faculty spotlight

Innovate for Good is a new ongoing series that examines how faculty in the College of Health and Human Services are improving health outcomes using technology such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and personal apps. Part I explores two social work faculty who are using apps and virtual reality to improve the lives and health of those they work with.

Katherine Scafide, PhD, assistant professor in George Mason’s College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing, has received a three-year appointment to NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in George Mason’s College of Health and Human Services, was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of Fertility and Sterility.

Amira Roess, professor in the College’s Department of Global and Community Health, says that while several Middle Eastern countries had preparedness plans in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s response shows that the implementation plans remain underdeveloped and under-resourced.

In a recent study, George Mason University Associate Professor Hong Xue, PhD and colleagues evaluated the impact of ending market exclusivity for brand-name statin drugs. The first study to comprehensively assess the economic impact of generic competition for statins found that ending market exclusivity for statins saves U.S. $12 billion and individuals nearly $1,000 annually.

Mason epidemiologist Amira Roess offers advice on COVID-19 safety over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Web site developed based on the study can help alleviate depression symptoms more effectively.

Congratulations to Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, for being elected 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.

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.