Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Congratulations to the tenured and promoted faculty, whose dedication to the college has furthered our mission of building healthier futures through interprofessional education and innovative research.

For Master of Public Health student Olivia Thornton, completing a practicum at the Inova Fairfax Department of Community Health was an opportunity to step into the field and explore public health in action.

The PhRMA Foundation’s Value Assessment and Health Outcomes Research “program seeks proposals from early career researchers (predoctoral, postdoctoral, junior faculty) who investigate challenges and potential solutions related to evaluating the delivery, safe use, effectiveness, and value (clinical, patient-centered, and economic) of medicines and other health care interventions. Proposals that do not engage patients, caregivers, or clinicians at an appropriate level will be considered unresponsive. Deadline: October 30

National Science Foundation. NSF 25-542: Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH).  The Smart Health program solicitation has been revised. Check for changes to thematic areas, participating NIH institutes and proposal deadlines. Learn more.

Several faculty participated in CPH-hosted sessions about the CDMRP funding mechanism, and the college seeing CDMRP submissions in CPH. One big take-away is that research proposals to CDMRP have a similar look and feel as NIH R01 proposals, with certain notable exceptions. Further, the research does not have to include military or veteran populations, rather the key is for the research to be population-relevant. The college has sample proposals, PPT slides, and more. Contact Alison Cuellar (aevanscu.gmu.edu) if you are interested in this funding mechanism. Learn more.

I hope you all are beginning to settle into the start of the 2025-2026 academic year! Please be sure to read this weekly CPH Newsletter for faculty news, resources, highlights, and updates throughout the semester.

The next faculty annual performance review is due on February 15, 2026 and will cover the period from August 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025. This timeframe reflects a one-time transition from the previous fall due date to the new spring schedule. Starting in 2026, the review period will follow a January 1 – December 31 calendar year. For questions, contact Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu).

As always, George Mason’s Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning has a plethora of workshops, trainings, and events scheduled for the fall 2025 semester. Check out its website and sign up for its newsletter.

Don't miss the Stearns Center’s Annual Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference held on September 25 (virtual sessions) and September 26 (in person sessions). The theme for this year’s conference is "Teaching for the Future: AI, Analog and Beyond." Register here. Some of our own CPH faculty will be presenting.

ASPPH invites submissions for the 2026 ASPPH Annual Meeting for Academic Public Health, which will be held March 18-20 in Arlington, VA. This event brings together leaders, educators, and students from across the academic public health community to explore the latest trends, challenges, and innovations.
 
Proposals that showcase innovative ideas, promising practices, and practical solutions that address the pressing challenges and opportunities facing academic public health today are highly encouraged. Proposals are due October 3. Learn more here.

ASPPH Excellence Award nominations are also open! Nominate a colleague for recognition within the public health community, celebrating individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and impact across various facets of public health. Submissions due October 3. Learn more here.

The CPH Steps Challenge is back again for a new semester of healthful, departmental competition. All CPH employees can join in—this includes adjuncts, GRAs, and wage staff. Participants may walk anywhere, anytime, within each weekly time frame, counting their steps, and then report the steps they’ve walked by midnight the immediately following Monday.

At the end of the semester, the unit with the most steps (proportionally) will be awarded a prize and take the trophy! Each week, the individual with the highest weekly number of steps will be acknowledged in the CPH newsletter along with a report of unit standings. 

Report your steps no later than 11:59 pm on the Monday after each Monday-through-Sunday challenge week. 

The first week of walking is September 1 - 7. Report your steps for that week on September 8. Report your preceding week’s steps here.

Every Tuesday | 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).

August 27 | 11 am | Multipurpose Room | RSVP here

Join us to kick off the new academic year. Address followed by a lunch reception. Please RSVP to ensure we have enough lunch.

Do you have suggestions or questions for the Dean’s Address? Submit topic suggestions or questions for consideration to Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu no later than August 19.  

August 20 | 8:30 – 10:30 am | Peterson 1106 

This session will follow the university-wide New Faculty Orientation, taking place on August 18 and 19. We look forward to seeing our newest faculty members and helping you settle into the CPH community. 

August 20 | 5:30 – 7 pm | Zoom 

All adjunct faculty are encouraged to attend this virtual session as we kick off the fall semester together.

August 25

Due September 1 | Email Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu) for more information.

Due September 1 | Email Cathy Tompkins (ctompkin@gmu.edu) for more information.

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