Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Holly Matto and College of Science and School of Engineering colleagues provide breakthrough findings about personalized recovery cues and technology-based substance use interventions.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Dean's Address last week. The Dean discussed where the college has been, where it is, and where it is going. You can download the slides here or watch the recording below with password: 991aX$?i

The College of Public Health Strategic Plan Steering Committee invites you to review and share your feedback on the draft of our new five-year strategic plan. Whether you have questions or ideas, we encourage thoughtful, solution-oriented input no later than September 21. Explore the full draft here and summary slides here, and use this form to submit your feedback. 

Thank you for participating in our Wall of Wow. We had great participation in August and look forward to seeing more individual recognitions next month and throughout the academic year.

Congratulations to our August winner, Angelina Harman.

September 4 | 1:45-2:15 pm | Peterson Atrium | RSVP here

Join Provost Jim Antony for a reception with College of Public Health faculty and staff. The Provost may provide a brief introduction and answer questions.  

September 15 | 12 pm Speaker, 1 pm Lunch | PHC Multipurpose Room | RSVP 

Dr. Abdul Rehman Shaikh is Global Leader for Population Health at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He helps health care providers, payors, governments, and nonprofits harness data for clinical and population health using advanced analytics such as machine learning, predictive modeling, and generative AI. Prior to AWS, he led large-scale health care transformation initiatives at PwC and Guidehouse, and was a Program Officer at NIH and ONC, shaping federal efforts to modernize health data infrastructure. Shaikh’s professional activities include serving on several nonprofit boards and advisories, including the HIMSS SDOH Task Force, ASPPH Task Force for Responsible/Ethical Use of AI, and the National Academy of Medicine’s Digital Health Action Collaborative. 

Congratulations to Alicia Hong, HAP, on receiving an award from the National Science Foundation with Professor Yixuan Zhang at William and Mary. Their three-year project is entitled “Enhancing AI Literacy and Resilience through Intergenerational Digital Storytelling among Older Adults.” 

Congratulations to Rebecca Sutter, Nursing, for receiving support from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority for statewide opioid-related work.

CPH Researchers on Aging, Caregiving, Physical Activity, Mhealth: NIA has funded several “Roybal Centers” which support Translational Research on Aging and are designed to accelerate the translation of behavioral and social science research into practical interventions that can improve the quality of life for older adults. There are 11 centers each with a different foci, funding requirements, and deadlines. Review them all here.

Is your student presenting their research or research poster at the APHA meeting November 2-5? If so, CPH will cover their registration fee. Reach out to Alison Cuellar (aevanscu@gmu.edu) for details. 

George Mason librarians have curated a list of popular AI-powered tools designed to enhance literature discovery, streamline review processes, and simplify citation analysis. These tools use artificial intelligence to generate paper summaries, visualize research networks, and extract data—features that can complement, but not replace human oversight.

Do you need data on long-term care facilities and home care agencies? LTCfocus.org from Brown University provides data on nursing home care in the U.S. Its goal is to allow researchers to trace relationships between state policies, local market forces, and the quality of long-term care and enable policymakers to craft state and local guidelines that promote high-quality, cost-effective, equitable care for older Americans. A new set of data is available: Home Health Focus. This dataset allows researchers to examine and better understand home health agencies within the post-acute and long-term care system. 

Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference: Join the Stearns Center for its 17th annual Innovations in Teaching and Learning conference themed “Teaching for the Future: AI, Analog, and Beyond!” The conference will take place virtually (via Zoom) on September 25 and in-person at the Johnson Center in Dewberry Hall on September 26. Register by September 19.  

Faculty Development Opportunities: Start your semester off strong by attending workshops to help increase your effectiveness as a teacher, encourage student engagement, and adapt your teaching strategies to the new AI reality.  

Canvas’ default grading scheme may not reflect your course’s actual grade breakdown, leading to confusion for students. Updating it now ensures students see accurate grades throughout the semester.

How to Configure Your Grading Scheme

Your input is shaping the future of our Staff Council! We need your voice!  The Voting Form for the bylaws is open from September 1-17. Review the bylaws here. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Allie McKay at amckay4@gmu.edu.  

It's the first week of walking! All CPH employees can join in—this includes adjuncts, GRAs, and wage staff. Report your steps by next Monday at 11:59 pm.

Report your steps on September 8. Report your preceding week’s steps here.

September 15 | 6:30–7:30 pm | Virtual

Sessions will feature updates on CPH happenings, engagement and recognition efforts, and Q&A opportunities. 

September 29 | 5 - 6:30 pm | Merten Hall, Room 1201 | RSVP here by September 15

Network with adjuct faculty from around campus and engage with some members of George Mason’s leadership team.

Every Tuesday Starting Sept. 2 | Noon | Peterson 2407 

Please join the CPH faculty and staff for a fun filled yoga class. Teri Patterson will return as the instructor. For any questions, contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

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Access the CPH brand toolkit, including CPH and department logos.

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