Health Informatics

Scholarships

College of Public Health

bachelor of science in community health

philanthropy

Mason Now campaign

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.”

Topics

GCH Students

College of Public Health

Graduation

Community Health

Department of Global and Community Health

Students

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:41:32 +0000

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP John Brandon C… Thu, 11/03/2022 - 14:41

Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator, HAP

Contact Information

Email: ihamayou@gmu.edu

Personal Websites

Orcid

Biography

Mrs. Iqra Hamayoun is the Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Hamayoun also serves as the Clinical Informatics Data Manager and HAP Preceptor for the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, Population Health Center, and special projects operating through the college. Hamayoun’s research interests include working with vulnerable populations and analyzing community and population-based healthcare to create better services for underserved patient populations.

Hamayoun started her journey with Mason during her undergraduate degree, fell in love with the community within, and never left! After conducting her clinical informatics internship with MAP, she never left her home away from home. Hamayoun proceeded to grow with the clinics starting as the Health Informatics Supervisor, HAP Preceptor, and now Clinical Informatics Data Manager while obtaining her master’s degree in Health Informatics. Prior to coming to Mason, Hamayoun worked in the health field providing administrative support and EMR management to medical facilities.

As a part of the Mason community, Hamayoun was working with the MAP Clinics through her undergraduate degree and her Masters degree as a preceptor for undergraduate and graduate capstone students. She worked her way up from intern, to preceptor, to data manager and now faculty for Mason.

Grants

"Empowered Communities Opioid Project (ECOP)," Virginia Department of Health (Prime: DHHS CPIMP171154). Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), June 2020- February 2023. Role: Data Manager.
“Mason Data and Technology Driven Public Health AmeriCorps Training Program,” Sutter, R. and Wojtusiak, J. (Principal Investigator), August 2022. Role: Data Manager.
"Nurse Education Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)," HRSA UK1HP31716. Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), July 2020-June 2022. Role: Data Manager.
“Latent TB Project [LTBI] (Virginia Department of Health),” Harvey, M. (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.
“Mason and Partners Free Health Clinic General Operating [MAP Clinic] (Potomac Health Foundation),” Sutter, R (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.

Affiliations

Member, Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society (UPD)
Member, HIMSS

Awards

Excellence Award, ��AV, May 2021

Degrees

MSHI, Health Informatics – Data Analytics, ��AV
BS, Health Administration and Policy – Health informatics, ��AV

Clinical Training Meets Virtual Reality

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 14:29:32 +0000

Clinical Training Meets Virtual Reality John Brandon C… Wed, 04/20/2022 - 10:29

Graduate student Sindhu Mallala studies health informatics at Mason to gain a deeper understanding of how technology can transform all aspects of health care.

For Sindhu Mallala, serving as a physician in her home country of India is an honor. She learned about the essential role physicians have in health care while studying at the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, India. When she began practicing medicine, she realized the impact she could make by incorporating her dedication to helping others with her love of science and technology to resolve issues that health systems in India were experiencing.

"While working, I saw the amount of data we collected in a hospital [that] just sat in piles, as the concept of digital records is still not as established back home," said Mallala. "I looked up ways to make sense of it, like pieces of a puzzle to solve both medical and hospital issues; Health informatics was the answer to my question."

Mallala's mission to study health informatics fueled her move to America to gain a deeper understanding of how technology can transform the way health systems operate, especially in storing, managing, and accessing critical patient data more quickly and securely.

"The health informatics program at Mason is well-tailored,” Mallala said when asked why she chose Mason for graduate school. “I wanted to learn from the best, so I could go back home and use this in a way that helps everyone in my community."

While at Mason, Mallala pursued opportunities that gave her insight into just how impactful technology can be—not just for hospital operations but also for training the next generation of health care providers.

"Now that I have been on both sides of the spectrum, IT and as a health care provider, I have a better understanding of how to bridge the gaps in between,” Mallala said.

Discovering New Opportunities at the Virtual Reality Simulation Lab

Mallala teaching Mason President Dr. Gregory Washington how to use the virtual reality technology.

Mallala soon became a graduate teaching assistant at the College’s Virtual Reality Simulation Lab, an opportunity that allowed her to have a direct role in discovering how technology can reshape the future of health care. The Lab provides students in various health majors with interdisciplinary opportunities to practice the skills they learn in class through virtual real-world scenarios. For Mallala, this was a chance to incorporate her clinical background with her newfound knowledge of health informatics.

"The Virtual Reality Lab encourages critical thinking and provides a safe space to practice and make mistakes," said Mallala. "Improving technical and patient communication skills are two primary goals of our Lab. We practice evidence-based medicine, and most of the cases that we practice are with diagnoses that students might come across during their [training]."

Having the opportunity to help prepare future health care professionals through virtual reality technology has developed Mallala's perspective on the possible ways technology can enhance health care delivery and training. With her education in health informatics and experience as a physician, she selects appropriate cases for students to explore in virtual reality that align with their course requirements. She also assists Bethany Cieslowski, VR and simulation coordinator in the School of Nursing, in setting up the lab and debriefing with students about the cases they completed.

Until Mason, Mallala said that she did not consider virtual reality simulation as a way to train medical professionals.

"I find the concept of learning skills and practicing patient case management in a lab to be quite intriguing,” she said. “The Lab serves as an opportunity [to prepare students] to handle cases in an informed and methodical way. I've gained a great deal of knowledge from this interprofessional association of informatics and nursing. My perspective on education has shifted significantly as a result of the Virtual Reality Lab. I personally learned a great deal from Dr. Bethany Cieslowski, my mentor, about how to engage students and encourage participation."

In her pursuit to strengthen herself as a physician by obtaining a master's degree in health informatics, Mallala values the many opportunities she receives at Mason that have aided her along her journey in health care. Now, she looks to the future for ways she can further health and technology research by applying her clinical knowledge with her newfound technological skills.

"Now that I have been on both sides of the spectrum, IT and as a health care provider, I have a better understanding of how to bridge the gaps in between,” Mallala said.

Topics

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Healthcare Technology

Training

HAP News

Student Spotlight

This Website Could Help You Find the Right Antidepressant on Your First Try.

Verywell Health: Dr. Farrokh Alemi comments on antidepressants and a new website that predicts which antidepressant will work best for a patient.

eander6 — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:29:16 +0000

Verywell Health: Dr. Farrokh Alemi comments on antidepressants and a new website that predicts which antidepressant will work best for a patient. eander6 Thu, 11/18/2021 - 11:29

In This Story

Farrokh Alemi, PhD

Topics

College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

New Study Helps Those With Depression Pick Antidepressant Based on Health History

mthomp7 — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 13:12:32 +0000

New Study Helps Those With Depression Pick Antidepressant Based on Health History mthomp7 Sat, 10/23/2021 - 09:12

In This Story

Farrokh Alemi, PhD

The study, by Farrokh Alemi, PhD and collaborators, analyzed data from more than 3.6 million patients with major depression who had more than 10 million antidepressant treatments.

Web site developed based on the study can help alleviate depression symptoms more effectively.

Although antidepressants are one of the most frequently taken medications in the United States (11% of the population takes antidepressants)[i] [ii], 60% of depressed patients do not benefit from their first antidepressant.[iii] The sales of antidepressants exceed several billion dollars annually.[iv]

According to a new study published today from ��AV, a person’s existing medical conditions can have an influence on which antidepressant may work best. The data from the study can help millions alleviate depression symptoms more effectively and is now available to clinicians and patients in an online database.

“Effectiveness of Common Antidepressants: A Post Market Release Study,” released today in EClinical Medicine (published by The Lancet), summarizes the experiences of patients who have multiple comorbidities, or medical conditions, with using 15 different antidepressants. The study, by Farrokh Alemi, PhD, professor in Mason College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy and collaborators, analyzed data from more than 3.6 million patients with major depression who had more than 10 million antidepressant treatments. Patients were broken into more than 16,000 subgroups based on conditions, demographic information, and prescribed medications to analyze their experiences using antidepressants.

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD, associate professor, used the data to build a Web site designed to help individuals with depression find what will work best for them. By entering a patient’s medical history into the site, users can find similar cases in the data and receive recommendations for antidepressants based on the experience of symptom remission in other patients. Patients can share those recommendations with their clinicians to ensure their appropriateness for their individual case.

“Unlike with previously published randomized studies, the remission rates in the study differed significantly based on the subgroup’s medical history,” says Alemi. “The choice of the optimal antidepressant depended on the subgroup matched to the patient’s medical history.”

As an example, Alemi says, in the age and gender subgroups, the best antidepressant had an average remission rate of 50.78 percent, 1.5 times higher than the average antidepressant, which has a 30.3 percent remission rate. This was 20 times higher than the worst antidepressant used in the age and gender subgroup.

Alemi’s Mason colleagues in the study included Hua Min, PhD, associate professor, and Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy; Melanie Yousefi, DNP, assistant professions in the School of Nursing. Laura Becker, MS, Christopher Hane, PhD, and Vijay Nori, PhD, from OptumLabs also collaborated. Alemi was also a visiting fellow at OptumLabs.

The researchers received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the study. Virginia’s Commonwealth Health Research Board provided additional funds for the related website.

[i] Urquhart L. Top companies and drugs by sales in 2019. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2020 Apr; 19(4): 228.

[ii] Piek E, van der Meer K, Nolen WA. Guideline recommendations for long-term treatment of depression with antidepressants in primary care--a critical review. Eur J Gen Pract. 2010 Jun;16(2):106-12.

[iii] Cheung AH, Zuckerbrot RA, Jensen PS, Ghalib K, Laraque D, Stein RE; GLAD-PC Steering Group. Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC): II. Treatment and ongoing management. Pediatrics. 2007 Nov;120(5):e1313-26.

[iv] Gautam S, Jain A, Gautam M, Vahia VN, Grover S. Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of Depression. Indian J Psychiatry. 2017 Jan;59(Suppl 1):S34-S50.

Topics

Depression

antidepressants

College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Cheryl Oetjen, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

faculty spotlight

Center for Health Equity

Disruptors Welcome in the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab

mthomp7 — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 18:42:36 +0000

Disruptors Welcome in the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab mthomp7 Fri, 09/24/2021 - 14:42

In This Story

Bethany Cieslowski, DNP

Simulation Lab Coordinator Bethany Cieslowski harnesses technology to enhance interprofessional clinical education.

“The learning really comes from the pre- and post-simulation briefings where students receive feedback and learn from the actions that result from critical thinking processes,” says Cieslowski, simulation and VR coordinator.

Bethany Cieslowski joined the College in July 2021 as the Simulation and VR Coordinator, with the mission to re-envision the College’s approach to virtual, augmented, and simulated learning for the interprofessional student body. “Preparing our students for the future of healthcare requires completely new ways of defining a “classroom,” says Cieslowski. “Virtual and augmented reality allow us to bring the learning experience to our students across all our degree programs – delivering hands-on learning in an immersive environment conducive to applying and acquiring skills.”

Cieslowski received a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Duke University, but she considers simulation and informatics as her passion. She seeks to integrate both into every aspect of nursing to improve the quality of care, provide students with high-quality clinical experiences, and deliver career-ready graduates to the workforce. Her most recent experience prior to joining Mason includes integrating training for virtual health visits and using telehealth technology in the BSN and MSN curriculum – a much-needed skillset for today’s clinicians, given the mainstream adoption of telehealth during the pandemic.

When observing Cieslowski in action, her experience in leading VR and simulation training and debrief is evident. She easily navigates various scenarios—such as teaching students how to triage mass casualties in a ‘low-frequency high consequence’ event, such as a simulated mass shooting, and helping a high school student avert hypoglycemia by assessing the situation and providing adequate carbohydrates to elevate his blood sugar – all in a virtual space.

The simulation technology fits into a backpack – making it logistically and financially possible to prepare students for scenarios that were previously difficult to access. “For example, obstetric and pediatric clinical opportunities are often limited for students– but with simulations, every student can participate in delivering a baby. The technology is not only cool but can help students complete their clinical requirements more efficiently,” says Cheryl Oetjen, interim department chair for the School of Nursing at Mason.

“The technology is not the innovation—the technology enables the innovation,” says Cieslowski. “The learning really comes from the pre- and post-simulation briefings where students receive feedback and learn from the actions that result from critical thinking processes.” She is eager to work with the faculty, staff, and students to bring the full potential of VR and simulation to the College. She looks forward to publicly launching the Virtual Reality and Simulation Lab in the upcoming months and is currently training students, faculty, and staff on the new simulation platform SimX which will be deployed to students throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.

Topics

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

MS in Health Informatics Maintains Accreditation by CAHIIM

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 12:53:03 +0000

MS in Health Informatics Maintains Accreditation by CAHIIM John Brandon C… Thu, 09/23/2021 - 08:53

In This Story

PJ Maddox, EdD, MSN, RN

The College's MS in Health Informatics program has successfully met the CAHIIM accreditation standards for another year and remains in good standing.

The College of Health and Human Services is proud to announce that the Master of Science in Health Informatics program will maintain accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). With this announcement, the MS in Health Informatics program has successfully met the CAHIIM accreditation standards for another year and remains in good standing.

“The Department of Health Administration and Policy continues to offer degree programs that meet the growing demand of students at the graduate and undergraduate level–and the growing demand for graduates with specialized skills in health informatics,” said Peggy (P.J.) Maddox, chair of the department. "This accomplishment is a credit to our health informatics faculty and the program's strong leadership."

Each year, CAHIIM conducts an annual review to provide the public with effective and consistent monitoring of health informatics and health information management programs. The accreditation process includes a multi-level review to ensure programs meet the nationally recognized standards developed by health informatics and health information management academics and practitioners.

Along with the recent reaccreditation, the Commission recognized the College’s health informatics faculty for “their commitment to continuous quality improvement in higher education.”

Learn more about the many accredited degree programs in the College.

Topics

Accreditation

https://www.hanoverresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HED1G0118_Undergraduate-degree-rise-and-decline-Infographic_2_27_18.pdf?utm_source=March+28%2C+2018+eNewsletter+&utm_campaign=10.25+newsletter&utm_medium=email#:~:text=Informatics%20is%20the%20number%20one,other%20fields%20and%20disciplines%20increases.&text=Health%20profession%20degrees%20represent%203,over%20the%20five%2Dyear%20period.

��AV Launches First Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics Degree in Virginia

mthomp7 — Tue, 04 May 2021 15:19:21 +0000

��AV Launches First Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics Degree in Virginia mthomp7 Tue, 05/04/2021 - 11:19

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

Health informatics is among the fastest-growing undergraduate degrees in the U.S.

The ��AV College of Health and Human Services is proud to announce the launch of the first stand-alone Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics degree in Virginia. The degree integrates health sciences, information technology, computer science, data science, and behavioral science. This interdisciplinary program is designed to provide graduates with practical, specialized skills in health informatics to improve individual care and public health. “The BS in Health Informatics was created to improve the public’s health by applying useful health information while providing employers with early-career professionals who can enter the field directly,” said Janusz Wojtusiak, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy and program director for health informatics. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) noted the need for “efforts to develop basic health informatics training and education… to accelerate health care’s transformation by collecting, analyzing, and applying data directly to care decisions.” Graduates of the program will be prepared to work as part of interdisciplinary professional teams, biomedical research teams, and public health agencies to improve population health.

The ��AV College of Health and Human Services is proud to announce the launch of the first stand-alone Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics degree in Virginia.

Health informatics graduates work across skillsets and silos to address challenges such as adoption of electronic health records, data collection and analysis, and technical support. The combination of technical and soft skills combined with the interdisciplinary nature of the skills makes health informatics professionals at stages in their career highly sought-after.

According to Hanover Research, informatics and health degrees are among the fastest-growing undergraduate degrees in the country. (2018)[i] The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for medical record and health information management skillsets is projected to grow by 8% in the next 10 years - which is much faster than average.[ii]

The 120-credit hour program will include intensive experiential learning requirements—a signature component of all programs in the College. A pre-internship course prepares students with the skills and knowledge to identify, apply for, and obtain an approved internship. Students work closely with preceptors and faculty in their field to get the most from their internship experience. HAP faculty maintain extensive relationships with practicum sites that provide real-world experience for students such as community-based health clinics, public health agencies, and health insurers. Students can also choose an accelerated BS to MS in health informatics option that allows for program completion in about 5 years for the combined BS-MS.

“HAP faculty invest heavily in making sure students have a successful internship experience. We help connect students with internship placements that meet their interests and provide ongoing mentorship to ensure their long-term success. Mentors help synthesize experiences and learn from the on-the-job training and apply what they are learning in class to the real world,” says P.J. Maddox, Chair of the Department of Health Administration and Policy. “Faculty’s relationships and connections throughout the industry create rich practicum opportunities.”

“While there are currently no external accreditation standards for undergraduate health informatics programs, we will seek such accreditation when available, to complement our CAHIIM-accredited Master of Science in Health Informatics program.” said Wojtusiak. “Bachelor’s degree in health informatics is a natural progression of health informatics at Mason which in addition to the bachelor’s degree offers Master’s degree, a PhD concentration, graduate certificate and a minor”, he added. With a growing focus on expanding public health degree programs in Virginia, ��AV is also the first in the Commonwealth to offer an accredited PhD in Public Health degree. Strong collaborations between health informatics and public health faculty and students are part of the interdisciplinary nature of the college.

The program will launch in Fall 2021. Information regarding the program and requirements can be found in the 2021 ��AV Course Catalog.

About the College of Health and Human Services

��AV's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally recognized offerings, including: 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

[i] Hanover Research, Top 10 Undergraduate Degree on the Rise and the Decline, 2018.

[ii] Bureau of Labor Statistics https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-records-and-health-information-technicians.htm

Topics

��AV

Senior Health Informatics Student Grace Buck Awarded HIMSS-NCA Scholarship

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 13:43:04 +0000

Senior Health Informatics Student Grace Buck Awarded HIMSS-NCA Scholarship Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/05/2021 - 09:43

In This Story

Farrokh Alemi, PhD

Grace Buck, a senior studying Health Informatics, has been recognized for her demonstrated leadership and excellence in the areas of health informatics.

Grace Buck, a senior studying Health Informatics in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, has been awarded a scholarship from the Health Information and Management Systems Society-National Capital Area chapter (HIMSS-NCA). The HIMSS-NCA scholarship is awarded annually to high-achieving students in the health management and health information systems field. Buck has been recognized for her demonstrated leadership in the classroom and excellence in the areas of health informatics.

Currently, Buck is also a Student Pathways intern at the National Institute on Aging within the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity has allowed her to apply knowledge from her studies in the field such as using data visualization software like Tableau.

“My experience as a Pathways intern has been very exciting,” says Buck on the prestigious internship that she discovered through Mason’s Career Services. She notes that Career Services’ various career fairs and workshops have shaped her professional development in addition to the technical skills she’s gained through the College’s Health Administration degree program.

“I remember how excited I was when I was first introduced to Tableau and SQL,” says Buck, recalling the highlights of her experience within her program. “It was so cool to see how simple it was to turn complex data into simplistic and easy-to-understand visuals and to use queries to easily pull data from large files.”

In one of her Health Informatics courses on data analysis, Buck taught a lecture about SQL. Her professor for that class, Dr. Farrokh Alemi, was impressed by her leadership and excellence.

“I am sure she will continue her spectacular performance as the class proceeds,” he wrote in her letter of recommendation for the HIMSS-NCA scholarship.

Buck is expected to graduate in fall of 2021. Her post-undergraduate plans include converting her current internship into a full-time position with the National Institute on Aging. Further in her future, she hopes to pursue a Master’s in Health Informatics and discover new opportunities in her field.

Topics

Student Spotlight

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

College of Health and Human Services