CHHS Faculty

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 the Simulation Coordinator for the George Mason University School of Nursing. She earned her BSN from the University of Virginia, MA from Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical (Nursing) Informatics and DNP at the Duke University School of Nursing. 

Dr. LaDonna Williams is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. Dr. Williams is a nurse educator and preceptor, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in the classroom and clinical settings. 

Dr. Jinshan Tang is a professor of Health Informatics in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Before joining George Mason University, Dr. Tang was a full professor in the College of Computing at Michigan Technological University and a Founding Director of the Joint Center for Biocomputing and Digital Health.

Rima Nakkash is Interim Chair and Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. Nakkash is a leading international scholar in tobacco control research in prevention and policy evaluation.

Dr. Erin Maughan's research focuses on measuring the effectiveness of school nursing and school health programs that support the need of students (K-12) living in vulnerable situations. Her particular research focus looks at the infrastructure needed to support appropriate school nurse staffing and identifying indicators that best measure the effectiveness of school nursing and school health. Dr. Maughan uses her professional work experience and expertise in mix-method and qualitative designs to not only strengthen the evidence related to school health, but also obtain the data needed to change health and education policy.

Dr. Hansoo Ko is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Hansoo is a public health physician and health services researcher with training in health economics.

Drawing on 20 years of practice as a nurse-midwife, Dr. Karen Trister Grace’s research interests are in reproductive coercion, intimate partner violence (IPV), pregnancy intention and health disparities. Dr. Grace recently conducted research addressing solutions to housing instability for IPV survivors, as well as a mixed methods study exploring reproductive coercion in Latina women. She has an interest in birth outcomes related to IPV and reproductive coercion, and the intersection with unintended pregnancy. Dr. Grace is the lead editor of the 3rd edition of the “Prenatal & Postnatal Care: A Person-Centered Approach” textbook.

Dr. Kossi Pierre Eklou is an Assistant Professor for the School of Nursing in the College of Public Health and a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.