The Virginia Commonwealth University is a public institution formed by the merging of two professional colleges. VCU has the “Highest Research Activity” and multiple partnerships with international universities in locations such as Israel, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The university has a large collections of “firsts,” such as being the first school in the US to open a campus in Doha, Qatar, introducing the first school of social work in the South, and conducting the first organ transplant in Virginia. VCU houses five health sciences schools and is #40 on the Best Employers for Diversity list by Forbes.