How one Richmond pediatrician and his daughter bring unique contributions to the same VCU study
Adolescent obesity is a reality for 22.9% of young people ages 12 to 19 – more than 1 in 5. Also concerning is that most won’t receive the effective treatment that exists to help them. Dr. Melanie Bean, co-director of our Healthy Lifestyles Center, is leading a study backed by a $3.85 million grant from the National Institutes of Health aimed at changing this through a model called Virtual Housecalls.
Virtual Housecalls connects families with certified behavior coaches via video at home and through quarterly visits with their primary care doctor. This intensive lifestyle treatment is typically offered in specialty clinics, but Virtual Housecalls skips the waitlists, commute and other potential hurdles. Community-based health research such as this relies on unique partnerships and varied viewpoints to succeed.
Connecting community families to convenient care for adolescent obesity
Dr. David Gosselin is president of Richmond Pediatric Associates, Inc., a community pediatric practice with offices in Richmond’s West End and Mechanicsville. He’s also a member of Virginia Children’s Care Network, a clinically integrated network supported by CHoR in collaboration with community pediatricians across the region with a goal of improving the health of Virginia’s children. These roles make him a key community partner for Virtual Housecalls.
A board-certified pediatrician who trained at Medical College of Virginia, Dr. Gosselin has been caring for kids for more than two decades and has long championed improved healthcare access for local youth. His practice's collaboration with the Virtual Housecalls study stems from a shared vision to strengthen primary care obesity treatment by connecting families with proactive, home-based lifestyle guidance alongside routine clinical visits.
Clinical research requires many perspectives
On the academic research side of this study is Dr. Gosselin’s daughter, Lily, a senior at Boston College pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Lily joined our Healthy Lifestyles Center Research Lab this summer as a part-time research assistant. She’s been gaining valuable research experience while contributing to the operations behind multiple pediatric studies, including Virtual Housecalls. Her duties have included data entry and management, applying qualitative research methods and other tasks essential to ensuring rigorous study execution.
"I chose to work with the Healthy Lifestyles Center because I was drawn to their goal of improving the health and well-being of participants and their families," said Lily. "Working with data entry and cleaning transcripts has allowed me to witness multiple stages of the research process and the type of care and precision that is required of each stage."
Together, Dr. Gosselin’s and his daughter’s contributions show how community-based research thrives across multiple touchpoints, from frontline primary care to rigorous data management. The beauty is in the shared goal – improving lives and communities each step of the way.
Virtual Housecalls now enrolling
The randomized trial will enroll 250 adolescents ages 12 to 15 with Class I and II obesity, along with a parent or caregiver. Nine community pediatric practices have signed on, phased in across three tiers, with recruitment now underway.