This is shaping up to be a “Year of Health” for George Mason University and the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS). In January, we moved into the Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall and launched a brand new website—all under the leadership of our new Dean, Dr. Germaine Louis, who joined us in October.
“We’re preparing our students to meet future health care needs of the many populations we serve, both locally and globally. The Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall makes it possible to achieve our goals by bringing students, faculty and staff together in this incredible state-of-the-art building,” Dean Louis says. “This year we are looking forward to sharing more news about our future, including a bold vision and forging new partnerships. What won’t change is our commitment to teaching excellence and producing career-ready graduates. It is a central part of our mission and we will find opportunities to bring innovation into the classroom.”
Moving into Peterson Hall underscores our collective commitment to build the future of health care research at Mason and for the region. The 165,000-square-foot facility boasts novel classrooms; wet, dry and simulation laboratories; a state-of-the art teaching kitchen; office and meeting rooms; and an outdoor amphitheater. There is considerable space dedicated for collaborative research throughout Peterson Hall, demonstrating our commitment to the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education’s highest level of research activity (R1).
The Department of Social Work and Department of Nutrition and Food Studies have relocated to Peterson Hall from their location on Democracy Blvd, bringing all six CHHS departments under one roof for the first time in the College’s history.
In order to avoid disrupting classes, we will be organizing open houses and group tours to see the new space. If you’re interested in hearing more about these events, contact our Office of Development:
- Shannon Casey 703-993-6018 scasey9@gmu.edu
- Emily Cooper 703-993-6004 ecooper11@gmu.edu
A floor-by-floor layout of the building is below:
Ground floor
- CHHS Office of Student Affairs
- Dr. Camille Barry Nutrition Kitchen
- Nutrition Assessment Lab
- University classrooms and collaboration spaces
Second floor
- Department of Rehabilitation Science Functional Performance Lab
- Department of Social Work classroom
- Reston Hospital Center Healthcare Technologies Innovation Lab
- School of Nursing classroom
- School of Nursing simulation labs
Third floor
- Department of Rehabilitation Science faculty and staff offices
- Department of Social Work faculty and staff offices
- Health Informatics Learning Lab
- School of Nursing faculty and staff offices
Fourth floor
- Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics
- Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability
- Center for Discovery Science and Health Informatics
- Department of Health Administration and Policy faculty and staff offices
- Department of Nutrition and Food Studies faculty and staff offices
Fifth floor
- CHHS Dean’s Office
- Department of Global and Community Health faculty and staff offices
- Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center at Mason (NVAHEC@Mason)