Mason Public Health at APHA
The College is proud to share that faculty and students will be participating as presenters at this year's American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo.

From November 12-15, collaborators from across the country gather to network and present on the latest public health findings. This year's theme is Creating the Healthiest Nation: Overcoming Social & Ethical Challenges.
Registration is still open and more information can be found on the APHA Annual Meeting & Expo registration page.
View Mason presenters by day or presenter below.
Mason Presenters By Day
Sunday, November 12, 2023
1-2 pm
Poster Presentation: Prenatal care access challenges due to COVID-19: Associations with everyday discrimination, superwoman schema, and preterm delivery among pregnant black women
Jennifer R Warren, PhD; Rochelle Davidson Mhonde, PhD; Amarachukwu Orji, MA; Maria Roche-Dean, Ph.D, RN; and Amira Albert Roess, PhD, MPH
2:30 -4 pm
Rountable: Anxiety, COVID, burnout and now depression: A qualitative study of primary care providers’ perceptions of burnout and strategies to move forward
Debora Goldberg; Tulay Soylu, PhD, MHA, MBA; and Carolyn Hoffman, MPH
3-4 pm
Poster Presentation: Place of residence disparities in seeing a needed specialist in adults with chronic illnesses
Carolyn Hoffman, MPH
3-4 pm
Poster Presentation: Rural disparities in unmet need for preventive services among adults with disabilities
Gilbert Gimm, PhD and Carolyn Hoffman, MPH
3-4 pm
Stakeholder analysis of the mental health challenges experienced by the healthcare workforce and suggested strategies for improvement
Leslie Wilcox; Debora Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA; and Suzanne Carmack, PhD, MFA, MEd, ERYT 500, NBC-HWC, C-IAYT
5-6 pm
Poster Presentation: Characterizing the effects of multi-level interventions on opioid pain reliever prescribing habits in the emergency department
Gretchen Baas, MPH; Jonathan Rupp, PhD; and Alaina Steck, MD
5-6 pm
Poster Presentation: 2204.0 Breast cancer screening in women with disabilities in the United States: Identifying associated factors by disability type
Amarachukwu Orji, MA and Tarang Parekh, PhD, MBBS
Monday, November 13, 2023
11:30-11:45 am
Improving access to antenatal care to reduce maternal death in Ghana
Jamie Zigterman, MPH, CPH, MS
12:30-1:30 pm
Poster Presentation: Understanding the relationship between place of residence and ever having received endometriosis treatment
Carolyn Hoffman, MPH
2:30-3:30 pm
Poster Presentation: Social determinants of health associated with low-dose tomography screening for lung cancer among adults in the United States: A systematic review
Francis Amankwah, MPH
2:30-4:30 pm
Ongoing Inequities and Challenges with Menstrual Friendly Facilities and Products
Moderator: Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES; Olufunke (Funke) Akiyode, GCERT, MHSA, MBA, PHD; and Meghan Spiroff, MHA
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
8:30-8:45 am
Jessica Fish, PhD; Elizabeth Aparicio, PhD, MSW, LCSW-C; Richard Shin, PhD; Evelyn King-Mashall, PhD; Rodman Turpin,PhD, MS; Mia Smith-Bynum, PhD; Michael Vigorito, LMFT, CGP, CST-S; Sean Lare, LMSW; and Bradley Boekeloo, PhD, ScM
8:30-10 am
Examining the work structures that are related to hospitalist work well-being
Megan Warner, MPH; Chapy Venkatesan, MD; Leyla de Avila; and Ali A. Weinstein, PhD
8:30-10 am
Moderator: Erin Maughan, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN
9-9:15 am
What does it mean for therapists to be competent with LGBTQ+ clients and how is this best evaluated?
Bradley Boekeloo, PhD, ScM; Jessica Fish, PhD; Elizabeth Aparicio, PhD, MSW, LCSW-C; Richard Shin, PhD; Michael Vigorito, LMFT, CGP, CST-S; Sean Lare, LMSW; Rodman Turpin, PhD, MS; Evelyn King-Mashall, PhD; and Mia Smith-Bynum, PhD;
9:15-9:30 am
Rochelle Davidson Mhonde, PhD
9:15-9:30 am
Rodman Turpin, PhD, MS; Jessica Fish, PhD; Evelyn King-Mashall, PhD; Christi McGeorge, PhD; Jordan Aquino; and Bradley Boekeloo, PhD, ScM
12:30-1:30 pm
Julia S Mandeville, MPH; Valerie Earnshaw, PhD; Cheyu Zhang, MPH; Lauren Cardoso, PhD, MSW; and Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH
2:45-3:00 pm
Basma Almansour, MS and Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
11-11:15 am
Tolulope Abidogun, MBBS, MPH; Elaine Russell, MPH; Lisa Lindley, DrPH, MPH, CHES; and Kenneth Griffin, PhD, MPH
2023 Mason Presenters
Presenters in alphabetical order by last name.
Tolulope Abidogun, MBBS, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant
Wednesday, November 15 | 11-11:15 AM
Basma Almansour, MS
Graduate Research Assistant
Tuesday, November 14 | 2:45-3:00 pm
Francis Amankwah, MPH
Doctoral Student
Monday, November 13 | 2:30-3:30 pm
Poster Presentation: Social determinants of health associated with low-dose tomography screening for lung cancer among adults in the United States: A systematic review
Gretchen Baas, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant & Doctoral Student in Criminology, Law, and Society
Sunday, November 12 | 5-6 pm
Poster Presentation: 2197.0 Characterizing the effects of multi-level interventions on opioid pain reliever prescribing habits in
Monday, November 13 | 11:15-11:30 am
3131.0 Examining the interconnectedness of key stakeholders for program implementation
Leila Elahi, BS
Graduate Research Assistant and Student, MS, Health and Medical Policy
Monday, November 13 | 8:30-10 am
Northern Virginia chws in mobile clinic units improve health equity
Gilbert Gimm, PhD
Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy
Mason College of Public Health
Sunday, November 12 | 3-4 pm
Poster Presentation: Rural disparities in unmet need for preventive services among adults with disabilities
Sunday, November 12 | 5-6 pm
Monday, November 13 | 8:30-10 am
Non-presenting Collaborator: Northern Virginia chws in mobile clinic units improve health equity
Debora Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA
Associate Professor, Health Administration and Policy
Mason College of Public Health
Sunday, November 12 | 2:30-4 pm
Roundtable Presenter: Anxiety, COVID, burnout and now depression: A qualitative study of primary care providers’ perceptions of burnout and strategies to move forward
Sunday, November 12 | 3-4 pm
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Stakeholder analysis of the mental health challenges experienced by the healthcare workforce and suggested strategies for improvement
Monday, November 13 | 8:30-10 am
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Table 7 - Ochsner health's four-pronged approach to supporting the mental health needs of its workforce
Carolyn Hoffman, MPH
Doctoral Student
Mason College of Public Health
Sunday, November 12 | 2:30-4 pm
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Anxiety, COVID, burnout and now depression: A qualitative study of primary care providers’ perceptions of burnout and strategies to move forward
Sunday, November 12 | 3-4 pm
Presenter: Place of residence disparities in seeing a needed specialist in adults with chronic illnesses
Monday, November 13 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Julia Mandeville, MPH
Julia Mandeville, MPH, is a doctoral student at George Mason University, pursuing her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Global and Community Health within the College of Public Health. She received her Master of Public Health in Global Health from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom in 2017. Her research focuses on disparities in women’s health outcomes in Black and immigrant populations.
Tuesday, November 14 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Erin Maughan, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN
Associate Professor
Tuesday, November 14 | 8:30-10 am
Rochelle Davidson Mhonde, PhD
Assistant Professor
Sunday, November 12 | 1-2 pm
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Prenatal care access challenges due to COVID-19: Associations with everyday discrimination, superwoman schema, and preterm delivery among pregnant black women
Tuesday, November 14 | 9:15-9:30 am
Amarachukwu Orji, MA
PhD in Public Health Student
Amarachukwu F. Orji is currently a PhD Public health student in the College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University. She is a presidential scholar at George Mason University and serves as an associate member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and Society for Epidemiologic Research. Her areas of research include social determinants of health for vulnerable populations, disparities in cancer awareness & prevention, disability health.
Sunday, November 12 | 1-2 pm
Non-presenting Collaborator: Prenatal care access challenges due to COVID-19: Associations with everyday discrimination, superwoman schema, and preterm delivery among pregnant black women
Sunday, November 12 | 5-6 pm
Monday, November 13 | 8:30-10 am
Moderator: Special Topics in Cancer Treatment and Survivorship
Amira Albert Roess, PHD, MPH
Professor
Sunday, November 12 | 1-2 pm
Rodman Turpin, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor, Global and Community Health
College of Public Health
Tuesday, November 14 | 8:30-8:45 am
Tuesday, November 14 | 9-9:15 am
Presenter: What does it mean for therapists to be competent with LGBTQ+ clients and how is this best evaluated?
Tuesday, November 14 | 9:15-9:30 am
Michelle Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES, George Mason University
Assistant Professor of Global and Community Health
Mason College of Public Health
Monday, November 13 | 2:30-4:30 pm
Moderator: Ongoing Inequities and Challenges with Menstrual Friendly Facilities and Products
Tuesday, November 14 | 2:45-3:00 pm
Non-presenting Collaborator: Intrapersonal and structural factors associated with cervical cancer screening in women with disabilities
Megan Warner, MPH
Doctoral Student
Tuesday, November 14 | 8:30-10 am
Presenter: Examining the work structures that are related to hospitalist work well-being
Jennifer R. Warren, PhD
Assistant Professor
Sunday, November 12 | 1-2 pm
Leslie Wilcox
HRSA Program Manager, Training Specialist
Sunday, November 12 | 3-4 pm
Jamie Zigterman, MPH, CPH, MS
PhD Student
Monday, November 13 | 11:30-11:45 am
Presenter: Improving access to antenatal care to reduce maternal death in Ghana
Non-Presenting Collaborators
Kenneth Griffin, PhD, MPH
Professor
Wednesday, November 15 | 11-11:15 am
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Alcohol and cannabis use trends pre-pandemic and after the COVID-19 outbreak among college students: The role of mental health
Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH
Associate Professor
Tuesday, November 14 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Non-presenting Collaborator: Associations between stigma and depression among college-attending students with endometriosis symptoms
Megumi Inoue, PhD, MSW, RN
Associate Professor
Sunday, November 12 | 5-6 pm
Gary Kreps, PhD
Distinguished University Professor, Director; Center for Health and Risk Communication
Monday, November 13 | 8:45-9 am
Rima Nakkash, DrPH
Professor
Tuesday, November 14 | 10:30-11:30 am
Interest in quitting waterpipe (hookah) use among Lebanese adolescents
Faye Taxman, PhD
Professor
Sunday, November 12 | 4:30-4:45 pm
Non-presenting Collaborator: Missing data in survey research: A multi-layer machine learning approach
Rodman Turpin, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
Wednesday, November 15 | 9:30-9:45 am
Non-resenting Collaborator: Testing a syndemic of mental health and socioeconomic status factors associated with smoking among pregnant women in the US
Ali A. Weinstein, PhD
Professor
Tuesday, November 14 | 8:30-10 am
Examining the work structures that are related to hospitalist work well-being
Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH, MPH, MCHES
Associate Professor
Tuesday, November 14 | 2:45-3:00 pm
Non-Presenting Collaborator: Intrapersonal and structural factors associated with cervical cancer screening in women with disabilities
Xiaoquan Zhao, PhD
Professor
Monday, November 13
8:45-9 am
Cheyu Zhang, MPH
Graduate Research Assistant and PhD student
Cheyu Zhang is pursuing her doctor's degree in Public Health at George Mason University, in hopes of understanding and helping preventing gender-based violence against women. Previously, she graduated from George Washington University (GWU) with a Master of Public Health in Biostatistics degree. After graduation, she worked as a research associate at GWU, where she worked with health survey data to analyze important health issues such as gender equality, gender minority health, HIV prevention, and COVID-19.
Tuesday, November 14 | 12:30-1:30 pm
Non-presenting Collaborator: Associations between stigma and depression among college-attending students with endometriosis symptoms