Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Associate Professor Hong Xue in the  Department of Health Administration and Policy has officially assumed the role of Chair of the Tobacco Free Alliance of Virginia (TFAV) as of Fall 2024. Xue, who was named chair-elect in fall 2023, has begun his one-year term with a mission to lead the coalition's initiatives in reducing tobacco use across Virginia. 

Kyeung Mi Oh, associate professor in the School of Nursing, won the prestigious Awards for Publication Excellence (APEX) 2024 Award of Excellence in the category of Writing Topics - New Technology for her study on reducing bias and stigma associated with medication-assisted treatment.

Congratulations to Isela, your CPH family is proud of you! As the communications coordinator for the Department of Health Administration and Policy, Isela Caballero runs the department’s social media and admissions campaigns, and coordinates events alongside her daily responsibilities. She is being recognized for her hard work, event planning skills, and enthusiasm for her work.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Multipurpose Room
Lunch will be served in the lobby following the event

Speaker: Nadia Fawaz
Topic: "AI for Public Health: From Guidance to Implementation"

Nadia Fawaz is a presidential innovation fellow and a senior technical advisor in responsible artificial intelligence (AI) and equitable data who advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

She led the development of the CDC’s Generative AI (GenAI) guidance, supported initiatives to pilot and deploy CDC’s GenAI capabilities, and led efforts on health equity data recommendations. Prior to joining the government, she was a senior staff applied scientist at Pinterest, where she founded and led the Inclusive AI team, building technology such as the Skin Tone Ranges, Hair Pattern Search, and Body Type Technology.

She received her Ph.D. and her Diplome d’Ingenieur (M.Sc.) in Electrical Engineering from Telecom ParisTech and EURECOM, France. An engineering leader with expertise in AI, ML, and data privacy, she is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Find her full bio here. 

Stay in the know about every opportunity for professional development. Bookmark the Professional Development page on the Provost’s website for updated information on faculty learning opportunities.

Email Cathy (ctompkin@gmu.edu) if you have any questions. 

The Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning has exciting workshop programming coming up, as well as a podcast, and opportunities for individual and unit-level inclusive teaching credentialing.

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.

All faculty and staff are encouraged to take a few minutes to complete the Fall 2024 Pulse Survey. A pulse survey is a short, targeted questionnaire designed to quickly gauge the sentiments, experiences, strengths and challenges of working as faculty and staff in the College.

Your feedback is essential in helping us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made. By sharing your insights, you contribute to creating an environment for everyone that is inclusive and provides opportunities for increased well-being. Your voice matters—please make it count! The data from the Pulse Survey will help us prepare for the second CPH Climate Survey coming your way in November. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Click below to take the 3-minute CPH Pulse Survey! Please complete it by Monday, October 14. 

(Note: Students have an opportunity to complete the Pulse Survey under a different survey link. This link will be distributed in the CPH student newsletters and announcements.)

Post-tenure Faculty
October 7, 2024 | 10:15 am - 11:30 am | Dean's Conference Room, 5700

Lunch

Pre-tenure Faculty, Including Post-docs
October 7, 2024 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm | Dean's Conference Room, 5700

As part of our initiative to develop CPH’s research mentoring capacity, we have invited Joya Misra to deliver training sessions to junior and senior faculty.

Misra is a distinguished professor at U-Mass who has participated in NIH- and NSF-supported mentor trainings and is an experienced mentor-trainer in the research space. She promises to deliver interactive, discussion-based sessions. 

Join us for lunch between meetings if you like. 

Please locate the calendar item in your mailbox, RSVP, and plan to attend! Or, email aevanscu@gmu.edu and let me know you want to join. 

October 10, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Zoom

We’ve been sharing formation on new federal research security requirements for universities as part of our meetings with CPH departments. 

Here is another opportunity to learn more about the full range of new requirements:

Rebecca Keiser, Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy at NSF, will be hosting a lunch and learn webinar exclusively for faculty at George Mason, UVA, Virginia Tech, and ODU.  

Connect to the webinar here.

In addition, the Mason export control team will be coming to specifically talk about foreign travel. Date and time TBD. 

October 16, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm | HUB Ballroom

Join us for Canvas Day!

Bring a laptop and learn about content creation and course design. Additional training opportunities are listed on the LMS Events webpage.

CPH Faculty Mentor Lila Fleming offers Canvas consultation appointments for faculty. Office Hours are available Wednesday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Book an appointment with Lila Fleming today!

Your CPH Instructional designers also hold Canvas office hours on Tuesdays 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, Thursdays 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm, and by appointment at HLTHLRN@gmu.edu.

Canvas Tip: Migrate Early

Start the process of migrating your courses this semester. Doing a little bit of clean up every day ensures your course is ready to go before the semester starts. Even if you don’t plan to teach in the Spring, begin to familiarize yourself with Canvas. Dr. Jenna Krall, Associate Professor, Global and Community Health, writes:

Canvas makes it quick to upload documents, move files, hide/show files to students, and create quiz questions, saving me lots of time each week. The file organization in Canvas is a bit different than Blackboard, so I had to take some time to plan out my course. However, I like the finished product!

Nominations are now open 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.

Staff may choose to nominate themselves or other staff members (with their permission). Nominations are due October 25 and voting will be held November 11 - December 6.

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.

October 11, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Zoom
October 17, 2024 | 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Johnson Center, Room 241

November 20, 2024 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Zoom
November 21, 2024 | 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm | Johnson Center, Room 241

Have you ever considered going to Transylvania? GCH professors, Iulia Fratila and Michael Bloom, have created a study abroad program to Transylvania, Romania for Summer 2025. This is the first time GMU is offering a study abroad program to Romania! The program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

There will be four info sessions about this program.
Use the Zoom link for the online events.

You can also reach out to Dr. Fratila (ifratila@gmu.edu) with any additional questions. 

October 16, 2024 | 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm | Multipurpose Room & Zoom

Join us for an insightful event focusing on the experiences of justice-involved women and the impact on social work practice. Learn about the unique challenges they face and how we can support them effectively. This in-person event will feature engaging discussions and opportunities to connect with like-minded professionals. Don't miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and skills in advocating for justice-involved women!

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

Elevate Your Communication Skills as a Top Researcher, Effective Teacher, and Leader: A CPH Faculty Development Workshop Featuring Prep Rally

The College of Public Health Faculty Development Committee are inviting top experts to help you transform how you communicate, whether you're preparing for an important presentation or building stronger relationships with your students and clients.

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

This event is open to full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, post docs, and graduate assistants.

RSVP by November 1.

October 22, 2024 | 10:15 am - 11:00 am | Multipurpose Room & Zoom

Provost Antony is visiting CPH on Tuesday, October 22. There will be a Meet and Greet with Faculty and Staff in-person and virtually.

Please contact Ashley Grammick at agrammic@gmu.edu with questions.

Déjà vu: OSA is still in the lead with HAP running a competitive second. Naren Durbha 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 September 30 - October 6 steps by 12:00 pm TODAY, October 7.
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.

View the newsletter archives here.