Off the Clock: As a mentor, Debbie Cohen found a new pathway to connect with students

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:57:44 +0000

Off the Clock: As a mentor, Debbie Cohen found a new pathway to connect with students Lauren Reuscher Wed, 09/25/2024 - 14:57

Debbie Cohen started working in ��AV’s Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations in fall 2023 as the development coordinator for planned giving and parent and family philanthropy. Before coming to George Mason, she worked in another realm of education: as a middle school teacher.

Gabriella Singh and Debbie Cohen at a College Bound end of year celebration. Photo provided

Her passion for education fueled her involvement with another activity outside work: Cohen serves as a volunteer mentor with College Bound Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit serving public and charter school students in grades 8–12. Through its academic mentoring program, College Bound aims to help students enter college, earn a degree, and achieve their goals.

After leaving the classroom, Cohen felt like something was missing. She learned about College Bound by chance, when she walked by a booth at a street fair in the District.

“I left my teaching position and moved to this area just before the pandemic, and I was missing ‘my kids’—my former students,” Cohen said. When someone from College Bound asked if she would consider mentoring a high school student, “My answer was a resounding ‘yes,’” Cohen said.

Cohen mentored Gabriella Singh, a former high school student in Washington, D.C. For two years, Cohen and Singh met in-person once a week at a D.C. public library, along with other students and mentors from the program. They kept in touch outside those meetings and attended social activities with College Bound, too.

Since then, Singh has graduated from high school, but her connection with Cohen is now entering a new phase: Singh is a first-year student at George Mason this fall.

A history major, Singh chose George Mason for its location in Fairfax and proximity to professional opportunities in the nation’s capital. She also hopes to participate in a study abroad program.

“Knowing Ms. Debbie is on campus is actually pretty great,” Singh said. “It's nice knowing that if I ever need some advice, want an adult’s perspective on anything, or just want to chat for a bit, I can go down to visit her.”

Now that Singh has started college, she and Cohen are participating in College Bound’s virtual mentoring program, a critical part of helping students continue toward their goals of graduating college and realizing their potential.

Cohen encourages others to consider participating in mentorship programs. “There’s a need for positive role models everywhere, to help the next generation realize their dreams and their potential,” Cohen said. “I’m now an even bigger advocate and cheerleader for bringing others into this kind of mentorship opportunity to help make a difference.”

The opportunity to be another caring adult in the life of a young person means a lot, Cohen said.

“To be even a small part of Gabriella’s life for the past two years, to be a part of her high school and college preparation journey, has been memorable and very special,” she said. “I’m excited to see what she’ll do next.”

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Off the Clock

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‘Don’t treat us like fragile babies’: Can intergenerational mentorship programs reduce ageism in medicine?

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:42:29 +0000

‘Don’t treat us like fragile babies’: Can intergenerational mentorship programs reduce ageism in medicine? Mary Cunningham Thu, 02/29/2024 - 18:42

In This Story

Dr. Cathy Tompkins

Emily Ihara, PhD, MSW, FGSA

Ageism is a problem in health care, and the World Health Organization Global Report on Ageism points to factors such as increased human life expectancy, declines in birthrates, and the lack of investment to address health inequities among older people as reasons for strategies to eliminate ageism.

Ageism can impact the quality of patient care and be a source of frustration for older patients. Senior Mentor Programs (SMP) are one way to address ageism and improve the quality of care delivered to older patients by better understanding their unique needs, perspectives, and societal contributions.

Intergenerational mentoring programs are beneficial to both young and older people, according to a new study led by Emily Ihara, chair of ��AV’s Department of Social Work, and Catherine Tompkins, the College of Public Health’s Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs, who are co-PIs of Mason’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.

“The results show the importance of reciprocal relationships, where both young and older people benefit, in addressing ageism in health care,” said Ihara. “The program served to defy existing stereotypes especially for younger medical students who may not have had experience working with older adults. Building relationships with an older mentor helped them to gain a better understanding and much-needed perspective of older people, which will hopefully translate into better provision of care for this population.”

The team from ��AV and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) analyzed the perspectives of older adults (mentors) who participated in a SMP involving first-year medical students. Three themes emerged from the mentors’ responses: generational guidance, volunteerism, and life satisfaction. The responses illustrated how intergenerational mentorship programs can help older adults maintain a desire to promote the well-being of younger generations (such as by volunteering) by providing an opportunity for older adults to form meaningful connections (life satisfaction) and positively influence members of the younger generation (generational guidance). Participants in the study spoke about wanting to help stop health-related discrimination toward older people.

“Do whatever it takes to get medical personnel to treat and understand older adults. We are not wrinkly old babies, which is how a lot of doctors treat us,” said one participant.

The SMP provided older adults the opportunity to have an open conversation with students in the medical field and address the stigma related to caring for older adults. For example, several mentors discussed being treated unfairly or being misunderstood when receiving medical services. The program allowed older adults to connect with students and to pass on advice or experiences that they believe are important to improve patient care. Student responses to the program were analyzed in a different academic paper.

“’Don’t treat us like fragile babies:’ Mentors’ perspectives of an intergenerational mentoring program for medical students” was published online in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships in February 2024. Additional authors include Mason undergraduate student Vianey Velazquez-Dominguez; three Mason Master of Social Work alumni—Harveen Pantleay from Loudoun County Schools; Kendall Barrett from Wise Mind Psychotherapy; and Madeline Holden from Wesley Housing Development Corporation; and Kimberly Ivey, Leland Waters, and Sarah A. Marrs from VCU.

This work was supported by the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [grant number U1QHP28744], Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program.

Thumbnail photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels.

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Older Adults

Intergenerational Education

Mentorship

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‘Don’t treat us like fragile babies’: Can intergenerational mentorship programs reduce ageism in medicine?

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