Faculty/Staff Newsletter

The School of Nursing has successfully progressed to the third phase of a National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program studying a broad range of early life exposures on child health. 

Michael Bloom was elected to serve on the Leadership Committee of the Environment and Reproduction Special Interest Group in the American Society of Reproductive Medicine for a five-year term in leadership. He will serve in a different role each year, starting with vice chair, then chair-elect, chair, immediate past chair, and past chair.  

Jason Alexander and Theresa Davis join fellow public health industry leaders and innovators to guide the college in achieving its mission and acting in alignment with its values.   

The Department of Social Work was recently featured in George Mason's HR newsletter for their utlization of HR's Faculty Engagement Team to review, reflect, and develop actionable steps to address insights from the 2024 Faculty and Staff Experience Survey. 

Members of the HAP walking group met on September 18, to enjoy the “prize” lunch awarded to their department for being the unit winner of the Spring 2025 Step Challenge. Gilbert Gimm accepted the Steps trophy from Associate Dean Cathy Tompkins. HAP was also the unit winner in fall 2024.

Congratulations to T Rebmann on being the Closing Keynote for the Florida Professionals in Infection Control Annual Conference on September 25. Her keynote is on Emergency Management and Infection Prevention. Learn more.

Are you applying to NSF or NIH, or participating in an application? There is a new Mandatory Research Security Training requirement for all key personnel. You can find this 60-minute training in Mason Leaps under Research Security Training (Condensed). Go ahead and complete it now! Don’t wait for your grant submission deadline.

September 26 | 12 pm | Mutipurpose Room & Zoom | RSVP here

Dr. Minnkyong Lee will be giving an in-person presentation on the NIH All of Us Research Program, a large-scale, publicly funded initiative designed to collect health data from over one million diverse participants across the U.S. Its primary aim is to accelerate health research and drive progress in precision medicine. The data include surveys, physical measurements, genomics, electronic health records, and digital technologies. View the flyer.

Associate Dean of Research Alison Cuellar is delighted to announce the 2025-26 CPH pilot research funding program. The CPH pilot program provides seed funding to stimulate research activity, underscoring our commitment to pioneering investigations and impactful scholarly pursuits. We encourage you to submit your applications.

The deadline for submission is January 21, 2026. Awards will be made by March 9, 2026, and extend for 12 months. The CPH pilot awards will support the direct costs of research, such as laboratory experiments, field studies, data collection, or data acquisition. Investigators may request up to $30,000; in all, approximately 8 awards are anticipated. Details on how to apply and on the review process are provided here.

Alison's sincere thanks goes to the CPH Faculty Research Committee for helping to design the pilot program and guidelines. 

Development of Interventions to Prevent and Treat Substance Use Disorders and Overdose (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional)

NIH Loan Repayment Program includes support for investigators who are U.S. citizens and conducting research in selected areas, including research that focuses on one or more of the minority health disparity populations defined by NIMHD and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

CPH faculty members who earned tenure or promotion in the 2024-2025 review cycle joined together with the dean, associate deans, and their chairs for a celebratory breakfast on September 18. (Not pictured: Amanda Brooks.) See the full list here.

Thank you to the CPH faculty who presented during the Lightning Talk on Friday, John Cantiello and Vanessa Chee. There was a great turnout. Save the date for the November 14 Lightning Talk (calendar invite coming soon).

The study leave deadline for both tenure-line and term instructional CPH faculty has been extended. The new deadline is October 20. Learn more here for tenure-line study leave information and here for term instructional faculty study leave information. Contact Cathy Tompkins with any questions.

Thanks to your voices and votes, the College of Public Health Staff Council Bylaws are officially ratified! This is a big step forward in strengthening staff representation and collaboration across our college.

A huge shoutout to everyone who reviewed, voted, and shared feedback — your engagement is what makes our community strong! We appreciate your thoughtful input and commitment to shared governance.

The Inaugural Staff Council Business Meeting will be October 6 at 12:30 pm. All staff are invited. Stay tuned for more details.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Allie McKay at amckay4@gmu.edu.

October 20 | 11:30 am Speaker, 12:30 pm Lunch | PHC Multipurpose Room | RSVP

November 3 | 6:30 - 8:15 pm | Washington Convention Center, Room 149B

Join us for a George Mason College of Public Health reception at the APHA Annual Meeting. You don't have to attend the APHA Conference to attend the reception. Connect with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends in a relaxed, welcoming setting. Enjoy light refreshments and conversation as you network with public health professionals and catch up with colleagues and classmates. 

George Mason's Stearns Center is hosting several workshops to help faculty teach with AI.

AI Tools: Key Considerations for Your Teaching
September 22 | 10:45-11:45 am | Register

ChatGPT, AI Text Generator Tools, and... Inclusive Teaching?
September 23 | 10:45-11:45 am | Register

Communicating with Learners About Ethical AI Use
September 24 | 10:45-11:45 am | Register

September 25 | 4:30 - 6 pm | PHC Multipurpose Room | Register to receive free popcorn

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to view An Optimist's Guide to the Planet. Iulia Fratila and Amy Page will facilitate a discussion after the movie. View the flyer here.

HAP takes a nearly imperceptible lead with Nutrition & Food Studies following close behind. For the last reported week, T Rebmann had the most steps for an individual.

Reporting for September 15-21 is due today by 11:59 pm. All CPH employees can join in—this includes adjuncts, GRAs, and wage staff. Report your preceding week’s steps here.

Due October 3 | Learn more

ASPPH invites submissions for the 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health, which will be held March 18-20 in Arlington, VA. This premier event brings together leaders, educators, and students from across the academic public health community to explore the latest trends, challenges, and innovations.

The college hopes to have an impressive showing at this conference, so please consider submitting and encouraging your students to submit.

For more details and to submit your proposal, visit the Call for Proposals page. 

September 30 | 12:30-3:15 pm | Virtual | Register here

Join health care professionals for a virtual half-day event exploring how innovation and collaboration can drive a smarter, more effective health care system. 

Through real-world examples and local strategies, speakers will showcase the power of data-driven insights and intentional use of AI to reduce disparities and deliver care that is responsive to the needs of patients, families and care teams. CME, nursing contact hours, and George Mason CEU available.

September 30 | 3 – 5 pm | FUSE 1st Floor
October 15 | 3 – 5 pm | FUSE 1st Floor
RSVP here

Learn more about the research being conducted in Fuse on the Grand Challenges with Research Lightning Talks (3 mins each) and networking reception with faculty and students.  

Tuesdays | 12 pm | PHC Multipurpose Room

This week, Yoga will begin being held in the PHC Multipurpose Room. For any questions, contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

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Questions or comments about the newsletter? Email mcunni7@gmu.edu.