28 Master of Social Work students worked with a substance-engaged adolescent in a Virtual Reality simulation. Professor Holly Matto; Department Chair Emily S. Ihara; Chief Innovation Officer Bethany Cieslowski, CHSE; Associate Professor Denise Hines; and Director of Practicum Education Jeanne Booth helped create and shape the experience and were joined by other social work faculty to run pre-brief, and post-debrief the case.

Meet Megumi Inoue, assistant professor of Social Work. Learn how her extensive clinical experience sparked her interest in advocating for patients’ autonomy and dignity. 

Check out the College's biggest news, stories, and research from July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023.

NPHW (April 1-7) is right around the corner and planning is underway for an engaging, interdisciplinary week of activities. If you would like to join the planning committee or have ideas you’d like to share with the committee, please email Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu. We look forward to celebrating NPHW with the community.

For Classified Staff and AP Faculty hired prior to Dec. 31, 2023, the self-evaluation step of the annual performance evaluation is now open. It is due by March 1, 2024.

Step 1 | Self-Eval due 3/1/24

Step 2 | Supervisor Eval due 3/22/24

Step 3 | Reviewer Review & Sign-off due 4/12/24

Step 4 | 1:1 Performance Eval Meeting between 4/13-26/24

Step 5 | Supervisor Sign-off due 4/26/24

Step 6 | Employee Sign-off due 4/30/24

Visit the Performance Evaluation Resource webpage for full details.

Meet Flavio Marsiglia: I’m thrilled to share that our next Dean’s Speaker is Flavio Marsiglia, PhD, a remarkable dynamic speaker and researcher. He will present on "Advancing health equity in the Southwest US during the COVID-19 pandemic: A community health workers/promotoras’ driven intervention". Please mark your calendar for February 26, 11:45 am in the PHC Multipurpose Room, followed by lunch. His talk will have broad appeal for CPH faculty, focusing on the practice, policy and research implications of the model and its potential for sustainability and replication with other vulnerable and underserved communities. If you would like to meet with him, we have a slot from 9:30-10:30 am. Please let Ashley Grammick know (agrammic@gmu.edu). Many thanks to Ashley for coordinating his visit.

About Our Speaker: Professor Marsiglia is the principal investigator of the Specialized Center (U54) grant on health disparities research at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) at Arizona State University. Marsiglia’s research on cultural diversity and youth substance use is widely recognized, highly influential in the prevention field, and credited with a measurable reduction in drug use and other high-risk behaviors among youth in Arizona, across the US and in other countries. He has developed and tested culturally grounded interventions to prevent substance abuse especially among Latino and other minority populations of the Southwest, including the school-based “keepin’it REAL” substance-abuse model prevention program. He is the principal investigator of a Mexico-based R01 NIDA/NIH funded study to culturally adapt and test the efficacy of Keepin’it REAL in Mexico.

About the Presentation. The COVID-19 pandemic brought existing health disparities into the surface, spurring unprecedented efforts to overcome multifaceted barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. This presentation focuses on a cross-sectoral collaboration of university researchers, community health organizations, a testing lab, local community health centers and other community leaders. The project engaged the expertise of Community Health Workers,also known as promotoras, to address the social determinants of health (SDoH) that contribute to COVID-19 disparities. CHWs with strong and long-lasting community embeddedness implemented the intervention and effectively reached out and engaged vulnerable and underserved residents across Arizona. The presentation will discuss the practice, policy and research implications of the model and its potential for sustainability and replication with other vulnerable and underserved communities.

NIH’s Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR) in the Office of Research on Women’s Health, recently released a request for information inviting input on an NIH-wide strategic plan for autoimmune disease research. Faculty with relevant expertise should feel free to provide comments. Responses will be accepted through March 1, 2024.

Check out this great alumni video with shoutouts to our College of Public Health and Peterson Hall!

The Outstanding Achievement Awards celebrate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of Mason’s faculty and staff across several awards categories in support of the university's values and mission. In addition to the HR awards, there are awards sponsored by other departments: Environmental Health and Safety Office, Staff Senate, Sustainability, University Life, and the Office of Undergraduate Education. The Outstanding Achievement Awards are held annually in the spring. Nominations are due by February 18.

Learn more about nominating a fellow faculty or staff member here.

The Office of Research Innovation and Economic Impact (ORIEI) is launching the 2024 Mason ORIEI NSF CareerCohort Support Program. NSF Career awards are among the most prestigious awards in support of early career faculty issued from the NSF. This new program is intended to support our early career faculty applying for 2024 NSF Career Awards, through workshops, mentorship and a structured grant writing process. Learn more on the NSF CAREER program page here.

This structured Mason program will provide faculty with step-by-step support and expert feedback as they develop their proposals. Faculty planning to submit an NSF CAREER proposal in the 2024 cycle are strongly encouraged to apply to participate in this program. Applications for the program are due February 5th. Apply here.

Questions about this program should be directed to Leslie Frieden, Associate Director for Research Development, lfrieden@gmu.edu.  

University Studies is now accepting applications from Mason staff to teach and serve as role-models to first-year students in UNIV 100-Introduction to Mason courses for Fall 2024. Our UNIV 100 faculty play a crucial role in assisting first-year students succeed in regards to both their academic and social transition. 

If interested, sign up here for an information session today to learn more about how you can make a difference in the lives of first-year students.

Apply here. The deadline to submit is Wednesday, February 21, 2024. For any questions about the role, please contact univ@gmu.edu or visit univstudies.gmu.edu. 

Featuring Flavio Marsiglia
February 26 | 11:45 am | PHC Multipurpose Room
Lunch to follow

Featuring Jorge Charvarro
March 11

The next Dean’s Speaker Series will feature Jorge Chavarro, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. More details and RSVP to come. 

January 30 | 9:30 am - 3 pm | SUB I

RSVP required

University Career Services is offering its popular Career Influencers Network training for all Mason staff and faculty. Graduate Assistants working are welcome too, especially if they are teaching, mentoring, or supervising students. A catered lunch from Panera is provided.

Never heard of the Career Influencers Network?

The Mason Career Influencers Network is a nationally recognized model for providing career development support to students through their relationships with professors, advisors, coaches, supervisors, community directors, and many other roles at the university. Mason’s 475+ Career Influencers contribute critical career readiness guidance and feedback to our students. Participants consistently say this training is engaging and relevant to their everyday work supporting students. Members receive a helpful monthly e-newsletter with events and updates, our media kits that make promoting career fairs/events quick and easy, the UCS faculty toolkit, and invitations to our Just for Influencers workshops each semester.

After our training, Influencers can confidently:

• Support students seeking career path and job-search advice

• Describe and share the career development process with students

• Refer students to University Career Services for career advising and industry-specific advising

• Support employer recruitment efforts in compliance with Mason policies and NACE ethical standards

• Promote Handshake and other career resources available to Mason students

Learn more about the Career Influencers Network.

April 26 | 12-3 pm | Peterson Hall Lobby & 2nd Floor Atrium

Please save the date to attend and encourage your students to apply for the 2024 CPH Celebration of Scholarship. Abstract submission deadline: Friday, April 5.

IRB approval application submission deadline: Friday, March 1. Additional details to come

The Steps Challenge is up and running walking! In the first week, Michelle Williams reported the most steps individually and OSA has a slight lead for units. Report your steps each Monday by noon.

View the State of the College slides from Dean Perry's January 11 presentation here.

January 30 | 1 pm | Zoom

Have you heard about Qualitative Data Analysis Software such as NVivo,
Atlas.ti, MAXQDA, or Dedoose? Do you wonder which you should use or even
how they differ? Learn about the shared and unique features of those
softwares and see them in action with actual projects by CPH
researchers. Jointly presented with the Digital Scholarship Center in
the University Libraries. Questions: Erin Maughan (emaugha@gmu.edu)

February 2 | 12-12:30 pm | Zoom | link to come

Join us for our 10th Lighting Talk! Join faculty members as they share about a classroom practice or their research in only five short minutes. Presenters are Patrice Winter (GCH), Denise Hines (SW), and Amira Roess (GCH). Zoom link to be shared closer to the event.

February 20 | 12:30-1:30 pm | Peterson 2000 or Zoom

Faculty, students, and staff, are invited to discuss issues related to health equity, with discussion centered around a journal article. Bring your own lunch. 

Please RSVP to kgrace@gmu.edu to get the article and Zoom link.

March 18 & 19 | Fairfax Campus  

The Access to Research and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) national conference provides a forum for changemakers from higher education, K-12, industry, non-profits, government, non-government organizations, small businesses, and beyond to come together to:    

-Critically discuss creating and maintaining inclusive communities     

-Share effective practices and resources to advance inclusive excellence   

-Amplify the visibility and impact of research, policy, innovation, scholarship, and creative activities to advance inclusive excellence    

2024 keynote speakers are Dr. Nolan Cabrera, professor of Educational Policy Studies and Practice at University of Arizona, and Rev. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, an activist for human rights.

The ARIE National Conference is an opportunity to learn, change, and grow together, ultimately preparing us to work better together. This year’s theme is Action through Research and Practice. Join us for a transformative experience, including keynote speakers, panelists, continuing education workshops, and presentations that will inspire you to be a catalyst for change and realize your vision through concrete action steps.  

Registration is now open! Visit our website for more information about this year’s conference and Keynote Speakers.

May 11 | 2 pm | EagleBank Arena

Reception to follow immediately after the Degree Celebration.

Orientation on March 19 | 12-2 pm  
Class meets from 1-4:30 pm on March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16, April 23

The Leading Thriving Organizations Certificate Program focuses on building leadership skills to support the well-being of the healthcare workforce. The program is delivered by the Mason Center for the Advancement of Well-Being (CWB) and offered virtually with synchronous instruction via Zoom. The program faculty includes experts from the Mason College of Public Health, School of Business, Department of Psychology and other experts. Participants should anticipate a time commitment of 20 hours in class (synchronous) and 10 hours outside of class (asynchronous) for coursework. Synchronous sessions will occur on one day during the week, on afternoons between 1 PM and 4:30 PM. Participants are enrolled as students at George Mason University and those who complete program requirements will receive a certificate from Mason and 2.75 CEUs. The tuition for the program is normally $2,850, however a HRSA grant at GMU will cover the entire cost of the program for healthcare professionals and public safety workers.  

Find more information about LTO here. Apply here.  

Alternating Mondays at 4 pm and Thursdays at 8 am |  Zoom

Join your faculty colleagues and an associate dean each week for the faculty peer support sessions.The objective of the sessions is to increase connection among faculty and provide a sense of community.

Feel free to attend once or every week. We are open to any and all suggestions on tweaking the sessions along the way. The sessions are opened to all CPH full-time and adjunct faculty. You will receive a calendar invite and Zoom link for all the sessions. Please contact Cathy Tompkins with any questions.

Every Tuesday, starting January 23 | 12 pm | Peterson 2800

You are welcome to stay for as much or as little of the class as you are able. If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

Recognize a fellow CPH faculty or staff member who is making outstanding contributions to the work of the College. Nominate them for a CPH Award to be presented at the April College Faculty & Staff Awards ceremony.

Submission materials linked below with submissions deadline:

Staff Awards -  due February 20, 2024

Faculty Teaching Awards -  due March 11, 2024

Research Awards -  due March 11, 2024