faculty spotlight

Congratulations to Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, for being elected as a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (FACE). The American College of Epidemiology (ACE) is the professional organization dedicated to continued education and advocacy for epidemiologists in their efforts to promote public health.

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.

Bethany Cieslowski, calls herself a disruptor – but don’t just take her word for it. One just needs to tour the virtual reality and simulation space on the 2nd floor of Peterson Health Sciences Hall with Cieslowski or participate in one of her VR/Sim training sessions to confirm that she has already brought positive change and vision to the College of Health and Human Services.

In order for athletes to balance their routines with wellness, they need to apply the same principles as they did with sports, says Emmett Gill, term assistant professor in the Department of Social Work within the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Associate Professor Hong Xue and Professors Alison Cuellar and Lawrence Cheskin and colleagues at George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services examined associations between the amount of time spent on specific social media sites and the use of both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes.  

While most of the social media platforms reviewed in the study showed no significant association with vaping, Xue and his colleagues did find that college-age e-cigarette users who spent more time on Snapchat did have a higher prevalence of lifetime e-cigarette use as well as an increased frequency of e-cigarette use in the past 30 days.

College-age e-cigarette users who are occasional or regular vapers spend an average of just over two hours a day on Snapchat, according to the study. Non-users, on the other hand, spend less than an hour each day on the app. The study also found that each extra hour on Snapchat was associated with a 4.61 percent increase in likelihood of lifetime e-cigarette use

Learn more about the rapidly growing field of health administration from George Mason Department of Health Administration and Policy faculty and recent graduates.

Thanks to the generosity of Michael von Fricken, professor of Global and Community Health, the One Health Scholarship will provide a selected graduate student with funding and/or support to pursue a research project relating to the One Health initiative.

Gewa and LaCharite help shape knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors about the food we eat and grow.

Kerri LaCharite, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. In this interview, she gives advice on how to make more sustainable food choices and reduce your carbon footprint.