Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Priyanka Anand’s study on Social Security Disability Insurance overpayments provided influential evidence on inefficiencies of social safety net programs and workforce participation.

The Lab for Immersive Technologies and Simulation was designed from the start for all public health disciplines.

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee thanks the faculty and staff who took time to review the draft strategic plan earlier this fall. The committee received many thoughtful comments. All suggestions were considered at the October 2 committee meeting and many of the suggestions resulted in edits to the plan. 

A Strategic Plan Implementation group has been formed to carefully consider how those responsible for activating objectives outlined in the plan will track and share progress, remain accountable for outcomes, and celebrate wins. All faculty and staff are invited to participate in the implementation of the strategic plan. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Bob Weiler (rweiler@gmu.edu).

Stay tuned for the launch of the final FY26-30 strategic plan this fall.

Congratulations to Michelle Hand and Denise Hines for being recognized with the 2025 DV Community Team Excellence Award from Fairfax County Department of Family Services Domestic & Sexual Violence Services (DSVS). They were selected because of the impact their work will have in creating responses to those marginalized communities impacted by domestic and sexual violence. Hand and Hines have been doing a series of studies that aim to understand Fairfax County DSVS's gaps in outreach and service provision to some subpopulations in Fairfax County. 

Congratulations to Debora Goldberg on her appointment as the chair of the Health Workforce Interest Group Advisory Committee for AcademyHealth. The Health Workforce Interest Group is a focal point for networking, dialogue, and dissemination of health workforce research that spans a wide range of topics, including the relationship between the workforce and health care access, quality, and cost; improving data and methods to measure workforce supply, distribution, and demand; and policy and program analysis.

Pictured: Melissa Perry with her son Justin (left), Andrea Landis, and Bethany Cieslowski at the Washington Business Journal Business Innovator Awards where the college was recognized as a Top Health Education Innovator.  

Congratulations to Yanika Kowitlawakul, Nursing, on her 4-VA project with UVA and VCU on “Development and integration of Escape Room games to enhance undergraduate nursing students' collaboration, problem-solving skills, and academic performance."

The 2026 GMU Summer Team Impact Projects (STIP) call is out. The Office of Undergraduate Education is calling for STIP proposals for summer 2026. Several CPH faculty have had STIP projects in the past. They support multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate students, graduate students, as well as faculty and staff who explore a faculty-driven central theme research question, or community-identified problem. Student stipends, and modest faculty stipends can be included in the project budget. Submission deadline is November 21, 2025. Selected projects will begin at the end of May 2026.

The dramatic growth in the number of academic journals has paralleled the dramatic growth in predatory journals--journals that exploit features of academic publishing in order to make money from researchers. If you work with early-career authors, or want to know more about how to spot and avoid publishing in predatory journals, George Mason University Libraries created the guide Where to Publish. It includes helpful advice and links on how to protect yourself and other authors (especially vulnerable ones) from predatory publishers. The guide also has a link to Beall's List of known predatory journals, and the Directory of Open Access Journals--a vetted list of non-predatory, open access journals. Please remember to mentor your colleagues and students on how to avoid predatory journals, by sharing this information with them.

Below are the key contacts and resources for George Mason’s library that you may find helpful while we await the appointment of a permanent CPH library liaison:

The study leave deadline for both tenure-line and term instructional CPH faculty are due 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.

Please take the time to explore the faculty and staff resources on the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being website that might be helpful for you and members of your unit.

Nominations are open through early November for the Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award and the Online Teaching Excellence Award. It is a simple process to complete a nomination using this form.

George Mason will again recognize outstanding faculty with the Presidential Awards for Faculty Excellence. These awards are designed to honor the recipient faculty for their excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, social impact, and access, inclusion and community.

Nominations are invited through February 9, 2026. Recipients will be selected by a team of faculty representatives and senior leaders.

If you are interested in nominating a faculty member, please contact Cathy Tompkins who can provide support in navigating the nomination process and keep track of CPH faculty nominees. Application materials include the nominee’s current CV, along with a letter explaining why they are competitive for the award. For additional details about the criteria and the nomination process, please visit https://president.gmu.edu/faculty-awards/nomination-information.

The Stearns Center continues to provide relevant, timely programs. There are numerous workshops and mini courses on topics that range from AI to difficult classroom conversations, to supporting faculty in feeling better and teaching better. The Stearns Center’s Events Calendar is a great bookmark to have.

Honorlock is a remote proctoring service that increases test taking security by monitoring student activity during exams. Honorlock now allows you to block or allow other applications, including other browsers and messaging services. Learn more about the Honorlock Application.

Important note: Students must download and install the Honorlock Application before testing begins. Direct your students to Honorlock’s help site for Honorlock Application for instructions.

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

October 23 | 11 am-2 pm | Merten Hall 1204 |Sign up Required

George Mason Creative Services Photography is holding a free open call photo session for faculty and staff. This photo session is your opportunity to obtain a professional George Mason head shot for use on George Mason-affiliated websites and publications. Priority is given to new hires and those who have not had a photo taken in the last 4 years. (Students are not eligible.)

Save the date for the Dean's Speaker Series on November 17 at 11:30 am, followed by lunch. Matthias Von Schwanenfluegel is a visiting HAP affiliate faculty member from Germany. More details next week.

October 13 | 2 - 3:30 pm | HUB Ballroom & Zoom: https://gmu.zoom.us/j/99562266010?pwd=OLLNm0NoIfP1yN9Yzn03jcNp4JJYug.1 

All are invited to a town hall with President Gregory Washington. In-person attendance is encouraged. Questions will be taken at the conclusion of the town hall, but the Zoom chat function will not be enabled. Q&A will not be available on the livestream and the session will not be recorded. Zoom link will be shared in a future newsletter.

Writing Research, Scholarship and Creative Work Statements
October 15 | 1:30 to 3 pm | Zoom | Register

Navigating Politics in Academia
November 5 |1:30 to 3 pm | Zoom | Register

The workshops are open to all faculty (full and part-time), post docs, and doctoral students. These workshops provide essential strategies and tools to help you grow professionally. 

October 16 |  9:00 am – 4:15 pm | Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall | Register on MasonLEAPS

Each year, George Mason designates a day to bring faculty and staff together for professional and personal growth: Faculty-Staff Enrichment Day (FSED). The event features development workshops, networking opportunities, and time to reflect, recharge, and connect with colleagues from across the university.

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

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. 

Tuesdays | 12 pm | PHC Multipurpose Room

All faculty and staff are welcome! Contact Cathy Tompkins with any questions. 

Thursdays | noon | Peterson Hall Lobby

Thursday walks continue in the fall. It's great weather to take a break from work and catch some fresh air. This week's walk will be led by Sarah Atif from the George Mason Ombuds Office. There's also a Team you can join to get announcements about the Thursday walk.

HAP is in the lead, with Nutrition & Food Studies following close behind. T Rebmann again had the most steps for an individual last week.

Reporting for Ocotber 6 - 12 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.

PUBLICHEALTH.GMU.EDU

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