J.D. Barnes, MS, MA, MPH, BCC, Chair 2021-present
  • The Rev. Dr. George D. Ossman, 1943-1958
  • The Rev. Dean Williams, CPE Supervisor (CCT & ACPE) 1966-1970
  • The Rev. Dr. Roy Woodruff, ACPE Supervisor, 1971-1976
  • The Rev. Dr. Dan McKeever, ACPE Supervisor, 1974-1976
  • The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Young, Jr., ACPE Supervisor, 1976-2008
  • The Rev. Andrew C. Puckett, Jr., ACPE Supervisor, 1978-1982
  • The Rev. Marlyne Cain, ACPE Supervisor. 1979-2002
  • The Rev. Dr. Teresa Snorton, ACPE Supervisor, 1989-1990
  • The Rev. Dr. Lucio Mutia, ACPE Supervisor, 1990-2007
  • The Rev. Cecilia Williams, ACPE Supervisor, 1993- 1999
  • The Rev. Dr. Daniel K. Festa, clinical faculty, 1992-2000
  • The Rev Ken Faulkner, clinical faculty, 1991-2019.  Director of Pastoral Care 2006-2015
  • The Rev. Dr. Ann Charlescraft, MDiv., BCC, Asst. Professor, 1997-2017
  • Alice Linyear, M.D., 1997-2001
  • The Rev. Alma Hassell, MDiv., BCC, Instructor, 2000-2021
  • The Rev. Stephanie Hamilton, MDiv., BCC, Assistant Professor, 2000-2021
  • The Rev. The’Resa Woodfolk, ACPE Supervisor, 2002-2004
  • The Rev. Dr. Jan Humphreys, Asst. Professor, ACPE Supervisor, 2002-2007
  • The Rev. Dr. Rosalind Bradley, Asst. Professor, ACPE Supervisor, 2004-2013
  • Dr. Diane Dodd-McCue, Asst. Professor, T&R Faculty (Research) 2006-2019
  • The Rev. Angela Flack, Asst. Professor, ACPE Certified Educator, 2007-2023
  • The Rev. Joshua T. Andrzejewski, APC BCC, clinical faculty, 2012-2021
  • Jason Callahan, MDiv., BCC, Instructor, Pallative Care Chaplain, 2015-present
  • Kevin Graham, M.S., BCC, Affiliate Faculty, Chaplain, CHoR Brook Road, 2016-present
  • The Rev. Rebecca Highfield, MDiv., BCC, ACPE Associate Certified Educator (Fall 2018)
  • Caitlyn Bailey, MDiv., MS, BCC, Affiliate Faculty, ACPE Certified Educator, Manager, Spiritual Care Department, 2018-present
  • Allison DeLaney, NACC BCC, Asst. Professor, 2018-2022
  • Kelsey White, PhD, BCC, Asst. Professor, Faculty Researcher, 2022-present
  • Leigh Finnegan-Hosey, M.Div., BCC, Instructor, Women's Health and Pediatric Chaplain, 2022-present
  • Calvin Bradley, Jr., M.Div., BCC, Asst. Professor, Director of Education, Chaplain 2022-present
  • Elizabeth Smith, MDiv., BCC, Affiliate Faculty, Staff Chaplain, 2022-present
  • Tiffany M. Redmond, DMin, MBA, Assistant Professor, ACPE Certified Educator, 2024-present
  • Amy D. Dunn, MDiv., BCC, Affiliate Faculty, Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) Spiritual Care Department Team Lead, 2025-present