Mark Hickman standing by the Virginia flag in a Virginia General Assembly committee room

Health advocacy

January 29, 2025

Mark Hickman shifted into high gear on Jan. 8 when the Virginia General Assembly convened for its 2025 session. As the senior director of state government relations for VCU Health, he lobbies legislators on behalf of an entity that comprises four hospitals, one college, and four health sciences schools that together had over $3.5 billion in total operating revenue in the 2023-24 fiscal year. He takes seriously his role in ensuring VCU Health can fulfill its threefold mission to treat patients, educate health care professionals, and conduct cutting-edge medical research.

“We are among the premiere research hospitals in the nation, a Level 1 trauma hospital, and one of only two public teaching hospitals in the state,” said the 2007 University of Richmond alum, who majored in leadership studies and Spanish.

“We deliver cutting-edge treatment in tertiary and quaternary care, the kind of care required for the most medically complex patients,” he added. “We are also a safety-net hospital — we don’t turn anyone away, regardless of their ability to pay. Most of our patients are Medicaid, uninsured, or underinsured patients. I have the honor of representing and advocating for our unique tripartite mission.”

During this General Assembly session, Hickman said he will focus on reviewing and responding to VCU Health-related legislation that will be based on recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. He also will seek approval for VCU Health to purchase downtown Richmond’s Altria research building, which would provide much-need additional lab space. And he will seek additional funding for VCU’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Although the six-plus weeks of the General Assembly session promise to be intense, the state legislative liaison feels well prepared, having met regularly with legislators throughout the year. “If you wait until session starts to have a conversation,” he said with a grin, “you’ve waited too long.”

“Lobbying is about two things — relationships and trust,” he continued. “My job is to build, develop, and strengthen relationships, and those relationships are built on trust. Lobbyists are information brokers, and our information has to be accurate. As a university and hospital, VCU Health is home to many subject matter experts, and I connect those experts to legislators who are seeking information. We partner in a lot of the work the state does.

“In Virginia, we are lucky that, for the most part, we have retained a sense of bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle. There is no clear partisan divide over VCU Health or healthcare. Everyone wants to be good stewards of our resources, to find the most efficient, effective ways to serve our students and patients and grow our health care workforce.”

When not advancing VCU Health’s mission, Hickman volunteers in his community. He is chair of the board of Homeward, a nonprofit that coordinates services for the homeless in Greater Richmond. He also currently serves as a member of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies Executive Board of Advisors and of the Richmond Ambulance Authority Board of Directors. And he just completed terms on his neighborhood civic association and the Richmond Clean City Commission. In all these endeavors, he applies principles he learned as a Jepson School undergraduate.

“I learned at Jepson that leadership is people centered,” the alum said. “Leaders who start with thinking of people — the word for that is empathy — are the most successful in motivating others and accomplishing the goals of the organization. Empathetic leadership is good for both stakeholders and shareholders. Everyone has a responsibility to make their community the best it can be.”