CHHS

$1.1 Million HRSA grant to create interprofessional health care learning lab in the College of Public Health

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 14:59:48 +0000

$1.1 Million HRSA grant to create interprofessional health care learning lab in the College of Public Health Mary Cunningham Tue, 11/08/2022 - 09:59

In This Story

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Maria Uriyo

Kenneth W. Griffin, PhD, MPH

Michelle S. Williams, PhD, MSPH

Patrice Winter, PT, DPT, MHA, FAAOMPT

Lisa M. Gring-Pemble

Anne Magro

Professor of Nursing Rebecca Sutter, along with faculty and students across colleges, will lead the creation of an interprofessional Learning Laboratory for Community Health.

Nothing has exposed the unmet health and social needs of communities more clearly than the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the people and communities that historically have been marginalized. The pandemic impacts have elevated the need to improve how we train our future health care workforce, and the multidisciplinary teams in which they function. Faculty in Mason’s College of Public Health know that new, alternative approaches to delivering and accessing health care to individuals, families, and communities is essential, and they are playing a leading role in training the next generation.

The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) awarded Professor of Nursing Rebecca Sutter with a $1,150,000 grant to create an interprofessional Learning Laboratory for Community Health that trains students to serve and improve health care for underserved communities. The award was made possible by the efforts Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia's 11th District, who shepherded the proposal through Congress.

The Learning Laboratory will focus on building students' capacity to consider health care in the community in a broader context and will allow students to design and implement evidence-based solutions, while fueling their understanding of population health improvement for communities.

“We must train the next generation of health and social service students to better understand the role of community partnering, the use of data, and the deployment of novel technologies and approaches across the health and social care continuum,” said Sutter, director of the Mason and Partner Clinics

In partnership with community stakeholders, participants in the Lab will identify, design, and disseminate data-driven and evidence-based models of social health care improvement, and offer recommendations to community partners on opportunities to improve social health and community impact. 

Students participating in the Lab will help faculty develop a list of priority health and health care topics for Northern Virginia and develop case studies around these topics. Case studies will explore interventions and approaches with broad impact and potential to reduce disparities, with an emphasis on community-based health promotion, health care access, and disease prevention programs, services, and policies.

“By creating evidence-based projects with an interprofessional team, students will build their capacity to consider health care from many angles, which will fuel their understanding of population health improvements and help them become public health leaders who ensure access to care for marginalized communities in Northern Virginia,” said Sutter.

The interprofessional team includes faculty lead Alison Cuellar and Mario Uriyo from the Department of Health Administration and Policy; Kenneth Griffin, Michelle Williams, and Patrice Winter from the Department of Global and Community Health; and Lisa Gring-Pemble and Anne Magro from Mason Business for a Better World). Ashley Wiest is serving as the Program Coordinator. Megan Harvey is serving as the Partner Liaison. They are accompanied by a team of graduate-level research assistants: Lameck Chiwaka, Naga Tejaswi Veluri, Judy Gutierrez, Patricia Tran, Marissa Bolouri-rad, Jordan Turner, William McKinley, Ruhma Hand, Sarah Moore, Jaya Yannam, and Tumen Sosorburam.

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Workforce Development

Research

New bivalent vaccine is a consequential next step to preemptively address colder month COVID peaks

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 13:10:35 +0000

New bivalent vaccine is a consequential next step to preemptively address colder month COVID peaks Taylor Thomas Fri, 11/04/2022 - 09:10

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Professor of public health Dr. Amira Roess shares why it is imperative we all get the latest COVID vaccine

The decreasing temperatures usher in our third fall and winter with the addition of COVID to cold and flu season. Despite feelings of normalcy returning, health professionals are still wary and continue to stress the crucial nature of preventative measures to protect against the illnesses that rise during this time of year. In addition, the country has seen a spike in RSV cases and the region is reporting a strain on the local pediatric hospitals, with several reporting they are nearing capacity.

Amira Roess, epidemiologist and professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, recently shared all the need to knows regarding the bivalent vaccine. Currently, only about seven percent of individuals ages five years and older are vaccinated with the updated booster, and she was quoted in Teen Vogue and AFAR Magazine to provide her expertise and comment about the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.

As Dr. Roess remains a foremost expert on infectious diseases, she provides further detail about the importance of remaining updated on vaccinations and is available for further comment.

How is the bivalent booster different from other COVID vaccines?

The new bivalent booster is expected to be even better at reducing the chance of infection and, if you do get infected, reducing the duration and severity of COVID-19. Bivalent refers to the booster having an mRNA component from the original strain of COVID in addition to the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5. These are two of the variants currently circulating as well as one of the older variants. The new booster is anticipated to provide greater protection against variants that are closely related to those that the booster is formulated from and protect against future strains.

Why should those who are eligible get the new booster?

COVID-19 vaccines have consistently shown that they reduce the chance of severe infection and death. We now have a vaccine that is tailored to target the newer variants. Stay up to date on your vaccines. Vaccinated individuals have a much lower chance of severe illness. Once you are eligible to get the new booster then get it. Getting the booster will give your body a chance to develop antibodies and increase your protection against infection and severe disease.

The FDA has also recently approved the booster vaccine for people five years and older. Those who are eligible are recommended to receive one bivalent mRNA booster dose after completion of any FDA-approved or FDA-authorized monovalent primary series or previously received monovalent booster dose(s).

For this year, our models cannot adequately predict when the peaks of COVID will be or how bad they will be, but the last two and a half years have shown us that we should expect peaks.

If we wish to avoid severe rises in cases, it is imperative for more people to receive the newest dose.

Should we still mask even if we are vaccinated with the booster?

It is a good idea to wear a mask when you are in crowded indoor settings with people you don't know, especially if you are vulnerable to severe infection. During periods of high transmission in your community consider wearing a mask when you're in crowded areas. And if you are symptomatic wear a mask and limit your interaction with others while you are infected, especially members of your community who are immune compromised or elderly. Wear the best quality mask that you have access to. The more effective masks are the N-95 or K-95 (or equivalents).

Is COVID still considered worse than the flu?

Overall, more than four times as many individuals are infected with the COVID-19 virus than with the flu virus. Flu did not disrupt life, businesses, health care, school, and other aspects of life the way COVID-19 does. The sheer number of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and have to isolate is many times more than that due to flu. I think these are reasons why it's hard to say that the pandemic is over. It's still infecting and killing more people than other infectious diseases in this country.

The disparities in health care access are also still very troubling and will continue to lead to higher rates of severe illness and death among minoritized and low-income populations. Effective treatments will continue to be out of reach for poor individuals and those who are ignored by the medical system furthering the difference in severe illness and mortality rates.

Is the pandemic over?

For segments of our population the pandemic is over. For healthy young adults and healthy children, the pandemic has been over for quite some time. They have the lowest COVID-19 disease severity and death rates compared to other groups.

For others, the pandemic is still disrupting day-to-day life. Older individuals and people with underlying conditions remain the most vulnerable to COVID-19 and to them the pandemic will never be over. For those who live with vulnerable individuals the pandemic is still very real. We are continuing to see about 400 COVID-19 deaths per day. We are continuing to have at least 50,000 cases a day, and we know we are severely undercounting cases.

The end of the pandemic would mean that we would evenly distribute therapeutics and high-quality health care to infected individuals no matter what their race or ethnicity or income level. The end of the pandemic would mean that we would have a functioning public health infrastructure that has resources uniformly distributed across the country, across the world, regardless of the income status of the population it serves. That had never been our past. It's certainly not our present, but I do hope it becomes our future.

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 has expertise in emerging zoonotic infectious diseases and interventions to reduce the transmission and impact of infectious diseases.

She is a professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at ��AV's College of Public Health 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 a consultant for the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and Westat Inc.

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 College of Public Health at ��AV

The College of Public Health at ��AV is the first and only College of Public Health in Virginia combining public health transdisciplinary research, education, and practice in the Commonwealth as a national exemplar. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in our nationally recognized programs, including six undergraduate degrees, eight master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees, and six professional certificate programs. The College is comprised of the School of Nursing and the Departments of Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, Nutrition and Food Studies, and Social Work.

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Dean video message: Congratulations, College of Public Health

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:49:01 +0000

Dean video message: Congratulations, College of Public Health Mary Cunningham Thu, 11/03/2022 - 14:49

In This Story

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

This week, Dean Perry celebrates the College of Public Health and the Season of Giving. Additionally, she looks forward to the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting starting this weekend.

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CHHS

DeanVideo

Mason researchers develop first social media intervention for Chinese American dementia caregivers

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:06:40 +0000

Mason researchers develop first social media intervention for Chinese American dementia caregivers Mary Cunningham Wed, 11/02/2022 - 10:06

In This Story

Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Led by Alicia Hong, professor of Health Administration and Policy, the interdisciplinary team developed a culturally-tailored WeChat wellness program to improve caregiver skills and reduce their stress.

More than 6 million Americans aged 65 years and older are living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (ADRD). More than 11 million family caregivers of ADRD provide an estimated 15.3 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $255.7 billion a year. Family caregivers of ADRD experience high rates of psychosocial distress and negative health outcomes. Minority and immigrant family caregivers face additional barriers; however, few culturally tailored mobile health (mHealth) were designed for these populations.

To address this public health need, ��AV researcher Alicia Hong, professor of Health Administration and Policy, led a multidisciplinary research team to develop Wellness Enhancement for Caregivers (WECARE) program to improve caregiving skills, reduce distress, and improve psychosocial well-being of underserved Chinese American family caregivers of ADRD. The protocol development of WECARE was recently published on JMIR Aging. To the best of the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first culturally tailored social media-based interventions for Chinese American dementia caregivers.

According to Hong, several cultural factors can influence caregivers’ experience. Chinese American family caregivers tend to keep problems within the family and do not seek external help because of the stigma associated with dementia and their cultural value of “saving the face.” The isolation is exacerbated by their minority and immigrant status, and those without English proficiency are further marginalized. Caregivers have limited knowledge and use of formal care and support services; they are also disconnected from “mainstream” dementia support groups due to language and cultural barriers.

“We developed this wellness program for Chinese American caregivers with the specific barriers they face in mind. We wanted them to see themselves in the program and get the most out of it to help them and the family member they care for. We hope more mHealth interventions can be developed for immigrant and minority caregivers,” said Hong.

WECARE is a seven-week mHealth program delivered via WeChat, a social media app popular among Chinese Americans. By subscribing to the WECARE official account, users can receive multiple interactive multimedia articles pushed to their WeChat accounts each week. Users also have the option of joining group chats for peer support.

Other team members of WECARE include Kang Shen, a recent Mason graduate from the Health Informatics master’s program; Kate Lu and Hsiaoyin Chen from Chinese Culture and Community Center, Inc; Yang Gong of University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Biomedical Informatics; Van Ta Park of University of California San Francisco School of Nursing; and Hae-Ra Han of Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

The team is currently testing the feasibility and effectiveness of WECARE. The study was funded by Virginia Center for Aging Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of ��AV.

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#VotingisSocialWork campaign across Mason’s campus aims to increase student voters this election

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:49:18 +0000

#VotingisSocialWork campaign across Mason’s campus aims to increase student voters this election Mary Cunningham Wed, 10/26/2022 - 12:49

In This Story

Emily Ihara, PhD, MSW, FGSA

Master of Social Work Student Association Members promoted #VotingisSocialWork with chalk art throughout Mason's campus. Photo by Michelle Thompson.

The national campaign, #VotingisSocialWork, has been promoted by the ��AV student organization Masters of Social Work Student Association (MSWSA) around social media and across campus encouraging students to register if they haven’t in order to vote in the November 2022 elections.

Emily Ihara, a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work within Mason's College of Health and Human Services, said the student group’s goals include sharing tools to raise awareness about registration and voting with both the public at large and social workers in particular.

“Social work is part of public health and public health is part of social work. They both can work together to solve the world's problems in a way that creates a healthier community worldwide,” said Katreena Blazewicz, MSWSA treasurer.

The group’s 34 members have promoted voting and answered questions about registration, translation, and transportation, sharing voter resources such as QR codes.

“We were inspired by a couple of factors: the [Oct. 8] Women’s March was coming and we had just visited the Lucy Burns Museum, where the women suffragettes for were imprisoned for protesting for women’s rights to vote,” said Laura Lento, secretary of the MSWSA.

“The Women’s March highlighted so many issues, including international issues,” Blazewicz said.

November 8 is election day. In Virginia, the in-person early voting registration deadline is Nov. 5. All absentee ballots must be turned in by Nov. 8, by 7 p.m. if submitted in-person.

“We need to not only vote, but get more social workers in government and willing to help work on policies,” said Blazewicz. “What we deal with every day as social workers is incredibly impacted by the laws and can make our jobs harder.”

Social work takes on macro societal issues and ultimately aims to defend the rights of their clients and their communities, group members said.

“We are promoting social justice and making sure that we're protecting those who are marginalized. That’s the whole purpose of social work,” said Anna Christopher.

"What is not possible now, with advocacy, hopefully we can make possible,” said Lento.

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CHHS Students in Action

Students

Healio: Martha Kubick quoted on skin cancer screenings in adults

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:33:43 +0000

Healio: Martha Kubick quoted on skin cancer screenings in adults Mary Cunningham Wed, 10/26/2022 - 12:33

In This Story

Martha (Marti) Y. Kubik, PhD, RN, FAAN

USPSTF releases draft recommendation on skin cancer screening in adults, adolescents

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CHHS

CHHS in the Media

In the Media

NBC News: (VIDEO) Katherine Scafide interviewed about her research detecting bruises on diverse skin tones

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:39:43 +0000

NBC News: (VIDEO) Katherine Scafide interviewed about her research detecting bruises on diverse skin tones Mary Cunningham Wed, 10/26/2022 - 11:39

In This Story

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN

Technology Helps Detect Bruises on Diverse Skin Tones

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CHHS

In the Media

CHHS in the Media

NBC News: Amira Roess comments on the fewer number of monkeypox cases in the U.S.

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:27:23 +0000

NBC News: Amira Roess comments on the fewer number of monkeypox cases in the U.S. Mary Cunningham Wed, 10/26/2022 - 11:27

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Monkeypox emergency orders are set to expire, but eradication isn't likely

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CHHS

In the Media

Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award: Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:45:37 +0000

Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award: Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15 Mary Cunningham Tue, 10/25/2022 - 10:45

Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15

The School of Nursing is proud to honor Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15 with the Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award.

The Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award recognizes a nurse who makes outstanding contributions to the field of public health, including social justice, health equity, and the delivery of public health care and services. Conteh-Barrat was honored at the School's Honoring Mason Nurses event in April 2022. Learn more here.

Conteh-Barrat is the founder and CEO of Manak Community Health Organization (MaCHO), founded in 2020 to advance health equity and drive better health outcomes in the most underserved communities in Sierra Leone. Conteh-Barrat’s work to help those in crisis and to increase access to quality health care in Sierra Leone was inspired by her life-changing experiences during Sierra Leone's civil war and as a refugee in Guinea.

“Kadija's medical missions and community clinic are helping to address health care needs in Sierra Leone, advance health equity, decrease mortality, and improve health outcomes in these hard-to-reach communities,” said one of her nominators.

In March 2022, Conteh-Barrat completed her second medical mission in Sierra Leone and established a health clinic in the Yurika community, serving 84 villages. She has partnered with U.S. non-profits and the local health district to ensure sustainability, increase capacity, expand care in isolated communities, and provide lifesaving medications, ongoing chronic disease management, and maternal childcare.

She is working toward a postgraduate certificate in Psychiatric and Mental Health at Mason and is an adjunct faculty member in the College. In 2021, she was recognized as an Emerging Leader in Healthcare by United Health Group.

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Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

In sickness and health: the influence of paid leave on employee commitment

Taylor Thomas — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:23:45 +0000

In sickness and health: the influence of paid leave on employee commitment Taylor Thomas Tue, 10/18/2022 - 14:23

In This Story

Priyanka Anand, PhD

George Mason Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy discusses the importance of job-protected paid leave.

Priyanka Anand, PhD

According to surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2018, only 56 percent of Americans have access job-protected leave afforded by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), leaving 44% of Americans ineligible for this coverage because they haven’t been employed long enough or their workplace is too small.

The FMLA grants employees the ability to take an unpaid leave of absence to care for loved ones in the event of an unforeseen illness or disability. Because many Americans cannot afford to hire professional care providers when a family member falls ill or has a disability, they are often left with the responsibility of providing the care themselves, which is referred to as informal care. For this reason, many people are forced to reduce hours working a paying job to attend to their informal care duties, causing severe loss in income and risking losing their job entirely.

Associate Professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at ��AV Dr. Priyanka Anand’s research centers on social safety net programs with a particular focus on disability policy and paid leave. Her most recent research, titled “The role of paid family leave in labor supply responses to a spouse’s disability or health shock,” was featured in the 2022 Economic Report of the President.

Anand’s research provides insight into the influence of paid leave on labor supply decisions and labor force participation. She shares her knowledge of how health shocks affect families and disrupt employment and is available for further comment.

What is difference between FMLA, parental leave, and paid family or caregiving leave?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was established in 1993 to guarantee 12 weeks of job-protected leave for individuals who are away from work due to medical conditions. FMLA is most known for maternity leave, but also covers long and short-term health conditions and caring for a sick or disabled family member. Job-protected leave, like FMLA, means their job will be available when they return from leave; however, employers are not required to compensate employees while on leave.

Parental leave can be paid or unpaid depending on an individual’s place of employment. Parental leave is given on a company-by-company basis and is not guaranteed in the United States. Paid family or caregiving leave, on the other hand, allows employees to take compensated leave to care for a family member experiencing a health condition.

What factors should someone consider when deciding whether to take time off to care for a family member?

When faced with the prospect of caring for a family member, individuals should closely consider their options and understand the potential outcomes of each. My research provides a framework of three pathways people generally take after a family member’s health shock. The first is to continue working and either provide informal care in addition to working or rely on formal care, which can be costly. The second is to take a short period of leave (either paid or unpaid) and eventually return to work. The third pathway is leaving the workforce entirely to provide full-time informal care.

Individuals oftentimes have to choose between the lesser of evils when faced with what to do about a loved one’s care, all of which result in some form of financial consequence both in the household and on the broader economy. The availability of paid leave can play an important role in this decision as well.

What would the addition of state or federal paid leave policies mean for American workers?

In states that have paid leave policies, the length of paid leave ranges from six to 12 weeks, but most states do not have any paid leave policies at all. In April 2021, President Biden proposed the American Families Plan which would have federally ensured all workers in the U.S. are guaranteed 12 weeks of paid family leave. Unfortunately, it did not pass through Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The availability of paid leave and job protection is designed to offset the financial burden of the health shock. Paid family leave allows workers to maintain a steady income while finding a permanent solution for their long-term caregiving needs, rather than choosing between losing earnings or paying for formal care. The ultimate goal of paid family leave is to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens that come hand-in-hand with a family member experiencing an illness or disability, allowing the individual to maintain their participation in the labor force and improve their overall well-being.

In addition to the cost-saving benefits, paid family leave policies have the potential to alleviate gender workforce disparities given that the burden of caregiving often falls onto women.

Priyanka Anand is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at ��AV. She is a renowned researcher whose work includes estimating the effect of the ACA Medicaid expansions on federal disability insurance applications, examining the relationship between rising health insurance costs and employee compensation, and analyzing the time use of people with disabilities. Anand’s novel findings on paid family leave, which are in the 2022 Economic Report of the President and published in the Journal of Health Economics, identify implications for the future of federal paid leave policies.

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

About Mason

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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CHHS Research

Department of Health Administration and Policy