News Archive

What's Swimming in Your Pool Water
July 13, 2009 - Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen provides tips for summer pool hygiene and safety in this article by AOL Health.  Read the article.

Convocation 2009
May 14, 2009 - Images from Convocation 2009 are now available.  Click on a thumbnail below to view a larger size.

Mason Epidemiologist Discusses Swine Flu and What to Do About It
Update: May 4, 2009 - Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen comments on the recent swine flu outbreak. Read the article. Dr. Jacobsen was also interviewed on WJLA.  Watch the interview.

More Honors for GCH Faculty
April 28, 2009 - Lorraine Rudowski of Global and Community Health will be honored as the 2009 recipient of the Margaret C. Howell Award. This annual award is granted to employees who have performed work that promotes respect, diversity and individual dignity throughout the university and the community.

CHHS Honors Retiring GCH Faculty Members
April 24, 2009 - Dr. Frieda Butler (Gerontology Programs Coordinator), and Professor Lorraine Rudowski (Global Health Programs Coordinator) will be retiring effective summer 2009.  A deeply saddening day for Global/Public Health and Geronotology.  In their honor the College of Health and Human Services has held  a retirement reception for both Global and Community Health faculty members. View pictures from the event.

Honors for GCH Faculty
Dr. Frieda Butler has been named the CHHS latest Professor Emerita. Congratulations to Dr. Butler!

Research Grants for Graduate Students
The Department of Global and Community Health seeks applicants from graduate students enrolled in Masters programs within the department for two research related grants.  Grants range from $300-$750.00 each.

Students must identify a faculty mentor who will oversee their work and complete an application, which includes their research proposal as well as a projected budget.  Applications are due April 1st, 2009.   Please return the application to aweiss2@gmu.edu. Download the application.

Master of Public Health Program Information Update
Program of Study for the Master of Public Health program is now available. Read more.

Mason and Inova Health System Forge New Research Collaboration
For more than nine years, researchers at Northern Virginia's Inova Health System and George Mason University have been collaborating on groundbreaking research on obesity, liver disease and cancer. Now, the two have taken the relationship one step further with the establishment of the Inova Life Sciences Research Collaboration Fund - GMU. Read more at the Mason Gazette.

New Faculty Publication
Congratulations to Lila Fleming (MS'08, International Health), whose paper "Bullying and Symptoms of Depression in Chilean Middle School Students" has been published in the March 2009 of the Journal of School Health. Lila conducted this analysis of data from the Global School-based Health Survey as part of her Certificate in Epidemiology. The abstract for this paper is available online.

Mason Launches Northern Virginia’s First Master of Public Health Degree
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia recently approved Mason’s new Master of Public Health (MPH) for launch in the fall of 2009. The degree will address a critical shortage in public health professionals by preparing an estimated 100 graduates per year to respond to disasters and improve the health of vulnerable populations. Read the full article in the Mason Gazette.

Rethinking the Global Food Regime?
Dr. Marchione was recently published in Anthropology News.

Big News:  Dr. Jekyll joins the Faculty
Dr. Henry Jekyll joins the faculty as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Global and Community Health.  That’s right, and Mr. Hyde too!  Last semester, students in GCH 332 examined Stevenson’s portrayal of good and evil as metaphors for health and disease.  They  wrote profusely in response to the novel, and here are some examples. Student writings from this class.
  
Note:  Professor James Metcalf routinely incorporates literary classics into his health science classes.  Read more at The Gazette.

Masters of Public Health APPROVED!
The Department and College are pleased to announce that SCHEV (State Council of Higher Education) has approved our newest degree program - Masters of Public Health, which will be coming soon - Fall 2009.  For more information please plan to attend the MPH Forum on Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 5:30 pm in the Johnson Center's Dewberry Hall-North. 

Upcoming Conference
"Food, Famine and Future Technologies: Ethical Dilemmas in a Hungry World"
New York City, May 22-23, 2009
Conference Website

Offering a Guiding Hand
Dr. Sue Palsbo and Dr. Lynn Gerber are featured in this article on their research into improving handwriting in The Register-Guard. Read the article. Watch a 3 minute video on the device on Youtube.

Frankenstein as Deadbeat Dad: Literature Complements Health Science Courses
Dr. Jim Metcalf is featured in this article from the Mason Gazette on the connection between classic literature and current health issues. Read the article.

Students Publish with Faculty Mentorship
Congratulations to Li Yang (MS'08, Epidemiology & Bio statistics), whose paper "A systematic review of the association between breastfeeding and breast cancer" was published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Women's Health. Li conducted this systematic review as a capstone project for her master's degree. The abstract for this paper is available online. Congratulations also to Jeannie Padgett (MS'07, International Health), whose paper "Loiasis: African eye worm" was published in the October 2008 issue of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Jeannie wrote this review article as part of her Certificate in Epidemiology, which she will complete in December 2008. The abstract for the paper is available online.

More Coverage on America's Healthiest Grocery Stores
This article featuring Dr. Lisa Pawloski has been picked up by CNN. View the article.

Diabetes, Carbs and Kids
Dr. Lisa Pawloski was interviewed by "Gab with the Gurus" radio show on the Color My Pyramid project. Listen to the Podcast.

Healthy Living: America's Healthiest Grocery Store
Dr. Lisa Pawloski was interviewed for this web article on healthy grocery store options. View the article.

A Tragedy Unfolds: Mason Experts Comment on China’s Tainted Milk Crisis
Dr. Lisa Pawloski (GCH), Dr. PJ Maddox (HAP), and Dr. Lisa Eckenwiler (CHPRE) present their views on the tainted milk crisis in China in this Mason Gazette article. Read the article.

Move Over Multivitamins
Dr. Pawloski was interviewed by Medill News Service for their story on energy drinks as dietary supplements. View the Medill video.

Dr. Lisa Pawloski in the News
Dr. Pawloski was interviewed by News Channel 8 for her research into childhood obesity and the "Color My Pyramid" project. View the Channel 8 video.

Congratulations to our Faculty
Dr. Lynn Gerber has recently been elected to the Institute of Medicine. This is one of the highest honors one can receive in health and medicine. View the press release.

Upcoming Event - Positive Aging Conference Simulcast
November 12, 2008
This conference will be broadcast live from University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing. View the flyer.

New Degree Program - MS in Global Health
Students who want to improve the lives of people around the globe now have a new degree option — the College of Health and Human Services’ Master of Science in Global Health. Read more in the Gazette.

WTOP interviews Dr. Lisa Pawloski on Obesity  
National radio station WTOP has interviewed Dr. Lisa Pawloski on her recent research with Dr. Jean Moore on obesity in our Washington, D.C. schools.  For more tune into WTOP at: http://www.wtopnews.com

Nutrition Education Program Battles Obesity in D.C. Schools
Dr. Lisa Pawlsoki and Dr. Jean Moore have designed and tested a nutrition education program called “Color My Pyramid” to teach students how to evaluate their dietary intake and activity level. The program incorporates the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid.gov for Kids Blast-Off Game, an interactive computer game that allows kids to win by fueling their rocket with nutritious foods and a healthy level of physical activity. Read more in the Gazette.

GCH and MRRC collaborate in South Africa
In July 2008, Dr. DeWitt Webster represented the Department of Global and Community Health in a partnership with the GMU Multicultural Research and Resource Center (MRRC). Through their Building Bridges Program he provided the academic component for a 4-week community engagement effort in Durban, South Africa around global health, culture, identity and HIV/AIDS. For details visit the MRRC webpage.

New Student Organization! 
Students within our department have created a new student organization - Society of Epidemiology and Public Health.  This new student organization adds to the current organization GCH has - Global Health Students Beyond Borders.  More information to follow.

Robert Wood Johnson awards Dr. Webster with Scholarship
Dr. DeWitt Webster received a $1000.00 scholarship to attend the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Connections Research and Coaching Clinic during the American Public Health Association Meeting in San Diego in October.  New Connections’ goal is to expand the diversity of perspectives that inform RWJF programming and to introduce new researchers and scholars to RWJF, while simultaneously helping to meet Foundation staff needs for data analysis that measure progress towards program objectives. For details on the initiative visit the New Connections web page.

Dr. Lynn Gerber to be Honored by Her Alma Mater
For extraordinary professional achievements and outstanding service to their communities, Dr. Lynn Gerber and four other Smith College alumnae will receive the Smith College Medal, an award presented each February on Rally Day. Read more about the award.

Poetry, Cinema, and Teaching the Human Aspects of Aging
Dr. James Metcalf contributed this article to the journal Radical Pedagogy describing how Edward Arlington Robinson’s poem, Mr. Flood’s Party, was used to instill sensitivity for the social isolation that often accompanies old age and how the classic film, Man of La Mancha was used to demonstrate that the value of a dream is unrelated to the age of the dreamer. Those who teach any aspect of aging or gerontology may find these selections effective tools for exploring the affective domain of human aging. Read the full article.

Breaking with Business as Usual
GCH will partner and collaborate with MIDEGO and Global Health Students Beyond Borders to provide a conference on The Millennium Development Goals, hence, MDG Strategic Conference, February 21, 2009.  Save the Date!  See the flyers for further details - Flyer, Guide for Presentations

AIDS Walk Washington 2008
Join Mason, GCH and the Global Health Students Beyond Borders, as we walk/run in partnership with the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C. to raise HIV/AIDS Awareness, October 4, 2008.  Check out last years walk/run in our archives below.

Early Screening Is Key to Treating Lymph edema in Breast Cancer Patients
Breast cancer patients in fear of developing lymph edema — a potentially painful and disfiguring condition of swelling in the extremities — maybe in for some relief. Dr. Lynn Gerber's work is featured in this new article from the Mason Gazette.

Scholarship Award
Ms. Lea Latham was awarded the 2007-2008 Herman & Sylvia Brotman Memorial Scholarship.
 

GCH Welcomes back our students and introduces our Visiting Exchange Scholars from China
GCH kicked off the new year with our Welcome Back to Mason Reception on September 2, 2008.  Free food, entertainment and great company.  See the event flyer. View Pictures from the event.

Dr. Pawloski advises national news station - UNIVISION
Nationally recognized hispanic news station, UNIVISION, request Dr. Pawloski 's consultation for a healthy nutritional summer.  The article written reads, "La mejor dieta en verano," or, The best diet of summer.  Main points are less grease and more vegetables and consumption of water.  Read more.

Global and Community Health conducts research in Chile
Drs. Pawloski, Moore and Gaffney are working on a joint venture project to study and resolve child obesity in Chile.  The joint venture between Global and Community Health and the School of Nursing within CHHS at GMU is being done with Catholic University - Pontificia, School of Nursing in Santiago, Chile.  More pictures will follow when research has concluded.  Read more via Catholic Universities website. View Pictures.

Interfaith Summit 2008
Where to Start:  Closing Gaps in Serving Older Adults
GMU will host this collaborative effort between the Long Term Care Coordinating Council, CareFaxLTC, the Fairfax County Health Department of Family Services, Fairfax Area Agency on Aging, Faith Communities in Action, AARP and The Helen A. Kellar Institutie for disAbilities to learn how to better share resources at the community level and how to build programs for older adults.  For more information please see the event flyer.

All Aboard! 
GCH chartered the American Spirit on a voyage from Gangplank Marina in Washington, D.C. to Haine's Point!  See the event flyer for further details.  See pictures of the event: Part 1, Part 2.

Alzheimer's Disease Research:  An Update
Join us as Dr. Nina Silverberg of NIH/NIA presents her latest research developments in Alzheimer's Research, April 21, 2008.  Please see the event flyer for further details.

Siebens Domain Management Model Presentation
CCID will host Dr. Hilary Siebens as she presents her model for addressing system-wide patient care level programs for the geriatric population.  Join us as she presents and discusses this model May 6, 2008 at 9:30 am in Robinson B434.  Refreshments will be served.  For further information please see the event flyer.

Conflict In Kenya Event
March 24
7:30 - 9:00 pm
Lecture Hall 1
The Office of Sexual Assault Services and Global Health Students Beyond Borders Organization will host a discussion about politics in Kenya and increased sexual violence after the 2007 Presidential Election.  Seethe event flyer and event agenda for more information.

2008 Health and Fitness Expo
GCH participated with the university for its 2008 Health and Fitness Expo!  Please visit the HFE website for further information. See the event flyer. See pictures of the event: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

2008 Celebration of International Education
GCH participated with the Office of International Programs and Services  (OIPS)for its 2008 Celebration of International Education.  Please visitthe OIPS website for further information. See pictures of the event. 

World TB Day
Join us Dr. Laura George will present her research, March 24th at 1:30 pm. For further details, please see the event flyer. Or visit the website.

Programs in the News
Epidemiology Program featured in the Mason Gazette. Read the full article, "Students Find Epidemiology an Infectious Career".

2008 Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA) Annual Conference
Our Department will host the 2008 VPHA Annual Conference this year recognizing the 100th Anniversary of Virginia's Department of Health.  Please plan to attend this exciting conference that includes presentations by President-elect Dr. Cheryl Easley and our own Dr. DeWitt Webster. 

Please register online as the SUB II has limited seating capacity.  For more information on the event date/time, location, poster information and registration details view the flyer and brochure.

Researchers Study Chronic Illness and Its Relationship to Fatigue
Dr. Gerber's Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability has found that fatigue is a common complaint for those who suffer from chronic illness.  The Mason Gazette, recently published an article outlining the centers research and unifying theme.  View the article here.

Additionally, Dr. Gerber will be presenting at our Mason Vision Series hosted by the Provost's Office.  For more information on the Vision Series and Dr. Gerber's presentation please view the following web link:  http://www.gmu.edu/cfa/vision/

GCH 583 Goes to the Market!
Dr. Pawloski and class take a field trip to the local Korean Grocery Store - Super H-Mart, to analyze and discuss Food and Culture.  View pictures from the trip.

Commemorating World AIDS Day!
Healing Our Difference:  HIV/AIDS and the Politics of Identity
Our department in collaboration with The Center for Global Studies and GMU University Life organized a presentation by Dr. Airhihenbuwa of the Pennsylvania State University, Healing Our Difference:  HIV/AIDS and the Politics of Identity for World AIDS Day. The bookstore also hosted a book signing of Dr. Airhihenbuwa's newly published book, Healing Our Differences:  The Crisis of Global Health and the Politics of Identity. View Gazette article on the event. View pictures from the event.

Intergenerational Open Forum on Positive Aging
We hosted an open forum with GMU Gerontology students and older adults discussing various issues in relation to aging.  See the event flyer here. View pictures from the event.

APHA Conference
The Department of Global and Community Health participated and hosted a booth at the 135th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, Washington, D.C. 

Graduate Students create new Student Organization - Global Health Students Beyond Borders!
Our International Health Graduate Students have created a new student organization for all Global and Community Health graduate students uniquely titled - Global Health Students Beyond Borders (GHSBB).  Please contact the individuals listed in the flyer below for detailed information. 

For more information on the Global Health Students Beyond Borders please visit:
http://studentsbeyondborders.org
*Site currently under construction
See Flyer.

Mason AIDS Walk 2007
Pictures are now available from Mason AIDS Walk 2007.

Faculty Highlight Globalization and Health
Faculty members Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen, Dr. Curtiss Swezy and Department Chair, Dr. Lisa Pawloski, contribute to the Center for Global Studies Newsletter highlighting globalization and health. 

Dr. Swezy discusses, Challenges in International Health for the New Millennium:  NGOs and US Bilateral Assistancee(page 8).  Dr. Jacobsen highlights Globalization and Public Health Research (pg. 12) and Dr. Pawloski shares her research and insight, Nutrition Education as a Global Health Intervention:  Effects Among Nicaraguan Adolescent Girls (pg. 10).

Additionally, epidemiology student, Maction Komwa collaborates with Dawn Parker on The Interface Between HIV/AIDS Status, Household Nutrition, Agricultural Production & Household Welfare in Uganda.

Read all about it in the latest GSR Newsletter!
http://cgs.gmu.edu/publications/gsr/3.3.pdf

GCH faculty and students study Mason Statue
Dr. Lynn Gerber and Dr. Jim Metcalf use the George Mason statute to teach students about clinical exercise physiology. Readmore in the Gazette.

New on Bookshelves
Faculty member Kathryn H. Jacobsen is the author of the new textbook Introduction to Global Health (Jones & Bartlett Publishers). The book provides information about socioeconomic contributors to health and disease, maternal and child health, infectious diseases, nutrition, environmental health, health economics and policy, epidemiology, ethics, and other key international health topics.

2008 GMU Health and Fitness Expo!
Join us as our Department of Global and Community Health will host five booths at GMU's Health and Fitness Expo this year:

• Department Informational Booth

• Global Health Students Beyond Borders Informational Booth

• Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability Informational and Service Booth

• (2) Department Course/Class Booths with information and services

Please plan to attend this free event which includes a wealth of information, services and fun!  For more detailed information on our booths, event location, dates and times please see our flyer. For general information about the Expo, visit the Health and Fitness Expo Website.

Alzheimer's Charity Date Auction
November 14, 2007
Clarendon Grill - Arlington, VA
www.alzcharityevent.com
See Flyer.

Our department will sponsor this fundraising event benefiting the Alzheimer's Association of America.  Please plan to attend and/or inquire to assist.

National Science Foundation Grant Awarded
Dr. Lynn Gerber, Director, Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability, College of Health and Human Services, was awarded a National Science Foundation grant, effective 9/1/2007. Dr. Gerber is Principal Investigator. Her Co-Principal Investigator is Dr. Zoran Duric of the Computer Science Department, Volgenau School.

This award was given for three purposes: to develop new instrumentation that will increase our capability for assessing upper extremity motion; develop integrated , wireless technology that can be used to assess upper extremity motion in three dimensional space in real time; and to provide research opportunities for graduate students in computer and rehabilitation science to study human motion.

Vision Series
Missed GMU's Vision Series?  Now's your chance!  To view a critical lecture given by Department Chair, Dr. Lisa Pawloski on Childhood Obesity, click here. Alternatively, you can view slides from the Vision Series. (pdf)

HSCI 530 - Global Nutrition
View images of students in HSCI 530 enjoying an Ethnic Dinner with the Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health.

Being a Graduate of the College of Health and Human Services
An essay by recent-CHHS alum Grace Breidy.

Course Prefix Changes, Fall 2007
Please note that for the Fall schedule 2007 the prefixes of the HSCI courses have changed.  For most of your courses, the prefixes will be changed from HSCI to GCH and will be listed under the Department of Global and Community Health rather than health science.  There are some other HSCI courses that will be listed under the Department of Health Administration and Policy(HAP) and under the College of Health and Human Services (HHS).  Examples of these are: HSCI 621 will now be HAP 621 and HSCI 597 will be HHS597.

If you are currently a student within the Department of Global and Community Health you will be sent an email explaining the change with further details.

Global and Community Health Students Discuss Issue of Violence, Health
Violence interacts with health in many ways -- bullying, assault, suicide, date rape, domestic violence, etc. Such topics often arose in Professor Metcalf’ssection of HSCI 332 this past semester. Since fiction writer Mickey Spillane had died earlier in 2006, Metcalf and a group of students decided to read and discuss his first novel, I, the Jury. Perhaps Spillane could tell us something of the nature of violence itself.

Scholarship Award
--Ms. Tara Turner was awarded the 2006-2007 Mitchell J. Czoch Gerontology Scholarship.
--Ms. Helen Ozah was awarded 2006-2007 Herman & Sylvia Brotman Memorial Scholarship.

Diverse Student Group Adds to Richness of International Health Program
Read the full story in The Mason Gazette.

Research Assistantships
Our fall 2006 search for two GRA's has concluded. 
Congratulations Ms. Lisa Fleming and Ms. Elizabeth Jacob!

Hepatitis Conference with The Liver Lady
November 30th, 2006
10:00 - 12:00 noon
Presented by:
Thelma King Thiel, RN, BA
Chairman and CEO
Hepatitis Foundation International
See Flyer
*Please RSVP Allan Weiss at 703-993-3126.
*Seating is limited.

Avian Flu Conference:  The Threat of Pandemics in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Challenges of U.S. Preparedness. 
Friday, November 17, 2006
Mason Hall Boardroom D23
*Please RSVP capec@gmu.edu by November 10th*
View Flyer.
View Website.
View Slideshow.

Previous Brown Bag Presentations
November 2, 2006
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Presenter:  Naureen Aziz & Amira Wali
"My Practicum Experience at Pan American Health Organization"
View Flyer.

November 8, 2006
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Presenter:  Dr. Eugenie Mielczarek,
Professor Emerita of Physics (GMU)
Contributing Editor,
Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine
Author (with Sharon McGrayne) of Iron, Nature's Universal Element: Why People Need Iron & Animals Make Magnets.  (2000).  New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
"Scientific Assessment of Alternative Medicine""
View flyer.
*Please RSVP Allan Weiss at 703-993-3126 or aweiss2@gmu.edu*

November 16, 2006
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Presenter: Mitchie Stradford
"Prometra International Organization "
View Flyer.

Commemorate United Nations Day!!!
Obstetric Fistula:  Its Impact on Maternal Health
October 27th, 2006, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Innovation Hall 103
View Flyer

AIDS Awareness
A Love Story - Wan Lobi Tori
October 26th, 2006, 10:30 - 1:00 pm
Johnson Center Cinema
View Flyer

United Nations Week
http://www.unanca.org/unweek/calendar/

Open House
The Department of Global and Community Health held an Open House on September 14, 2006.  Dr. Pawloski and Kays Al-Ali, an international health student in the master's program, presented at the Open House. Photos forthcoming.

New Course for Fall 2006
HSCI 594 - Global and Community Health Issues Related to Violence (3 credits)

Scholarship Award
Ms. Kathryn McCoy was awarded the Herman B. and Sylvia Brotman Memorial Scholarship in June 2006.

The International Report
by Naureen Aziz (pdf)

Welcome...
...to our New Epidemiologist Faculty Member: Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen.