Mason COVID Health Check™

Dr. Amira Roess Awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Mason Community and Beyond

mthomp7 — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:50:46 +0000

Dr. Amira Roess Awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Mason Community and Beyond mthomp7 Thu, 04/08/2021 - 07:50

In This Story

Professor of Global and Community Health Amira Roess has been recognized for her excellence in community involvement, teaching, and research during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mason’s safe return to campus.

Amira Roess, an epidemiologist and professor of Global and Community Health, has received Mason’s Outstanding Achievement Award. Every year, ��AV recognizes employees for significant achievement in their contributions to Mason. The Outstanding Achievement Award is given to individuals whose outstanding work exemplifies Mason’s values.

Roess has played a vital role in Mason’s response to COVID-19 and the safe return to campus.

With expertise in infectious disease epidemiology and pandemic response, Roess has played a vital role in Mason’s response to COVID-19 and the safe return to campus. When the coronavirus led to the shutdown of businesses and campuses across the country, Roess led a team to create and launch the nation’s first online COVID-19 symptom and exposure tracker. This tool, the Mason COVID Health Check™, has been vital to the university’s randomized testing and surveillance protocol. Last June, Dr. Roess was requested by the Virginia Council of Presidents to share the Mason COVID Health Check™ with all Virginia universities.

Roess has also served on several committees that have informed Mason’s safe return policies and protocols. These committees involved coordinating efforts on screening, contact tracing, testing, and vaccinations. Her contributions have been foundational to Mason’s response to COVID-19 and these successful strategies have played a big role in Mason’s low positivity rate. Furthermore, Roess is the recipient of two extramurally funding grants on COVID-19 transmission.

“These time-intensive initiatives of service to the University and the community are in addition to countless hours she has dedicated to ensure accurate translation of COVID-19 health information to various communities,” said Dean of the College Germaine Louis on Roess’ extensive work in the Mason community and beyond.

Additionally, Dr. Roess is also directing the new PhD in Public Health degree program within the Department of Global and Community Health, teaching a course on epidemiology, and working with several students on COVID-19 related projects in the disciplines of public health and engineering.

Her tireless, multifaceted work demonstrates a clear commitment to excellence in the face of adversity. Congratulations to Roess on this well-deserved honor.

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19

Safe Return to Campus

Mason COVID Health Check™

CHHS News

faculty spotlight

Fighting a Pandemic with Data

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 19:11:35 +0000

Fighting a Pandemic with Data John Brandon C… Thu, 04/01/2021 - 15:11

Read the CHHS COVID-19 Special Report.

Support CHHS Research Today.

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19

data analytics

pandemic

Mason COVID Health Check™

Student Spotlight

Graduate Education

CHHS News

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

McKay works as a GRA to provide insight on COVID-19 testing rates and how to best mitigate the spread on campus.

Master of Public Health student works with leading experts to analyze data from the COVID Health Check✓™

Tatum McKay, Master of Public Health student at the College of Health and Human Services, is helping fight a pandemic with data. McKay has spent this semester working as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) with Dr. Amira Roess. Her primary work has been analyzing data from Mason’s COVID Health Check✓™ to provide insight into testing rates and how to best mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.*

“Most recently, I have been analyzing the COVID Health Check✓™ data to better understand why students and faculty are being tested on campus and the symptom trajectory of positive cases,” McKay said. “It has been interesting to see the breakdown of reasons for why students are being tested for COVID-19.”

She is analyzing de-identified data that does not contain any information that identifies who is completing the COVID Health Check✓™. “The set of data I am working with right now has about 3,000 data points,” McKay said.

With the experience gained from her coursework, McKay has applied what she has learned in her research assistantship. “Experience from my program, such as coding with STATA software and how to conduct a literature review, has allowed me to analyze data and give Dr. Roess up-to-date published information on COVID-19, so she can better understand how it may affect the George Mason population,” McKay said.

In addition to compiling information from published reviews and data from the COVID Health Check✓™, McKay has enjoyed the opportunity to work with leading experts in epidemiology and infectious diseases. “[Dr. Roess] has been instrumental in the COVID-19 efforts at George Mason, and it has been rewarding helping her in any way I can,” McKay said.

In March 2020, Dr. Roess led a team of CHHS colleagues to develop the COVID Health Check✓™, a symptom and exposure tracker that collects real-time data to allow for a rapid response. Since its launch at Mason and at universities across Virginia, the tool has helped detect early cases by tracking symptoms and possible exposure to the virus.

Speaking on the importance of completing the COVID Health Check✓™, McKay said “It is important that students and faculty complete the COVID Health Check✓™, so there is enough data to get an accurate idea of how COVID is affecting our community and how Mason can be better equipped to mitigate the number of positive tests on campus.”

McKay plans to graduate in May 2021 with a master’s degree in Public Health. After graduation, she hopes to secure a job in data analytics. When asked how her current assistantship has prepared her for future plans, McKay said that the assistantship allowed her to enhance her skills with data analytics software and communicating findings.

For current students looking to gain experience, McKay urges students to seek a graduate research assistantship. “I highly recommend current and future MPH students to apply to be a GRA as soon as they can,” McKay explained. “I applied for a position the summer before my first semester and was surprised to have received one so early on in my graduate school journey. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have learned from great professors and mentors; being a GRA was the highlight of my Mason experience.”

* Note that all information captured by the Mason COVID Health✓™ is kept on a secure HIPAA compliant server. This information is encrypted and only available to a small team of screeners who are responsible for identifying potential clusters and responding to questions about potential/confirmed illnesses and outbreaks on campus.