News

Congratulations to Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, for beingelected as a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (FACE). The American College of Epidemiology (ACE) is the professional organization dedicated to continued education and advocacy for epidemiologists in their efforts to promote public health.

Amid reports that many advanced degree programs in the United States leave graduates in financial debt for years after graduation, the Wall Street Journal published an online tool comparing the debt-to-income ratio of graduates from different programs and different universities across the country. When using this metric, Mason’s Master of Public Health (MPH) degree fared the best compared with other MPH programs in Virginia.

Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH, associate professor in the College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Global and Community Health, says that she has always been drawn to research that seeks to “bring the ‘hidden side’ of things out in the open: such as violence against women and girls and refugee populations.” Gupta’s research on period poverty, and more broadly, stigma and menstrual health, is helping to inform a national policy discussion on health equity, reaching well beyond the public health community. U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) has referenced Gupta’s research in support of legislation for menstrual equity. After Gupta saw her research referenced on Rep. Meng’s social media, she reached out to Meng’s office to share additional resources. In May 2021, Meng introduced the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, aimed at increasing access to menstrual products, and she met with Gupta to learn more about her work. 

The College is proud to announce the recent partnership between George Mason University and Maseno University (MSU), located in Kisumu, Kenya. The partnership, led by associate professor Constance Gewa, aims to stimulate and support educational and intercultural projects between MSU and Mason's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

The Department of Health Administration and Policy partnered with Health Technology Network and Arlington Forward to create a cybersecurity event that informed attendees on the top concerns in federal, state, and private sectors as well as provided networking opportunities for local cybersecurity and healthcare professionals.

On Thursday, September 16, the student alumni organization Rising Healthcare Leaders at Mason (RHLM) hosted its first in-person networking event since March 2020. Both the graduate student leadership team and undergraduate students in the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) worked together to make the event a successful networking opportunity for attendees.

Bethany Cieslowski, calls herself a disruptor – but don’t just take her word for it. One just needs to tour the virtual reality and simulation space on the 2nd floor of Peterson Health Sciences Hall with Cieslowski or participate in one of her VR/Sim training sessions to confirm that she has already brought positive change and vision to the College of Health and Human Services.

Mason nutrition practicum students gain valuable experience through a partnership with Real Food For Kids, a nonprofit organization with a mission to instill healthy food policies in the DMV area school districts, and help the organization advance its core nutrition programs.

The College of Health and Human Services is proud to announce that the Master of Science in Health Informatics program will maintain accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). With this announcement, the MS in Health Informatics program has successfully met the CAHIIM accreditation standards for another year and remains in good standing.

In order for athletes to balance their routines with wellness, they need to apply the same principles as they did with sports, says Emmett Gill, term assistant professor in the Department of Social Work within the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University.

For Master of Public Health (MPH) student Jorge Garcia, the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to obtain real-world experience in infectious disease surveillance by applying the skills he learned throughout his MPH courses while working at the Fairfax County Health Department.