Department of Global and Community Health

Kim McNally becomes George Mason’s first PhD in public health

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:50:40 +0000

Kim McNally becomes George Mason’s first PhD in public health Taylor Thomas Thu, 05/02/2024 - 11:50

��AV's College of Public Health started its new PhD in Public Health in 2021 with a cohort of six students. Just three and a half years later, Fairfax County Health Department School Nurse Kim McNally will be the program's first PhD to walk across the Commencement stage at EagleBank Arena this May.

By training the future public health workforce, including epidemiologists, nurses, nutritionists, health administrators, and social workers, George Mason’s College of Public Health—the first in Virginia—helps reduce the public health worker shortage, and its students and graduates help individuals and communities get healthy and stay healthy. Since the PhD program's inception, the college has accepted 27 students.

Kim McNally (center) with her mentors Professor Ali Weinstein and Professor Amira Roess. Photo provided

After receiving her bachelor's in social work from Rutgers University, McNally went to work in child protective services, ultimately deciding it was not for her. She went back to school, earning her bachelor's in nursing and master's in nursing education from Western Carolina University. After a year working in a hospital, she realized her love of public health, which led to her applying to George Mason’s brand-new PhD program in public health. McNally successfully defended her dissertation in April.

Throughout her studies, McNally continued to work full time as a public health school nurse for the Fairfax County Health Department as part of the School Health program, which provides schools with school health aides and public health nurses. Her current position as a school health nurse in Fairfax County has been instrumental to PhD goals.

McNally’s primary research during her PhD was looking at ways to improve HPV vaccine compliance, particularly among seventh graders. In fact, it was this goal that led her to getting her PhD in the first place:

“I really wanted to jump right in and do an intervention. But then I had to take a step back when I realized that we didn’t have the research to support developing one intervention over another. And so that’s where it started. [It] was just looking at a way to empower school nurses in particular,” said McNally.

As for what she plans to do now that she’s completed her degree, McNally still isn’t sure.

“I love my job,” she said. “It’s an amazing job. I work with amazing people so I would love to stay in school health.”

However, she also would like to work with schools and the health department to support school health nurses because the one thing she has heard over and over again is that school nurses are overburdened.

McNally is also very passionate about mobile health clinics. She says in the years she has been working in schools in Northern Virginia, she has never seen a mobile health clinic on a registration day or during an open house that offered the HPV vaccine and other immunizations required by Virginia state law for students in public schools.

As she looks toward Commencement this May, McNally said she couldn’t have reached her goals without George Mason and her mentors. McNally’s family, mentors, and well-wishers from the College of Public Health were in attendance as she defended her dissertation.

“Dr. [Amira] Roess [professor of Global Health and Epidemiology] has been my faculty mentor since day one and she’s been really amazing, really supportive. Guiding when guiding was needed but also letting me grow on my own,” McNally said.

She also took inspiration from her mentor Ali Weinstein, a professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, and how well she balanced the research aspect with the people aspect.

“We definitely need numbers and rates, but we also need to understand why people choose to vaccinate or choose not to vaccinate. I do feel like it definitely prepared me for my future goals," McNally said.

“I’m excited to see how Kim will continue to impact the fields of school nursing and public health,” said Roess. “She is a terrific role model for our current and future doctoral students.”

Adds Weinstein: “Her work is impactful and meaningful because of the combination of practical knowledge that highlighted a gap in public health practice.”

Learn more about the PhD in Public Health program here.

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Ali Weinstein, PhD

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

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Student Spotlight

Case competitions help students share practical solutions to public health problems

Shayla Brown — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:00:54 +0000

Case competitions help students share practical solutions to public health problems Shayla Brown Wed, 12/06/2023 - 12:00

Six graduate students from ��AV’s Department of Global and Community Health and Department of Health Administration and Policy presented a four-pronged solution to address health care and homelessness among Washington, D.C., area women at the D.C. Public Health Case Challenge.

“It was a really exciting day,” said associate professor Debora Goldberg, who mentored them. “The students did an unbelievable job.”

The competition, held at the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, is a chance for students to use what they’ve learned in the classroom to address a real-world issue, Goldberg said.

Mason’s team used a divided approach, each taking a task that related to their research backgrounds to come up with a pilot study.

Debora Goldberg and the team of Global and Community Health students in D.C. Photo Provided.

First-year health services research PhD student Sravya Vunnam was a member of the team that competed in the case competition.

“Before the actual competition, we did a dry run with six faculty members from HAP and [School of Nursing] who came and listened to our presentation to give us feedback and help us prepare,” said Vunnam.

“[Most] of us are going to be in public health and policy making somehow, so this experience helps to shape our minds and prepare us for that,” she said.

The team’s approach included housing, community and mental health support, developing an app that would provide resources for unhoused populations to find places that provide mental health support, and access peer navigators, as well as an anti-stigma campaign.

Because students bring skills that they learn in the classroom to these experiences, case competitions are also a great opportunity for students to practice in public health courses, said Goldberg.

Public health graduate student Anahita Asghari-Kamrani took the GCH 465 Community Health capstone course taught by adjunct professor Sara Hoffman, where she and her classmates got to compete in hypothetical competitions that are set up to replicate the real ones held by the public health community.

The class breaks into teams and identifies a public health problem for which they must find solutions. At the end of the semester, the student teams present their solutions to a panel of local public health professionals, similar to the official case competitions.

“The capstone course has helped me find problem areas in public health and [potential] interventions,” said Asghari-Kamrani, who is in the epidemiology program. “I would say that having an opportunity like this helps you get out of your comfort zone and [now] I would be comfortable participating in something like this in a real-life scenario.”

Community health alumna Madison Knapp also took the GCH 465 Community Health capstone.

“It's a great way of learning and being able to come up with ideas, especially since the world is changing each year and there are new scientific measures available every day,” said Knapp, who graduated in 2023 and now does community health work for the American Heart Association.

Knapp hopes to one day compete in real case competitions so that she can make a difference in her field and community, she said.

“We got to present to people from the Virginia Department of Health, and hearing their feedback was truly a great experience,” said Knapp, whose team ended up winning the hypothetical case competition. “I still think it's one of the best moments of my college career. I hope it encourages students to do the best they can in their courses because you never know what could come out of it.”

Want to know more about the case study competition? Read more in our earlier article about the event.

Learn more about Global and Community Health at Mason

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Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA

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Strategic Direction

New graduate sees opportunities for social justice through community health

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 19:34:14 +0000

New graduate sees opportunities for social justice through community health Mary Cunningham Mon, 06/05/2023 - 15:34

Samantha Harrison knew she wanted to pursue a career that advanced social justice when she enrolled in ��AV. When she discovered the community health major at a Mason event, her interest was piqued.

“Then I took Global Health, and I instantly fell in love with it,” she said. “This is definitely my career.”

Harrison, who is graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree in community health with a global health concentration, said that discovering the community health degree provided her with a comprehensive way to achieve her ambitions to bring equity to communities through well-being.

She first got involved in community health while in high school in New Jersey. Having grown up in a county that is a food desert, she began volunteering with a community garden program to bring fresh produce to the area. Her passion for helping others continued at Mason. Harrison, who was scheduled to complete an overseas internship in 2020, found her program cancelled at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, instead she helped at COVID clinics and with vaccination education efforts in Northern Virginia.

In addition to her work during the pandemic, Harrison worked with an area nonprofit on a comprehensive sex education curriculum and as a social services intern in the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics to connect uninsured and low-income patients with needed services.

“The thing I love about public health is that it’s so diverse and holistic,” she said. “You really get to collaborate with different people to create programs that meet so many different needs.”

For her many efforts during her undergraduate career, Harrison was recognized at the College of Public Health Student Awards Ceremony with an Overall Excellence Award from the Department of Global and Community Health.

"Samantha Harrison has been an excellent student and is always looking for learning opportunities,” said Brian Gillette, director of student success for the Department of Global and Community Health. “Samantha has demonstrated outstanding leadership, service to her community, academic excellence, and there are no words to describe her value as a person.”

After graduation, Harrison will begin the AmeriCorps and Centers for Disease Control Public Health Informatics Training Program. She will again work with the MAP Clinics, this time to help create interactive dashboards to give providers better data to improve patient care. She will also be deployed to the Fairfax County Health Department for similar work.

While she’s participating in the informatics training program, Harrison says she will also expand her current part-time role as a patient access associate with Inova Health Systems to a full-time position. Eventually, Harrison hopes to become a public health analyst working on programs for uninsured and underrepresented populations.

Harrison credits Mason and the College of Public Health faculty for the many opportunities she’s had as a student. “When I was in high school, I was told that [faculty at college] would be hard on you, that they wouldn’t care. That’s been the furthest from the truth about the faculty here at Mason,” she said. “Their number one priority is to see you succeed, and they will help you in any way possible.”

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MS in global health student Abby Lilak investigates disease transmission with EcoHealth Alliance

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:18:12 +0000

MS in global health student Abby Lilak investigates disease transmission with EcoHealth Alliance Taylor Thomas Thu, 09/29/2022 - 10:18

Mason’s MS in global health primes future graduates for frontline public health initiatives

Abigail Lilak, MS Global Health. Photo by Emma Anderson.

This summer, Abigail Lilak, who is in her second year of the MS global health program, worked in conjunction with EcoHealth Alliance to conduct research on processing water, tick, soil, and leech samples in Kenya. With Mpala Research Centre, a research center based in central Kenya, Lilak worked on a program to detect, predict, and contain illnesses spread between people and animals, also known as zoonoses.

Lilak credits her courses for laying a strong foundation to work with EcoHealth. The MS in Global Health in the College of Health and Human Services teaches students epidemiology, biostatistics, sociocultural influences on health and behavior, global health systems, communicable and non-communicable diseases of global importance, and migrant health. Graduates are prepared to be leaders in global health-related research.

“I went to Kenya to help implement the water processing protocols,” Lilak said. “For EcoHealth, I focused on the water samples. I conducted lab work which consisted of filtering samples, homogenization, extraction, and eventually DNA sequencing. I was also able to participate in field work and sample collections.”

With guidance from her mentors Yvonne Linton, PhD, Michael von Fricken, PhD, Maureen Kamau, DVM, Dawn Zimmerman, DVM, and Brian Bourke, PhD, Lilak participated in field work and sample collections using advanced technologies. MinIONs, for example, is a device that makes it possible to process DNA information in real-time. Lilak’s research methods included metagenomic sequencing, a technique that allows researchers to identify the genetic material of environmental microbes with very little prior knowledge. In Kenya, this was useful for finding common pathogens like African tick-bite fever and East Coast fever.

“My classes have been key to understanding essential concepts related to the project such as OneHealth,” said Lilak. “The courses will also help me in the future with data analysis and management and making sure that I am able to present findings in a clear and concise manner.”

Lilak conducts fieldwork. Photo provided.

OneHealth focuses on the importance of the roles humans, animals, and the environment play in the transmission of diseases and the management of zoonotic events. Lilak’s specific research sought to probe into how ticks or livestock waterholes may be reservoirs of infection. Because people and animal life cohabitate in the landscape, it is important to pinpoint how and where the disease transmission is occurring in order to effectively mitigate infection exposure.

Lilak was encouraged to apply to EcoHealth one of her mentors Michael von Fricken, an associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. Along with other graduate and undergraduate students, Lilak was a part of von Fricken’s Public Health Study Abroad course that took them to Laikipia, Kenya, to study tick dragging and water filtration.

“Mason’s MS in Global Health helped me realize the impact I could have on public health even as a student and connected me with great resources and programs that allow me to gain real-world research experience,” said Lilak “In March, I attended Mpala with other Mason students. If I hadn't experienced that course, I don't think I would have been able to accomplish what I did this summer.”

In addition to EcoHealth, Lilak worked with many other prominent organizations within public health. Partners of the project included Navy Medical Research Center (NMRC), Navy Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE), Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institute, Mpala Research Centre and University of Norte Dame.

After the conclusion of her work in Kenya, Lilak presented her research alongside her cohort of EcoHealth. Participants with diverse topics were able to share their findings via Zoom.

Now that her research with EcoHealth is complete, Lilak intends to use an aspect of her water research for her master’s thesis. She is hopeful that this experience will lead to other opportunities to conduct global health research with many different organizations. Lilak is also looking forward to continuing her work at the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU).

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Student Spotlight

7 frequently asked questions about Monkeypox

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:58:34 +0000

7 frequently asked questions about Monkeypox Mary Cunningham Sun, 09/11/2022 - 20:58

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Epidemiologist and professor Amira Roess answers the most frequently asked questions about monkeypox.

In July 2022, the World Health Organization declared that the global monkeypox outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern, and in August 2022, monkeypox was declared a public health emergency in the United States. The monkeypox outbreak is still spreading at unacceptable levels globally and nationally. With colleges and schools back in session, monkeypox has a new opportunity to potentially infect more people.

Epidemiologist and professor at ��AV Dr. Amira Roess specializes in infectious diseases, especially reducing the transmission of diseases that originate through animal-human contact, including monkeypox. Roess first studied monkeypox on while serving as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the CDC in 2008.

Here Roess answers the most frequently asked questions about monkeypox and she is available for further comment.

Information about monkeypox is always evolving as researchers learn more. This information is accurate as of September 8, 2022.

Is Monkeypox a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? Can only men who have sex with men can get monkeypox?
No, monkeypox is not considered a sexually transmitted infection, meaning that sex is not the only way that you can get monkeypox. The virus spreads through close skin-to-skin close physical contact and through contact with bodily fluids from an infectious person. This type of contact is not limited to sexual activity.

Anyone can get monkeypox. In the United States, we're seeing that there are a lot of cases and transmission among men who have sex with men. Though we're not seeing significant transmission outside of that group, we are seeing cases in nonsexual contacts and in children. It is important to remember that anyone can get monkeypox. In the United States, we have seen over 30 cases in children

How does monkeypox spread?
Monkeypox spreads through close physical contact with someone who is infected, their bodily fluids, or contact with bedding, linens, towels, or similar material that has come in contact with the infected individual. Sex is one way to have close physical contact with someone, but the virus can also spread from close dancing, hugging, or any other contact that leads to close skin-to-skin contact.

How can I prevent the spread of monkeypox?
You can reduce your chances of catching or spreading monkeypox by reducing the number of individuals that you have close personal contact. Think through what exposures you might have in your everyday life. Have you had close physical contact with someone who is at risk of monkeypox or who has been recently exposed? If so consider getting the monkeypox vaccine.

If you get monkeypox, you can reduce the chance of spreading it by isolating and immediately notifying anyone you might have close contact with so that they can also take precautions (see below).

What are the signs and symptoms of monkeypox?
The symptoms can vary. Within three weeks of exposure, many people have a fever, headaches, and/or body aches. Often, they'll have swollen lymph nodes. Typically, individuals with monkeypox will also develop a rash that looks like pimples or pox lesions, and it is often found in the areas where that initial skin-to-skin contact or exposure may have occurred. View all the symptoms on the CDC website here.

How painful, dangerous, or deadly is monkeypox?
The strain of monkeypox that is circulating right now is not very deadly. Only a fraction of a percentage of people have died so far from the virus, and most of those deaths are reported to have been among people who have severe underlying immune compromising conditions. However, monkeypox can be very painful and there is concern about scarring from the rash.

What do I do if I’ve been exposed?
If you've already been exposed, immediately speak to a health care provider and get the vaccine as soon as you can. There is some confusion out there about the timing of the vaccine following an exposure. If you get that vaccine within two weeks of a known exposure you could significantly cut down the chances of you getting infected and of having a severe case of monkeypox. Also, let your close contacts know so they can get the vaccine. Together, we can cut down this cycle of transmission.

Can children get monkeypox?
Yes, children can get monkeypox. Children can get the virus the same way adults do—though contact with someone who has the virus. Currently, we are seeing an increase in cases among children.

To learn more monkeypox, read Dr. Roess’s other tip sheets below or visit the CDC’s monkeypox page:

What to Know About Monkeypox and the Potential for an Outbreak in the U.S. Updated May 23, 2022
Is Monkeypox the Next Pandemic? June 3, 2022
Monkeypox Background: Origins, Globalization, and Public Health June 6, 2022

For more information, contact Michelle Thompson at 703-993-3485 or mthomp7@gmu.edu.

Dr. Amira Roess specializes in infectious diseases, especially reducing the transmission of diseases that spread between animals and humans, including coronaviruses like MERS-CoV and SAR-CoV-2, the latter of which causes COVID-19. She studied monkeypox and other viruses when she served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC’s Poxvirus and Rabies Branch.

She is a professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at ��AV's College of Health and Human Services, Department of Global and Community Health. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Roess served as the Science Director for the Pew Commission on Industrial Food Animal Production at Johns Hopkins, and was an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the CDC. She has served as consultant for the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and Westat Inc.

About Mason
��AV, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Health and Human Services
The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and to shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

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Spirit Fall 22

Students Gain Global Perspective on HIV/AIDS Health Care on Experiential Learning Trip

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 17:40:44 +0000

Students Gain Global Perspective on HIV/AIDS Health Care on Experiential Learning Trip Mary Cunningham Mon, 08/08/2022 - 13:40

Alternative summer break trip provided a hands-on learning experience for students to study about Amsterdam's public health strategies.

Participants in the alternative summer break trip "Turning the Tide on HIV and AIDS: DC and Amsterdam"

A cornerstone of the College of Health and Human Services is to prepare future leaders to tackle current and emerging public health issues. This summer students did just that through a multidisciplinary experiential learning trip. The alternative summer break (Alt-Break) trip to Amsterdam brought together students seeking to understand how policies and access to care affect HIV/AIDS from a public health perspective.

During the trip, titled “It’s Not Them but Us – Turning the Tide on HIV and AIDS: Washington, DC and Amsterdam,” students learned how stigma surrounding sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexual transmitted infections (STIs) affect marginalized communities in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia areas, how to effectively combat misconceptions associated with HIV and AIDS, and they compared sexual health systems and policies.

This immersive experience provided an opportunity for students and faculty to expand their perspectives and bring new insights into U.S. public health and health care. Alt-Break trips advocate for approaching public health by gaining insight from the population affected by the issue and modeling any interventions with input from the community. In this case, students had the opportunity to engage with those directly involved in sex work while in Amsterdam. Blythe Dellinger (BS Global and Community Health ’22), a student leader on this year’s trip, recognizes how valuable this experience is.

“The most rewarding aspect of this trip is that we were often led by people who have lived experience,” said Dellinger. “Whether that was people who have lived experience with HIV, sex work, Dutch culture, etc. We made a conscious effort to ensure our students were hearing from people with these valued and often under-sourced perspectives.”

After leading the trip virtually last year due to the pandemic, Dellinger was ecstatic to finally be able take advantage of the in-person travel aspect of alternative breaks. The week-long trip included students and faculty from four different Mason colleges, and was led by Shannyn Snyder, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Global and Community.

Experiencing Public Health Within Cultural Context

Participants in the alternative summer break trip "Turning the Tide on HIV and AIDS: DC and Amsterdam"

Students learned about sexual health policy and culture in Amsterdam compared to the United States. They were able to go through the Red-Light District and speak with the Prostitution Information Center (PIC) to examine the roles sex work, substance use, and social issues intertwine in relation to HIV/AIDS.

“It was interesting learning that there are different systems of sexual health policy. Even varying Nordic models are different from one another,” said now graduated Honors College student Julia Hakeem, who received her BS in biology from the College of Science and minored in Spanish within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “We also learned about harm reduction, a philosophy about meeting people where they are.”

In addition to their investigation of HIV/AIDS in marginalized populations, students had the chance to witness the environmental side of public health. Students stayed in an Amsterdam Farm Lodge that is a part of an urban farming project called NoordOogst. Similar to One Health, a public health concept that recognizes how our health is closely related to animals and the environment, the compound they lived on centered on sustaining health through taking care of their natural surroundings.

“The community’s values were formulated upon sustainable, eco-friendly living,” said Yousif Hakeem, a rising senior also in the Honors College majoring in Global and Community Health. “It included beautiful gardens and buildings that sourced all its food from the ground it was built upon.”

Making Service A Lifestyle

Many students will take the lessons they learn into future careers.

Adjunct faculty of Global and Community Health Shannyn Snyder and student trip leader Blythe Dellinger.

“I have accepted a position with the Washington AIDS Partnership as an AmeriCorps fellow in Washington, D.C.,” said Dellinger. “My experience as an Alternative Break Leader over the last two years has been hugely influential in my desired career path, with it being the main reason I applied to be an AmeriCorps fellow. I think both experiences prepared me for engaging with my community from a perspective that values and centers choice and dignity regarding health care.”

The trip was an alternative summer break trip sponsored by SAIL (Social Action & Integrative Learning), which fosters integrative, innovative, and experiential learning opportunities on campus, regionally, and globally that educate and activate toward a more equitable, just, nonviolent, and sustainable world. Programs include undergraduate research, field studies, civic engagement, alternative breaks, and more.

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Department of Global and Community Health

Mason’s Community Health Program Gives Competitive Edge for Future Physicians

John Brandon Cantrell — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:34:13 +0000

Mason’s Community Health Program Gives Competitive Edge for Future Physicians John Brandon C… Mon, 07/25/2022 - 13:34

In This Story

Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH

Bachelor of Community Health Clinical Science concentration student Safa Yosufzai chose the program as preparation for medical school.

Safa Yosufzai has wanted to become a physician since she was a child living in Afghanistan. She noticed her community members were traveling to different cities and countries to receive specialty care, and she wanted to do something about this health care access disadvantage. Her dream of becoming a doctor led her to Mason’s Community Health program’s clinical science concentration, where she learns skills to impact communities around the world by promoting health, preventing diseases, and increasing awareness while building a competitive application for medical school.

For Yosufzai, the clinical science concentration provided the best of both worlds; she is building a strong foundation in public health education while meeting the prerequisites for medical school. The concentration is an increasingly popular choice for pre-med students due to the program’s flexibility in tailoring the public health curriculum to meet the requirements for various clinical health graduate programs, such as dentistry, pharmacology, physical therapy, and medicine.

“The [clinical science] concentration is useful because I can get most of my pre-med prerequisite courses done, and I don’t have to worry about taking extra classes, which allows me to be involved in other activities,” Yosufzai said. “Plus, this concentration requires students to take higher-level sciences, so this [concentration] will help ease that transition to med school in the future.”

A Strong Public Health Foundation

Students in the clinical science program become knowledgeable public health scholars by studying the social determinants of health along with other public health components, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, health care policy, and ethics. Their public health education incorporates opportunities to pursue cutting-edge research alongside Mason’s faculty, work directly in their local communities through public health outreach, and gain hands-on experience in the field.

Yosufzai, who wants to specialize in dermatology with an accelerated Doctor of Medicine-Master of Public Health (MD-MPH) degree, knows obtaining a public health undergraduate degree will help her become a well-rounded physician. “A doctor will learn about patient care in detail, but it’s unlikely that future physicians will have the opportunity to understand health policy, epidemiology, and health management,” said Yosufzai. “I thought to myself, ‘if I am going to work in this field, I better have this holistic understanding.’ A degree in public health will allow me to build the foundation early and have the opportunity to explore health care leadership in the future.”

Yosufzai encourages other students to consider the clinical science concentration for the added value it gives students interested in advanced clinical careers.

“I am learning a lot every time I take a new course,” Yosufzai said. “Hearing from the professors about their own involvement with public health, their past jobs, and their research experience has been amazing. So, I would definitely recommend [the clinical science] concentration and the [Community Health] major.”

Making an Impact Now Through Research

Yosufzai is not waiting until she becomes a doctor to make an impact in her community. By working at a free clinic and participating in faculty research, she is further building her public health background to demonstrate how public health principles are crucial to health care.

This summer, Yosufzai is working with Michelle Williams, assistant professor in Global and Community Health, on a research study that examines the effects of COVID-19 disparities among pregnant Hispanic women. Previously, Yosufzai worked with Nancy Holincheck, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, on several research projects, including one that examined the experiences of women in STEM majors and careers to analyze the internal and external factors that support their continuation and development in STEM.

In anticipation of her May 2023 graduation, Yosufzai plans to take a gap year before medical school to pursue a National Institutes of Health research opportunity, which she thinks will further build on the foundation she created at Mason. From there, she will continue her goal of becoming a medical doctor to help low-income patients access quality health care.

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Student Spotlight

How the Baby Formula Shortage Disproportionally Affects Black and Low-Income Babies

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 14:39:13 +0000

How the Baby Formula Shortage Disproportionally Affects Black and Low-Income Babies Mary Cunningham Fri, 06/03/2022 - 10:39

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Existing health disparities are creating a bigger disadvantage for Black and low-income families and babies during the U.S. baby formula shortage.

Dr. Amira Roess studies the differences in breastfeeding between Black and non-Black mothers

The U.S. baby formula shortage negatively affects all babies who rely on formula; however, the shortage increases existing disparities that Black and low-income families and babies face. A recall from Abbott, a maker of one-third of U.S. baby formula, has halted production and caused a shortage in the U.S.

Epidemiologist and professor at ��AV Dr. Amira Roess studies the differences in breastfeeding between Black and non-Black mothers and conducted a national study of infant and toddler eating patterns. Her recent research highlights the disparities for Black mothers enrolled in DC’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Roess shares insights on how the formula shortage is disproportionally affecting Black and low-income babies and is available for further comment.

Does one population rely on baby formula more than another?

The baby formula shortage is leading to a serious risk of undernutrition among Black and low-income infants. U.S. data shows that Black infants are breastfed less than other racial groups and that families on WIC are less likely to breastfeed as well. This means these populations are more likely to rely solely on baby formula. Additionally, Black infants already are at an increased risk of mortality and morbidity and this is in part due to access to quality health care. The baby formula shortage may further this health gap.

Why can’t more people breastfeed their babies?

Breastfeeding does not come naturally to every new mom, and it is a lot of work. It often requires the support of partners, the medical system, and possibly lactation consultants. Not everyone has access to all these resources or the time needed to pump breast milk. Mothers with low income are especially burdened by this lack of resources. Black mothers in the lowest income groups often struggle with basic needs. This can lead to high stress which can cause lower milk production, higher risk for postpartum depression, and poorer health outcomes for mom and baby.

How does structural racism play a part in this?

In the U.S., breastfeeding was historically viewed as something that poorer moms did. For example, slave owners often had black wet nurses. In the 1940s and on, there was a push to promote formula and other alternatives to breast milk and pediatricians and other health care providers pushing for formula use often received payments from formula companies. This meant that over time breastfeeding was looked down upon. In addition, as more women went to work outside of the home anything related to child-rearing was generally frowned upon as something that would hinder career advancement. It was not until the 1970s that we saw a significant push by moms and breastfeeding advocates to promote breastfeeding again. Slowly with time breastfeeding became something that more privileged moms would do. Unfortunately, the damage from the previous decades was done and we are still dealing with the repercussions of that.

For these and a variety of other socio-economic and societal reasons, Black and low-income mothers rely more on formula today. More Black mothers have hourly jobs where there is no access to places or time for pumping or refrigeration for storing milk. They often work further away from their home, which translates to less time with their infant and sometimes a lower supply of breastmilk.

Will any families and babies be affected more than others by the shortage?

Families who rely on formula and cannot afford the increased price will be more at risk for adverse outcomes. We have seen an increase in hospitalization and a few deaths due to families rationing formula. Families on WIC are vulnerable because they were not able to access the imported formula using their WIC vouchers until recently. There has been an effort to allow WIC vouchers to be used for any formula, however, in reality, there is still a lot of confusion at the point of retail with both moms and retailers. Some retailers are unable to accept the WIC vouchers for the formula brands not under the initial contracts. At least two infants have died and many more are at risk for undernutrition. It is unconscionable that in the U.S. in 2022 this has happened and that we are facing a situation where low-income Black babies remain at higher risk for malnutrition.

Dr. Amira Roess is a professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at ��AV's College of Health and Human Services. Her expertise includes infectious diseases epidemiology, evaluating interventions to reduce the transmission and impact of infectious diseases, and infant health. Dr. Roess holds a PhD in global disease epidemiology and control from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Roess served as the Science Director for the Pew Commission on Industrial Food Animal Production at Johns Hopkins, and was an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the CDC.

Additional studies from Dr. Roess:

Additional peer-reviewed and CDC sources on breastfeeding disparities:

CDC: Racial and Geographic Differences in Breastfeeding — United States, 2011–2015
Seminars in Perinatology: Racial and ethnic disparities in U.S. breastfeeding and implications for maternal and child health outcome
Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing: Barriers and Facilitators for Breastfeeding Among Working Women in the United States
Pediatrics: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Medicine: Comfort with the Idea of Formula Feeding Helps Explain Ethnic Disparity in Breastfeeding Intentions Among Expectant First-Time Mothers
Pediatrics: Addressing Racial Inequities in Breastfeeding in the Southern United States

For more information, contact Michelle Thompson at 703-993-3485 or mthomp7@gmu.edu.

About Mason

��AV, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and to shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Thumbnail photo credit: Anna Shvets on Pexels

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public health faculty

Department of Global and Community Health

Graduation Spotlight: Twin Sisters Uplift Communities with Public Health Awareness Through Nonprofit Organizations

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 26 May 2022 13:46:46 +0000

Graduation Spotlight: Twin Sisters Uplift Communities with Public Health Awareness Through Nonprofit Organizations John Brandon C… Thu, 05/26/2022 - 09:46

Ashley and Briana Dawson share highlights from their undergraduate experience before becoming Master of Public Health students at Mason.

Ashley Dawson (left) and Briana Dawson (right) earned their Bachelor's degrees in Community Health and minors in Dance Appreciation.

Sisters Ashley and Briana Dawson have been helping others improve their health since they were in high school. With their dance studio business, the twins assist the youth in their community to exercise, socialize, and adopt healthy lifestyles with chances to compete and participate in events across the DMV area. Their love for helping others did not diminish during their undergraduate career at Mason. As May 2022 graduates, they share highlights from their experience in the Bachelor of Community Health program, including opportunities that allowed them to help community members around the globe overcome health obstacles through nonprofit organizations.

While excelling in their program and as student-athletes with Mason Cheer and members of the Honors College, the sisters pursued opportunities to gain hands-on experience working with communities across the nation through ElevateHER, a Maryland nonprofit organization with a focus on improving community health.

Gaining Real-World Experience in Public Health

Working with ElevateHER, Ashley and Briana use the skills they learned throughout undergrad in real-world situations. As a community health worker, Ashley worked with underserved communities on health campaigns, such as It's Worth a Shot, a campaign designated to educate others on the COVID-19 vaccine. In this role, she went door-to-door to answer questions, share insight, and provide guidance on immunization.

"I explained how the vaccine was developed, its purpose, and preventative measures they can take to avoid COVID. I learned that communication is so important," Ashley said. "Many of the residents had never been vaccinated, so building a rapport with them and educating them in a way that wasn't hassling was great."

Throughout her time at ElevateHER, Ashley also gained experience as a health behavior analyst and later as a funding and development specialist. Her current role allows her to research, write, and apply for grant funding, such as the $32,000 she helped the nonprofit gain for a diabetes prevention program.

Briana manages its social media channels as the community health campaign and events manager. She creates health campaigns consisting of tailored educational messaging, press releases, and webinars to help others gain insight into health disparities and tools for overcoming health concerns.

In partnership with the Morehouse College of Medicine and the National COVID Resiliency Network, Briana created and organized the webinar series, "COVID-19: What Do We Really Know," to educate others on the latest information regarding COVID-19.

"At first, we were focusing on COVID and how there was vaccine hesitancy," said Briana. "Now we are shifting gears into more mental health topics. Recently, we had a live stream webinar about Black youth mental health, how parents can talk to their kids and give them strategies and resources."

With a mission to help educate others on public health through new avenues like social media, the sisters became involved with American Women for International Understanding (AWIU) to provide educational material on Rwanda Children. This organization provides shelter, education, medical care, and support to at-risk children in Rwanda. The sisters created a YouTube video for the AWIU that explains the mission of Rwanda Children to raise awareness and gain funding for the organization.

Engaging in Health Communication Research

Ashley and Briana Dawson holding their Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society certificates.

The twins' nonprofit work gained attention from Jennifer Warren, assistant professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, who taught Ashley and Briana in a health communication course. Warren invited the sisters to work on two research projects. The first examined the effect of Alzheimer's disease on African American communities.

"We were looking for the impact of adversity and how that makes African Americans more susceptible to cognitive dysfunction as they age. Alzheimer's and dementia are more common in African American populations, so we want to discover what is causing this health disparity," said Ashley. "We had already learned that Black communities are less likely to donate their bodies to science. Therefore, there is already less information on their brains. So, we wanted to learn whether it was a predisposing condition, genetic, brought on by stress or racism, and so on."

Continuing their dedication to public health, Ashley and Briana pursued another research opportunity with Warren called the Black Women's Resiliency Project. In this project, Ashley and Briana look at how Black women are labeled resilient when facing adversity.

"A lot of people refer to resilience as bouncing back, but we want to dive even further and not just think of this stereotypical phrase of 'the strong Black woman,'" Briana said. "We want to learn how they cope, how they heal and continue on, what strategies they are using, and determine if resilience is more so a process."

From these projects, Ashley and Briana learned how health communication theories relate to their community health coursework and can strengthen their goals of being public health consultants while opening the doors for new opportunities.

Making an Impact at Mason

From the beginning of their undergraduate careers, the twins pursued new avenues to strengthen themselves as public health professionals, which resulted in the sisters being honored with many awards for their achievements, including the induction into the Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society.

Now that they achieved their undergraduate degrees, the sisters look forward to obtaining Master of Public Health degrees at Mason to prepare themselves to help communities around the globe as public health consultants.

Topics

Department of Global and Community Health

Community Health

Graduation Profile: Biostatistics Leads MPH Student to Discover New Career

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 10 May 2022 13:16:17 +0000

Graduation Profile: Biostatistics Leads MPH Student to Discover New Career Mary Cunningham Tue, 05/10/2022 - 09:16

In This Story

Jenna Krall, PhD

Master of Public Health Student Colin Tran discovered coding and his love of helping people through data after taking the required Biostatistics course

Colin Tran, MPH '22. Photo provided.

Colin Tran has considered many professions—dentist, biochemist, and epidemiologist—and he thanks Biostatistics for helping him find his future career path with public health data. Tran is graduating this month with a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and wants to use his skills to support others.

“For the longest time, I wanted to be a dentist. That went away, but my desire to help as many people as possible remained the same,” Tran said.

He received a biochemistry degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and though he enjoyed his classes, he found that the related career options weren’t appealing to him. Struggling with what path to take, Tran applied for and was accepted as a National Institutes of Health Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Fellow. This led him to public health.

“I was initially set on infectious diseases. Mason’s first-year classes helped me get my foot in the door with public health. When I took the Biostatistics course, it got me interested in coding. I found it is where my aspirations in epidemiology and analyzing data overlapped,” he said.

Biostatics fascinated him so much that he has been a teaching assistant for the past three semesters for Assistant Professor Jenna Krall.

"It’s a lot different than I expected, in a good way. I didn’t expect to develop so many skills as a teaching assistant,” said Tran. In addition to traditional assignments such as grading and he has created a resource for biostats students who have not taken a recent math course, learned new coding languages, and expanded his skills as a data analyst.

He took these skills to his practicum, where he analyzed various data sets at the Fairfax County Health Department. He’s still finalizing his post-graduation plans and hopes to continue working at a health department.

Tran is headed on a different career path than he imagined when he started at Mason, but he’s thrilled with where his experience has led him and recommends the programs to prospective students.

“Whatever you thought you knew about public health, you’ll find out a lot more,” said Tran. “It’s been very rewarding to be exposed to all these other aspects of public health that I didn’t know existed before. I’ve always enjoyed learning so being able to find new things was really exciting for me. If you’re interested in community health, global, or infectious diseases, coming to Mason you’ll be exposed to just that.”

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Master of Public Health

Department of Global and Community Health

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

Department of Global and Community Health

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Graduation Spotlight: Twin Sisters Uplift Communities with Public Health Awareness Through Nonprofit Organizations

Ashley and Briana Dawson share highlights from their undergraduate experience before becoming Master of Public Health students at Mason.

Gaining Real-World Experience in Public Health

Engaging in Health Communication Research

Making an Impact at Mason

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Graduation Profile: Biostatistics Leads MPH Student to Discover New Career

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Master of Public Health Student Colin Tran discovered coding and his love of helping people through data after taking the required Biostatistics course

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