Faculty Bio:

Cecil B. Drain, Ph.D., R.N., C.R.N.A, F.A.A.N. served as Dean of the VCU College of Health Professions for 21 years, retiring from VCU in early 2019. Dr. Drain previously served as the chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia and professor from 1993 through 2017. Dr. Drain came to VCU after a distinguished 27-year career in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel in 1993. He has written multiple books including the standard anesthesia textbook, now in its 5th edition,  "Perianesthesia Nursing: A Critical Care Approach," a highly regarded resource for anesthesia providers.  

Dr. Drain is the recipient of multiple notable awards including the MCV Foundation's W. Robert Irby, MD award in philanthropic leadership in 2018. In 2008, Dr. Drain received the Darrell Mase Presidential award from the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP). The Darrell Mase Award is given to a member of ASAHP who has shown dedication to maintaining the qualities of excellence that characterize a truly professional organization. The Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions was chartered in Washington, D.C. in September 1967 as a nonprofit organization that is the leading advocate for allied professions. And in 2007, Dr. Drain received the esteemed Helen Lamb Lifelong Achievement in Education award presented by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).

Dr. Drain made it his personal mission to unite the college’s programs which occupied as many as 13 buildings for 45 years on both campuses of VCU. The new LEED Silver-designed 154,000-square-foot facility opened in 2019 and, for the first time, centralizes all of the school’s academic units. Each of the building’s eight floors feature formal and informal spaces designed to promote interprofessional education and collaboration. The building also features cutting-edge learning laboratories for human simulation, diagnostic technology, rehabilitation and counseling education. Flexible classrooms promote student engagement and foster distance-learning opportunities.

Dr. Drain made a deep impact on the College of Health Professions, the University, the Commonwealth and beyond. His positive contributions will continue to affect our university-wide community well into the future.