Sep. 8, 2025
This is part of a series of Q&As introducing faculty who have joined the College of Health Sciences for the 2025–26 academic year. Meet all of our new faculty members.
Virgil Hayes
Assistant teaching professor, School of Social Work
What classes are you teaching this semester?
Social Policy & Social Justice, Social Policy and Service Delivery, and Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Tell us about yourself. What is your background?
I earned my Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Missouri and my Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Before moving into teaching, I worked as a public health macro social worker, focusing on communities impacted by the opioid epidemic. I also served as a program operator for a mobile harm-reduction program, which gave me firsthand experience in working with people in real-world, high-impact situations.
What brought you to Mizzou? To your field?
Pursuing a Ph.D. in communication brought me to Mizzou.
What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love everything about my job.
What has you excited for this semester?
I’m excited to finally be able to do the work that I’ve worked so hard to be able to do.
What is a fun hobby or activity that you enjoy outside of work?
I’m a collector of comics/graphic novels and passionate about fitness and exercise.
