Faculty/Staff Newsletter

During October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we highlight faculty and students’ work to end interpersonal violence in all its forms. Jhumka Gupta's pioneering work focuses on the powerful role of addressing structural and social factors, such as gender inequity in reducing violence against women and girls, intimate partner violence (IPV) particularly in communities affected by migration, conflict and forced displacement outside and within the United States. 

The President’s Cancer Panel hosted a public meeting on Thursday, September 12, 2024, entitled “Developing and Retaining a Robust and Diverse Cancer Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities Across the National Cancer Program”. The meeting is part of the Panel’s development of recommendations and reports to President Joe Biden. Caroline Sutter, health workforce expert, was asked to be a special advisor to the Panel at their public meeting.

A team of 10 undergraduate students, including four from the College of Public Health, won the Best Poster Award at the OSCAR Summer Celebration on August 2. The interdisciplinary team’s research was guided by Li-Mei Chen from the Department of Social Work, in collaboration with Kyeung Mi Oh from the School of Nursing and Jung Yeon Park from the College of Education and Human Development. The team was part of the Summer Team Impact Project (STIP) awarded to Chen.

The research focused on two critical areas: (1) Digital literacy and eHealth among older racial and ethnic minorities in the DMV area, and (2) the moderating effect of marital status on social capital and quality of life within the Korean community. The former topic was awarded for best poster.

October 29, 2024 | 11:00 am - 12:30 pm | Zoom

Millie Rivera convenes the Faculty Success Workshops in the Office of Faculty Affairs & Development and is holding a workshop providing attendees with practical tools on how to craft a powerful research, scholarship, and creative work statement for renewal, promotion and tenure. During the workshop, faculty will practice how to present their work in a compelling and thoughtful way. 

It will be a discussion and writing workshop about preparing an impact statement. Participants will outline their research, scholarship, and/or creative work, and learn strategies for developing and presenting it to peer and reviewer audiences. All faculty are welcome.

November 1, 2024 | 11:30 am - 1:00 pm | Zoom

Don’t miss the final CPH Lightning Talk of the fall 2024 semester.
The presenters include:

James Metcalf, GCH

Iulia Fratila, GCH

Elaine Hicks, Fenwick Library (CPH Library Liaison)

More details will follow about the presenters’ topics.

Here is the Zoom link.    

November 6, 2024 | 11:30 am - 1:00 pm | Zoom

The Provost and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development will hold a forum for tenure-line faculty to discuss tenure and promotion.

Here is the Zoom link.

A spring forum will be held for reappointment & promotion for term faculty.

Study leave applications for both term instructional faculty and tenured faculty for the 2025-2026 academic year will be due on Monday, October 28, 2024.

Click here for more information about study leave for tenured faculty and here for study leave for term instructional faculty.

If you are interested in a study leave, and have any questions, please contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

November 19, 2024 | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Zoom

CPH held its first Adjunct Faculty Connections Program on Tuesday, October 15, and it was fantastic!

We had great attendance and it was led by two adjunct faculty members. Topics included providing more opportunities for adjunct faculty to connect with each other, how adjunct faculty can participate in curriculum development and research ideas, virtual brown bag presentations, interdisciplinary case studies to use in the classroom, and much more! 

If you are a CPH adjunct faculty member and can join us next month, pleased do!

Here is the Zoom link.

We are pleased to announce that Alison Cuellar, associate dean for research, has been invited by the University of Duisburg-Essen to participate in a German Academic Exchange program. This exciting opportunity will help build research and educational bridges across CPH and its German counterpart, developing unique learning opportunities and creating international networks in health systems and policy.

Though physically absent, Cuellar will continue to help lead CPH and the Office of Research. She will remain reachable via email, Teams, or Zoom to address any needs or concerns you may have.

Demonstrating your research impact is important for many reasons, including awards, funding, and promotion, among others. If you missed the GMU Library webinar on measuring and demonstrating research impact, don't worry! You can watch the replay.

The session emphasizes building your research narrative, demystifies article-level and author-level impact factors, discusses metrics that adjust for discipline, introduces metrics for books and book chapters, as well as almetrics for societal impact.

Log on here using password a%$*S79U to see what you missed.

Research!America is offering microgrants for graduate students and postdocs toward public-engagements projects, community outreach, science policy and communication.

Check out the 2024-2025 Civic Engagement Microgrant Program.
Deadline is November 15, 2024.

Research!America has also launched the Public Engagement Training Content Microgrants, a new  award of $5,000 stipends to create curriculum in science communication and other public engagement skills. Junior faculty in STEMM and STEMM-adjacent fields, PhD candidates, post-docs, and professional degree candidates are eligible.

Deadline is November 15, 2024.

November 18, 2024 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am | Multipurpose Room
November 19, 2024 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am | Zoom

Learn about the practice of Verbal Aikido® in this introductory session hosted by Sarah Atif, University Ombuds Office. Verbal Aikido® is an effective and peaceful means to deal with verbal attacks and negativity. VA practice aims at creating a safe space to gradually engage in conflict, to understand conflict dynamics and look at the constructive side of conflict.

The session will be offered twice: November 18 at 9:00 am in the multipurpose room, and November 19 at 10:00 am on Zoom.

RSVP for the November 18 in person session
Register for the November 19 online session

Staff Council Nominations are due Friday, October 25 for the College of Public Health Staff Council. Up to 3 seats are open.

Staff Council promotes initiatives supporting belonging and retention, professional development and training, staff social events, and advocacy for staff interests. We are comprised of classified staff, research staff, wage staff, and A/P faculty.

Nominate yourself or a colleague today!

The Staff Council also doesn’t have a voice until the Staff Council Bylaws are ratified. Review the staff bylaws here. Please take a moment to vote on the Staff Bylaws.

George Mason’s 2025 holiday schedule is now available! You can view the full 2025 holiday schedule on the Human Resources website.

Guidance on holiday timesheet and pay procedures can be found at the Fiscal Services website. As a reminder, employees in 24/7 operational units (e.g., Mason Police, Facilities, and Housing & Residence Life) will need to consult their supervisors about how their time will be handled ahead of any university closures.

It’s officially W2 season and payroll has begun preparation of final W2s to ensure they issued by the January 31, 2025 deadline.      

Changes to the following need to be made by November 30, 2024:

Address Changes: 
If you have moved in 2024 and you have elected the option to receive your W2 by mail. Address change guidance.

State Tax Withholdings: 
If you moved to another state in 2024, be sure the appropriate state income taxes are being withheld from that state.      
You may contact payroll@gmu.edu for additional guidance.    

Name Changes: 
If you changed your name in 2024 and you want your W2 to reflect it, you must provide a copy of your NEW social security card to HR.
Please email HR@gmu.edu for additional guidance.

Matthew Hicks (mhicks21@gmu.edu) will contact the department admins to schedule conference rooms for upgrades. 

All employees, including contractors, affiliates, and student wage workers are reminded to complete their ITS Security Awareness Training. The training has been assigned to all Mason employees in their MasonLEAPS accounts and may include mandatory role-based training for those in specialized roles.

Users who fail to complete the training by October 31 will be required to do so during the semi-annual password reset process.

If you have questions about the training, please contact the ITS Support Center at 703-993-8870 or support@gmu.edu.

ITS has completed migrating all MESA M: Drive mydata and shared drives to Microsoft 365 (M365). The MESA system will be fully decommissioned on Wednesday, November 6.

All original data on MESA is now read-only and will be removed during the decommissioning process. For resources and project details, visit the MESA to M365 Roadmap. 

October 22, 2024 | 10:15 am - 11:00 am | Peterson Hall Lobby

Provost Antony is visiting CPH on Tuesday, October 22. There will be a Meet and Greet with Faculty and Staff in the Peterson Hall lobby.
This will be a strictly social event. It is an opportunity for Provost Antony to get to know our College and to learn about all of the wonderful things we do!

Please contact Ashley Grammick at agrammic@gmu.edu with questions.
You may also contact the Provost's office at gmuprov@gmu.edu.

October 29, 2024 | 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Zoom

Japan: The Rise of the Super-Aged Society Information Session

In 2021, 29.1% of the population in Japan was aged 65 and over, which is the highest proportion of older adults in the world. While Japan is experiencing a rapid increase in the number and percentage of older people, its total population has begun to decline due to falling birth rates. A rising dependency ratio is one of the major concerns. This course explores the strengths and limitations of strategies that Japan has incorporated and offers an opportunity to seek implications for other aging countries, including the United States.

This info session will include stories from alumni.

Here is the meeting Zoom link.

October 30, 2024 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am | Zoom

Our wellness is one of our most valuable commodities, and health equity is when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of wellness.

Our 2024 Racial Equity Summit will convene thought leaders from around Virginia to discuss how we can ensure everyone has an opportunity to be healthy.

Experts with backgrounds in policy, community programs, and the maternal health crisis will share how they work toward equity in Virginia every day. Presenters will address the state of Virginia's health, social drivers of health, best practices in wellness, and how they impact the future.

December 10, 2024 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | The HUB, Corner Pocket

Come celebrate the end of the semester and the holiday season in your tackiest holiday sweater with fellow CPH faculty and staff at The HUB Corner Pocket Game Room. We'll have private access to billiards, table tennis, arcade games, VR games, video games, board games and more! Food, beer, and wine will be provided! 

Please RSVP by December 3rd. 

Commencement Ceremony: All graduates including Doctoral grads 
December 19, 2024 | 9:30 am - 11:30 am | Eagle Bank Arena

Degree Celebration / Recognition: COS / CPH / CHSS, Bachelor's and Master's graduates only
December 19, 2024 | 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Eagle Bank Arena

Reception details to come.

October 28, 2024 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Multipurpose Room

“The use of digital technologies to promote the health of older people”

Speaker: Rick Kwan, Associate Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong

Rick Kwan serves as associate dean and professor at the School of Nursing, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong. He is also the associate director of the Digital Mental Health Transformation Centre, the leader of the research theme group of Health Professional Education, a visiting professor at Zunyi Medical University in Guizhou, and an adjunct professor at Huizhou Health Science and Technology College. His research focuses on geriatric nursing, particularly the application of e-health technologies to improve the health and healthy behaviors of older people with cognitive impairment.

Contact Stefanos Tyrovolas (styrovol@gmu.edu) with questions.

November 4, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm | Multipurpose Room & Online

Learn to Use Improv Skills to Elevate Your Personal and Professional Communication Skills: A CPH Faculty Development Workshop featuring Prep Rally

The College of Public Health Faculty Development Committee are inviting experts in communication and improv to help you transform how you communicate, whether you're preparing for an important presentation or building stronger relationships with your students and clients. Bring your ideas and communication challenges to this interactive and FUN session open to CPH faculty and staff.

This immersive learning session will sharpen your ability to connect, engage, and lead with confidence. Lunch will be served.

RSVP by November 1.

OSA is still in the lead with HAP running a competitive second. Raven McCormick had the most steps for an individual.

Participants may walk anywhere, anytime, within the weekly time frames, counting their steps, and then report their CPH unit affiliation along with the steps they’ve walked.

At the end of the semester, the unit with the most steps (proportionally) will be awarded a prize and take the trophy! Report your steps by noon on the Monday after each Monday-through-Sunday challenge week.

Report October 14 - October 20 steps by 12:00 pm TODAY, October 21.
Bookmark this link to report your steps and get stepping!

Every Tuesday | 12:00 pm | Peterson 2800  

Join us for CPH yoga on Tuesdays! You are welcome to stay for as much or as little of the class as you are able and we hope to see many of you there! If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Tompkins.

Every Thursday | 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm | Peterson Lobby  

Walk with your CPH colleagues! Get updates or schedule an impromptu walk through our walking group on MS Teams.

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

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