Faculty/Staff Newsletter

The BSN climbed 16 spots to rank #98 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings—placing 76th among public universities nationwide and 3rd in Virginia.   

Clinical nutrition researcher Raedeh Basiri studied the importance of choosing quality over quantity when it comes to sugar consumption and the potential benefits of daily mango consumption for those with prediabetes.

Phazhon Nash, BS in Community Health ’21, says his George Mason education provided him with the skills necessary to ensure the present and future health of his community, while serving as the youngest elected member of the Roanoke City Council. 

Congratulations to Kyeung-Mi Oh, Nursing, on receiving NIH funding for her project with LifeBio, "LifeBio Memory: Development of a reminiscence therapy online platform with machine learning to increase engagement." 

Congratulations to Alicia Hong, HAP, on her NIH project “WECARE: A Personalized Intervention for Underserved Chinese American Dementia Caregivers.”

With the possibility of a federal government shutdown this week, federally funded research, student aid, and other university operations tied to government support could be impacted. Please take a moment to review Federal Government Shutdown Guidance by the Office of Sponsored Programs.

CPH faculty, post doctoral researchers and students will be giving 50+ presentations or posters at the upcoming APHA meeting in D.C. in November. Congratulations on such a successful turnout. Take a look at the many CPH sessions. Please email Mary Cunningham if we missed including you or any of your students.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund has announced the Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative  Applications are due December 4. Growing evidence suggests the interrelatedness of the duration of pregnancy, fetal growth, and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, and maternal medical complications, including maternal mortality. Other areas of interest are climate change and environmental impact on pregnancy, complications associated with ART, and epigenome-wide association studies. The initiative is designed to stimulate both creative individual scientists and multi-investigator teams to approach healthy and adverse pregnancy outcomes using creative basic and translation science methods. The formation of new connections between reproductive scientists and investigators who are involved in other areas is particularly encouraged.

NIH: NINR Community-Partnered Nursing Research Centers (P20 Clinical Trial Optional) PAR-25-439

The CPH pilot program provides seed funding to stimulate research activity, underscoring our commitment to pioneering investigations and impactful scholarly pursuits. We encourage you to submit your applications.

The deadline for submission is January 21, 2026. Awards will be made by March 9, 2026, and extend for 12 months. The CPH pilot awards will support the direct costs of research, such as laboratory experiments, field studies, data collection, or data acquisition. Investigators may request up to $30,000; in all, approximately 8 awards are anticipated. Details on how to apply and on the review process are provided here.

September 29 | 5 - 6:30 pm | Merten Hall, Room 1201 

The University’s Adjunct Faculty Social is tonight! CPH hopes to have a good turnout of Adjunct Faculty in person and online. The Provost’s remarks are scheduled for 5:15 pm. 

October 6 | 10-11 am | Zoom | Register

Are you ready to integrate inclusive teaching throughout your instructional spaces? This is where that journey begins. In this workshop, explore some of the definitions and terms often found in conversations about creating more inclusive classrooms.

October 6 | 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Multipurpose Room

The Staff Council leadership team would like to invite all wage, staff, and AP faculty to join us for our first official business meeting for the Staff Council of the College of Public Health. Thanks to you, we have been able to ratify our bylaws and can make our official debut. 

We look forward to seeing you. Any questions or concerns, please contact Allie McKay at amckay4@gmu.edu.

Sincerely, the Staff Council Leadership Team: Kelly Beckwith, Terri Ann Guingab, Katie Spaudling, Allie McKay

Wednesday is October 1, which means the last chance to provide September accolades to your colleague who has gone above and beyond is Tuesday, September 30. A winner will be announced in next week's newsletter!

October 13 | 2 - 3:30 pm | HUB Ballroom & Livestream

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.

 October 7 | 1:30 - 3 pm | Merten Hall Room 1204 | RSVP

The Social Work Department invites you to the Human Rights Dialogues Series. The first hybrid event on October 7 features Dr. Claudia Mahler, UN Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is currently working on the convention for human rights for older adults! RSVP here. Contact Li-Mei Chen with questions.

Nutrition & Food Studies had a nearly imperceptible lead with HAP following close behind. For the last reported week, T Rebmann had the most steps for an individual.

Reporting for September 22-28 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.

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

Due October 3 | Learn more

ASPPH invites submissions for the 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health, which will be held March 18-20 in Arlington, VA. This premier event brings together leaders, educators, and students from across the academic public health community to explore the latest trends, challenges, and innovations.

The study leave deadline for both tenure-line and term instructional CPH faculty has been extended. The new deadline is 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.

Tuesday, September 30  | 12 pm | Peterson Room 2407

Yoga is in Room 2407 just for tomorrow. All other yoga sessions for the fall semester will be in the PHC Multipurpose Room. All faculty and staff are welcome! For any questions, contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

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. 

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