CHHS

Amid reports that many advanced degree programs in the United States leave graduates in financial debt for years after graduation, the Wall Street Journal published an online tool comparing the debt-to-income ratio of graduates from different programs and different universities across the country. When using this metric, Mason’s Master of Public Health (MPH) degree fared the best compared with other MPH programs in Virginia.

Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH, associate professor in the College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Global and Community Health, says that she has always been drawn to research that seeks to “bring the ‘hidden side’ of things out in the open: such as violence against women and girls and refugee populations.” Gupta’s research on period poverty, and more broadly, stigma and menstrual health, is helping to inform a national policy discussion on health equity, reaching well beyond the public health community. U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) has referenced Gupta’s research in support of legislation for menstrual equity. After Gupta saw her research referenced on Rep. Meng’s social media, she reached out to Meng’s office to share additional resources. In May 2021, Meng introduced the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, aimed at increasing access to menstrual products, and she met with Gupta to learn more about her work. 

The College is proud to announce the recent partnership between George Mason University and Maseno University (MSU), located in Kisumu, Kenya. The partnership, led by associate professor Constance Gewa, aims to stimulate and support educational and intercultural projects between MSU and Mason's Department of Nutrition and Food Studies.

The Department of Health Administration and Policy partnered with Health Technology Network and Arlington Forward to create a cybersecurity event that informed attendees on the top concerns in federal, state, and private sectors as well as provided networking opportunities for local cybersecurity and healthcare professionals.

Dr. Amanda Brooks is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and serving as a provider in the Manassas MAP clinic. 

On Thursday, September 16, the student alumni organization Rising Healthcare Leaders at Mason (RHLM) hosted its first in-person networking event since March 2020. Both the graduate student leadership team and undergraduate students in the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) worked together to make the event a successful networking opportunity for attendees.

Dr. Lee Black is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration, College of Public Health. His research interests are the intersection of law and ethics in health care, and especially the impact of legal regulation of abortion on the ethical responsibilities of healthcare providers.

Dr. Michelle D. Hand is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work. Her research focuses on empowerment building approaches to address sexual violence and trauma among at-risk non-dominant populations, including in later life. Thus, she studies causes and impacts of violence and trauma as well as arts- and horticulture-based interventions (e.g., community gardens, farms and murals) to support healing, informed by extensive interdisciplinary research and clinical experience.

Bethany Cieslowski is Simulation Coordinator at GMU Nursing. She holds degrees from UVA, Columbia, and a DNP from Duke.