In the George

George Mason becomes new home for 400,000 biological specimens from Inova Health Systems

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:07:11 +0000

George Mason becomes new home for 400,000 biological specimens from Inova Health Systems Mary Cunningham Tue, 07/16/2024 - 20:07

��AV’s College of Public Health is the new home of 400,000 biological specimens through a partnership with Inova Health Systems. This repository of specimens, called a biobank, is an extensive collection of obstetrical and perinatal samples, along with follow-up health information, providing a rare and invaluable asset in public health and in the education of our future health, science, and technology care workforce.

“The biorepository creates opportunities for Mason to expand its collaborations with Inova, biotechnology partners, and other universities in Virginia, as well as unique educational opportunities,” said Melissa Perry, dean of the college.

Larry Maxwell, president of the Women’s Service Line at Inova Health System, said, “The investment by Inova Health System as well as additional support from the Fairfax County Government have created an unprecedented resource of placenta as well as blood specimens from mother, father, and baby [trios] corresponding to over 4,000 families. These biospecimens and corresponding data continue to support scientific research to better understand the obstetrical diseases that contribute to rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality locally, regionally, and nationally.”

A range of specimens (e.g., saliva, urine, and blood) were collected with consent from an Inova cohort study that followed more than 4,000 women, their partners, and their children from pregnancy into early childhood to examine maternal health, pregnancy outcomes, and children’s growth and development.

Biobank program leads Carolyn Drews-Botsch and Michael S. Bloom. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“The transfer of the biobank from Inova Health System to the College of Public Health serves as a testament to our strong public–private partnership, and underscores George Mason’s dedication to advancing health in pregnancy and early childhood,” said Alison Cuellar, College of Public Health associate dean for research. The biobank is housed at the university’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia.

The biobank offers an unprecedented opportunity for George Mason researchers to engage with and involve Virginia’s undergraduate and graduate students in health and public health science, to expand Virginia’s health, science, and technology workforce pipeline and enhance its diversity.

“The availability of such comprehensive and diverse datasets within a single biobank is rare, making it an attractive asset for collaboration and groundbreaking research endeavors,” said Michael S. Bloom, program lead of the College of Public Health Biobank and George Mason professor.

Space at the SciTech Campus for the biobank was renovated to hold the 11 tanks (called dewars) and freezers full of specimens. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Bloom and co-lead Carolyn Drews-Botsch started the work for the biobank transfer in 2021. Inova chose Bloom and Drews-Botsch after extensive vetting of their prior research experience, including involvement in large cohort studies, such as those from which these specimens are drawn. Space at the SciTech Campus for the biobank was renovated to hold the 11 tanks (called dewars) and freezers full of specimens. The containers are kept between -80 degrees C and -190 degrees C to maintain specimen integrity during long-term storage.

“These specimens will be vital for public health researchers who are looking to identify associations and factors that support healthy pregnancy and child health and ultimately benefit the public’s health,” said Drews-Botsch, a professor in the College of Public Health.

The professors expect the biobank to become a leading resource for collaborative projects once a research database is developed, with other researchers analyzing the data to answer important public health questions.

“By actively fostering these partnerships, George Mason can position itself as a leader in research around maternal health and early childhood and contribute to the advancement of public health on a larger scale,” Perry said.

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Michael S. Bloom, PhD, MS, FACE

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

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Maternal Child Health

Science and Technology Campus

Songs from adolescence and early adulthood enhance mood and social engagement among people with dementia, according to new study

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 21:18:46 +0000

Songs from adolescence and early adulthood enhance mood and social engagement among people with dementia, according to new study Mary Cunningham Mon, 06/24/2024 - 17:18

Around 46% of residents in U.S. nursing homes have Alzheimer's or other dementias, and 13% of them are treated with antipsychotic medications, according to the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes.

Photo by Getty Images

Antipsychotic medications that affect a person’s mental state have been widely prescribed for people living with dementia in nursing facilities to treat their behavioral (social) and psychological (mood) symptoms, though positive results are limited, and the drugs can come with serious side effects. ��AV College of Public Health faculty are part of a growing group of researchers who are seeking therapeutic ways to improve the quality of life of these residents without medication.

New research, led by principal investigator Megumi Inoue, found that personalized music intervention is effective at reducing the use of antipsychotic and antianxiety medication, alleviating agitation levels, and enhancing mood and social engagement among residents.

Personalized playlists were developed based on family member suggestions regarding what songs, artists, and/or genres the participants listened to when they were around 15 to 25 years old, an age when more memories are available for potential recollection. Facility staff played the personalized playlists for the intervention group twice a week, aiming for at least 30 minutes each session, for four weeks. Participants in the control group continued their usual schedule during these four weeks.

Associate Professor of Social Work Megumi Inoue

“This study provides evidence that personalized music intervention can be used to manage distressing behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia,” said Inoue, an associate professor in the Department of Social Work. "This low-cost, easily implementable intervention, requiring no special licensure for administration, can significantly enhance the quality of life for nursing facility residents

Overall, the intervention group experienced a decrease in average antipsychotic medication use after the intervention, and the control group, which did not receive any music, had an increase in medication use during the same time period. The observational data also revealed that this intervention can improve the mood of residents living with dementia and help them connect with others, while surveys from administrative staff and activity directors highlighted their positive views of the intervention.

“In addition to improving patients’ quality of life, this intervention can create an improved environment throughout the nursing home,” said Inoue. "For example, if personalized music helps reduce residents’ challenging symptoms, they will become easier to work with for direct care workers. In addition, the reduction of medications to treat residents’ psychological and behavioral symptoms will contribute to creating an overall safer facility because such medications have sedating effects that can cause falls."

She added, "Using the personalized music intervention may be perceived as extra work by some staff members, but ultimately, it can ease their work processes as its positive effects have indirect impacts on their work and facility environment."

“A Personalized Music Intervention in Nursing Home Residents Living With Dementia: Findings From a Randomized Study” was published online in the Journal for Applied Gerontology in June 2024. This research was supported by a Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Fund from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.

Additional authors include Emily S. Ihara, Catherine J. Tompkins, Shannon Layman, Sarah Nosrat, Morgan Moore, and Kimberly A. McNally from George Mason’s College of Public Health; Meng-Hao Li from George Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government; Samreen Mehak from George Mason’s Department of Biology; George Mason alumna Kendall Barrett from Wise Mind Psychotherapy; and Catherine Magee from Paving the Way MSI.

In This Story

Megumi Inoue, PhD

George Mason researchers receive $1.78M from NIH for work improving the health of mothers, children

Shayla Brown — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 16:57:43 +0000

George Mason researchers receive $1.78M from NIH for work improving the health of mothers, children Shayla Brown Wed, 06/05/2024 - 12:57

��AV scientists, nurses, and researchers in the College of Public Health have just entered the second cycle of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program called Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO).

The NIH grant provides ECHO teams across the country with a total of $7 million a year for seven years to research five outcomes of women and children: pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes; upper and lower airways; obesity; neurodevelopment; and positive health. George Mason will receive $1.78 million every year throughout this cycle.

An ECHO researcher taking measurements of a child participant. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

The cohort, which includes Boston Children’s Hospital, is led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. George Mason is the only university in Virginia participating in the project. The research being done for the ECHO project is part of a new set of research initiatives made possible with the opening of the Population Health Center on the Fairfax Campus.

They are currently re-recruiting participants from the first cycle. They have confirmed just over 300 participants out of 1,512. The youngest participant is under one year old and the oldest is 12.

“We’re aiming to gather information about women and children in a longitudinal manner to compare to our data to that of Omaha, Nebraska, or Iowa. Learning about the regional disparities will then allow us to use them to influence national policy,” said principal investigator Kathi Huddleston, PhD ’08, an associate professor in the College of Public Health.

Huddleston said George Mason’s robust PhD nursing program and her dissertation research on pediatric emergency preparedness helped to prepare her for this extensive project.

The team studied the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever” chemicals, as well as air pollution modeling, sleep patterns, nutrition, and COVID-19, gathering real-time data and look at their associations with child health outcomes, such as child obesity, immunization rates and more.

This research from the first cycle of ECHO revealed that school lunch consumption was associated with increased obesity in children and prompted policy change that strengthen the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA). This resulted in a significant decrease in the overall body mass index among school-aged youths and will have substantial health benefits on generations of children.

More results from the first cycle included changes in sleep patterns due to COVID-19 and disparities in sleep patterns between children of different racial/ethnic backgrounds. The team also found that there is a strong relationship between the health of the mother at pre- and early conception and the overall health of children. For example, babies born to mothers with higher levels of toxic metals were more likely to be underweight, which could lead to future health issues.

“If we want to have healthy kids, we have to have healthy moms,” said Huddleston.

As part of cycle two, the researchers will recruit more pregnant women to gain additional insight, including women who were patients at Inova Health System and have also been working with a lot of the same kids for many years, said Grace Lawrence, PhD ’18, director of research clinical operations for the ECHO project.

Student researchers Daisy Posada, Seema Poudel, and Shiva Zarean. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

Also on the team are Alma Fuller, nursing student Shiva Zarean, and research project administrators Daisy Posada BA ’13, MA ’18, and Bruna Mayen, a biology major who also acts as the project and lab manager. Mayen’s role as lab manager includes collecting teeth, hair, and urine samples to test the progression of health and well-being in the participants as they grow.

“I ensure samples are stored at required optimal conditions and freezers are monitored daily,” said Mayen. “I also perform data entry and quality assurance/quality control of all data and samples.”

“Each interaction with the participants is so special, it brings potential for new connections and enriches the overall experience and impact they have on the study and us on their development,” said Mayen.

The families come into the research facility once a year so researchers can record each family member’s weight, height, and head and waist circumferences, as well as their body fat percentage.

“We were in the ECHO study when my first child was a newborn. Then my second child was born, and we just kept going,” said Cassie Gallagher, a mom of three young children, all of who participate in the ECHO study. “We’ve been very active in the study, we send in nails, teeth, everything.”

“I also appreciate how thorough the questions are in the surveys that they send us because they’re trying to get the important answers. Especially when they ask about our stress level and different environmental aspects,” said Gallagher.

The project encompasses the concept of citizen science as the participants provide all of the information being used to create an impact in public health. They also receive quarterly updates with the researchers’ findings.

“One of the understated benefits of this study is that children are encouraged to participate firsthand in science and gather an understanding of science in a very personal way,” said Huddleston. “We have received wonderful feedback from the kids about how they feel giving new information to better all children’s health.”

In This Story

Dr. Kathi Huddleston, PhD, MSN

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Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges

Taylor Thomas — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:55:33 +0000

Learning Laboratory for Community Health prepares graduate students to solve real-world public health challenges Taylor Thomas Wed, 06/05/2024 - 11:55

The Learning Laboratory for Community Health at ��AV held the first in-person Learning Lab Challenge at the Inaugural Empowered Communities Conference. For the challenge, graduate research assistants (GRAs) were tasked with developing an intervention that addressed the very real public health issue of opioid use disorder among adolescents and young adults.

Over the semester, GRAs worked in interdisciplinary teams, with community stakeholders providing insights into their research process and conducting interviews with affected youth and families to determine how to best meet the community's health needs.

Ashley Wiest

“We were excited to showcase student milestones achieved, challenges overcome, and collective triumphs that define our community journey toward a healthier, more equitable future,” said Ashley Wiest, a research faculty member in the College of Public Health and the Learning Lab project coordinator.

The challenge concluded with GRAs presenting their interventions to a panel of experts, who evaluated and selected the intervention that will be implemented at the Mason and Partners (MAP) clinics. The experts included

Kadhambari Sridhar, Community Preparedness Coordinator at the Fairfax County Health Department;
Jennifer Felts, Population Health Epidemiologist specializing in substance use and mental health; and
Shannyn Snyder, an adjunct faculty in the Department of Global and Community renowned for her expertise in socioeconomic disparities and social justice issues.

Under the guidance of Lisa Gring-Pemble, an associate professor in the Costello College of Business, the winning intervention, titled "Club Culmore: A Place-Based Wellness Model for Adolescents and Young Adults," was designed by three GRAs:

Shams Hadi Al Jassar, biology major and pre-medical student
Olivia Hutton, Master of Health Administration student
Eyesha Shaikh, Master of Social Work student

Shams Hadi Al Jassar

Olivia Hutton

Eyesha Shaikh

Club Culmore presents a comprehensive seven-step approach to wellness. From mental health services to tailored social media campaigns, workforce skill development, and a dedicated medication-assisted treatment (MAT) clinic, this innovative proposal promises to address the opioid epidemic through community collaboration and tailored services for at-risk youth.

“It was rewarding to celebrate the transformative impact our Mason students have had on the landscape of community health. Their dedication, resilience, and unwavering commitment to excellence have enhanced their individual growth and enriched our community,” said Wiest.

The Learning Lab was created with support from a $1 million Health Services Research grant, made possible by Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia's 11th District, who shepherded the proposal through Congress. Rebecca Sutter serves as the grant's project director and principle investigator. The mission of the Learning Laboratory is to support multidisciplinary training for public health students and professionals, with special attention to marginalized communities within Northern Virginia.

The Learning Lab’s impact on students and the community

Since its inception, the Learning Laboratory has been highly successful. In the second year of the lab, students reported the lab

increased their knowledge of community stakeholders,
increased confidence in discussing core public health topics, and
significantly improved their critical thinking skills related to community health, networking and research, problem-solving, and professional development.

“The Learning Lab is dedicated to equipping students with the multifaceted skills essential for success in the workforce after graduation. Our teaching models foster proficiency in research, interviewing, data collection, administrative tasks, and community resource utilization alongside technological competencies, thus nurturing a generation of adept community health professionals,” said Wiest.

Read the Lab’s 2023-24 Impact Report.

In This Story

Shannyn Snyder, MAIS

Ashley Wiest, DNP, FNP-BC

Rebecca Sutter, DNP, APRN, BC-FNP

Lisa M. Gring-Pemble

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experiential learning

Impact

Community Health

Mason and Partners Clinic

Public Health Students

George Mason researchers harness the power of artificial intelligence to match patients with the most effective antidepressant for their unique needs

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 29 May 2024 19:46:58 +0000

George Mason researchers harness the power of artificial intelligence to match patients with the most effective antidepressant for their unique needs Mary Cunningham Wed, 05/29/2024 - 15:46

Researchers in ��AV’s College of Public Health have leveraged the power of artificial intelligence (AI) analytical models to match a patient’s medical history to the most effective antidepressant, allowing patients to find symptom relief sooner. The free website, MeAgainMeds.com, provides evidence-based recommendations, allowing clinicians and patients to find the optimal antidepressant the first time.

Farrokh Alemi, principal investigator and professor of health informatics at ��AV’s College of Public Health

“Many people with depression must try multiple antidepressants before finding the right one that alleviates their symptoms. Our website reduces the number of medications that patients are asked to try. The system recommends to the patient what has worked for at least 100 other patients with the same exact relevant medical history,” said Farrokh Alemi, principal investigator and professor of health informatics at ��AV’s College of Public Health.

AI helped to simplify the very complex task of making the thousands of guidelines easily accessible to patients and clinicians. The guidelines that researchers created are complicated because of the amount of clinical information that is relevant in prescribing an antidepressant; AI seamlessly simplifies the task.

With AI at its core, MeAgainMeds.com analyzes clinician or patient responses to a few anonymous medical history questions to determine which oral antidepressant would best meet the specific needs. The website does not ask for any personal identifiable information and it does not prescribe medication changes. Patients are advised to visit their primary health care provider for any changes in medication.

In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control reported that more than 13% of adults use antidepressants, and the number has only increased since the pandemic and other epidemics since 2020. This website could help millions of people find relief more quickly.

Alemi and his team analyzed 3,678,082 patients who took 10,221,145 antidepressants. The oral antidepressants analyzed were amitriptyline, bupropion, citalopram, desvenlafaxine, doxepin, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, mirtazapine, nortriptyline, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone, and venlafaxine. From the data, they created 16,770 subgroups of at least 100 cases, using reactions to prior antidepressants, current medication, history of physical illness, history of mental illness, key procedures, and other information. The subgroups and remission rates drive the AI to produce an evidence-based medication recommendation.

“By matching patients to the subgroups, clinicians can prescribe the medication that works best for people with similar medical history,” said Alemi. The researchers and website recommend that patients who use the site take the information to their clinicians, who will ultimately decide whether to prescribe the recommended medicine.

Alemi and his team tested a protype version of the site in 2023, which they advertised on social media. At that time, 1,500 patients used the website. Their goal is to improve the website and expand its user base. The initial research was funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The researchers’ most recent paper in a series of papers on response to antidepressants analyzed 2,467 subgroups of patients who had received psychotherapy. “Effectiveness of Antidepressants in Combination with Psychotherapy” was published online in March 2024. Additional authors include Tulay G Soylu from Temple University, and Mary Cannon and Conor McCandless from Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland.

In This Story

Farrokh Alemi, PhD

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At the barbershop, it’s OK not to be OK

mthomp7 — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:14:29 +0000

At the barbershop, it’s OK not to be OK mthomp7 Fri, 03/22/2024 - 13:14

Destigmatizing mental health support and normalizing therapy in the Black community, one barbershop at a time

��AV alumnus Gary T. Taylor, MSW '15, is destigmatizing mental health support and normalizing therapy in the Black community one barbershop at a time. “Barbershops are this safe space for Black men,” says Taylor who has been working with local barbershops in the Rappahannock region of Virginia since 2022 to foster healthy discussions about mental health by educating barbers on “mental health first aid” for their patrons.

“This is where men may go to talk through things, have big debates, talk about sports. Barbershops are an important part of culture for us as Black men—just like salons are for Black women,” says Taylor. Given the trusted role that barbers often play in Black men’s lives—it seemed like a natural place to Taylor for reaching men about mental health.

Taylor has found that barbershop talks play an important role in normalizing talking about issues and going to therapy. The talks can help point participants in the right direction to get therapy resources or find substance abuse resources.

Working in partnership with the Rappahannock Area Community Service Board, Taylor realized he could bring his crisis therapy experience into the community through “barbershop talks”—informal group discussions with the barber, the shop patrons, and a trained social worker.

“Most of the time when you talk to barbers, they'll tell you they're almost de facto therapists and social workers,” says Taylor, “They're listening to their clients’ problems and maybe don’t know about resources available to help. So we wanted to equip the barbers to know what the necessary resources are just in case somebody comes in and it's a crisis or they're really struggling and they don't know where to go.”

It helps reduce stigma by normalizing that it's OK to not be OK. Therapy doesn’t mean I'm crazy or something's wrong with me,” he says.

Taylor relays to participants that seeking mental health support is just like taking your car in for an oil change to make sure it keeps running properly.

“With the rise of substance abuse and overdoses, the barbers or the folks that are coming to these barbershop talks now are getting Narcan training too. And I think that's the strengths-based approach to meet the community where they're at,” said Taylor.

To date, Taylor has completed more than five barbershop talks in the Rappahannock region and is working with female colleagues to begin salon talks this spring.

“It’s important that people who share lived experiences are leading these sessions, so the participants can relate and see themselves in the facilitator,” says Taylor. "I can speak to that direct cultural experiences of Black men and then also bring in my skill set, my knowledge, my experience, my education to help provide that education and awareness

An assistant professor at Virginia State University, Taylor is also passionate about “passing the baton” to the next generation by getting more Black people—particularly Black men—into the social work profession to meet the growing demand.

“The suicide rate for young Black men has been increasing over the past 5 to 10 years, starting from ages 9 and 10 up to the mid-20s. We’re seeing similar challenges for Black girls too. So, there is a growing need for diversity in the social work profession. That cultural awareness piece for the Black community and having more Black social workers, Black practitioners, Black Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), it's very, very, very important as we progress in the field.”

Learn more about Taylor's work

Gary Taylor spoke to the College of Public Health about his mission is to “pass the baton” to the next generation of social workers.

Discover what it is like to have a career is social work >

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master of social work

This Mason public health student wants you to know about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Shayla Brown — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:30:41 +0000

This Mason public health student wants you to know about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Shayla Brown Mon, 02/05/2024 - 12:30

Kayla Moore sees testing for sexually transmitted diseases as a key part of public health, and the doorway to a healthy community.

Moore is currently getting her master of social work at ��AV’s College of Public Health, and in recognition of the 25th anniversary of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, has organized a two-part event at Mason’s Fairfax Campus that speaks to public health.

“A lot of people don't realize that HIV and AIDS is still prevalent, or that you can live a fulfilled life even with a positive status,” said Moore, an ARIE graduate assistant at Student Health Services, which provides free STD and STI testing.

Kayla Moore. Photo provided.

Moore reached out to her ARIE Supervisor Megan Symanowitz and internship advisor Juton Myers about hosting an event. Moore, along with Myers, plans and participates in events that represent the QTBIPOC branch of the LBGTQ+ community.

“My background is in advocacy and advocating for marginalized communities,” said Moore, who previously worked in criminal justice. “That's my bread and butter, and where my appreciation of clinical social work comes from. The DMV has very high transmissions of HIV, and Black women are affected by it the most.”

Moore’s experience in criminal justice taught her that she really cared about the clients, but wanted to focus more on trying to get them services that they need, she said.

“It's challenging being a Black woman in public health or clinical social work because there's not a lot of us, but the ones that are here are doing some big things,” she said.

Moore worked with campus partners including the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment (CCEE) and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, as well as with the community health organization NovaSalud, to create the two-part event. On Wednesday, February 7, a discussion and exchange of information will take place in the Paul Robeson Room in the Johnson Center to go along with this year’s theme, "Engage, Educate, Empower: Uniting to End HIV/AIDS in Black Community,” as well as STI/HIV testing in Student Health Services.

The discussion will be led by Stephanie Funkhouser, a health and well-being promotion coordinator from Student Health Services, and Global and Community Health (GCH) and School of Integrative Studies professor Garey Davis.

“Students often don't have a lot of money, or they don’t want their tests to show up on their parents’ insurance,” Moore said. “There is also this stigma attached to getting tested, so offering free testing to college students makes it easier for them to be informed and have peace of mind. People knowing their status is doing a service for the whole community.”

Moore is also working with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center on a community block party that will encompass a large clothing swap, food, music, and health workshops.

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Advocacy

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Innovate for Good: Social Work case simulation goes virtual

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:09:23 +0000

Innovate for Good: Social Work case simulation goes virtual Mary Cunningham Wed, 01/24/2024 - 09:09

The College of Public Health at ��AV wants every student to be able to learn through virtual reality training—and the Department of Social Work is helping to lead the way.

Working with one of the college’s five Certified Healthcare Simulation Educators (CHSE), the department created an interprofessional, person-centered virtual reality simulation for students to apply their skills to a real-time social work case in a low-stakes environment.

Photo by Mary Cunningham/College of Public Health

The training, which meets the Healthcare Standards of Best Practice, was offered to 28 Master of Social Work (MSW) students in the HRSA-funded Community Academic Partnership-Behavioral Health program. The virtual reality (VR) experience was couched between pre- and post-simulation educational materials and debriefs that linked student experiences back to direct practice learning objectives.

“VR simulation offers students the unique opportunity for interprofessional group decision-making and support in providing care, in a context where immediate feedback around decision-making, as well as the opportunity for alternative decisions, can be experienced,” said professor Holly Matto, the lead author of a paper about the learning experience.

Department chair Emily S. Ihara, CHSE chief innovation officer Bethany Cieslowski, associate professor Denise Hines, and director of practicum education Jeanne Booth helped create and shape the experience. They were joined by other social work faculty to run pre-brief and post-debrief for the case.

In the VR scenario, students interacted with a teen in a hospital clinic after his foster parents called the police when the teen displayed violent behavior in the home after drugs were found in his room. The simulation offered a safe learning environment, encouraging student pairs to manage engagement, practice, and adjust their skills in a real-time, low-stakes scenario.

Feedback from students suggested they learned the importance of building rapport with a client, how to adapt to unfamiliar settings, how to adapt to new information and adjust communication styles accordingly, and how to create a safe space with an ambivalent client. After the simulation, the majority reported feeling more confident with client communications and providing interventions that foster client safety.

^{Mason’s Department of Social Work and other social work training programs are uniquely positioned to lead pedagogical advancements in innovative skill development,” said Ihara. "This includes developing methods that build safe learning spaces in order to enhance resiliency strategies students will need as they enter an increasingly demanding and challenging workforce environment upon graduation."}

Photo by Mary Cunningham/College of Public Health

With the success of this training case, the department plans to integrate VR simulation training into its Bachelor of Social Work and MSW curricula. In fact, the department has already developed a new custom social work VR case where social workers and other health professionals can work together with a substance-engaged family.

Coordinators of this training simulation are excited for the future opportunities that VR can provide for students and for substance recovery and support.

“We envision inviting peer support specialists and recovery coaches, critical to the existing behavioral health workforce, to participate in similar VR simulation trainings in the future," said Matto. "For example, VR simulations could be used to practice motivational interviewing skills routinely employed in recovery coach sessions, as well as to help peer providers understand ways to manage stigma, adhere to boundaries, assess for suicide and develop appropriate safety plans, and engage in inter-professional team decision-making around complex cases, which could offer peer providers a standardized skillset in these key domains."

The VR case simulation training was supported by funding from HRSA-22-109 Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program (U3NHP45404-01-00) and HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Professionals (M01HP41969‒01‒00).

The team’s educational experience, “Virtual reality case simulation to build skill competencies in working with substance-engaged clients,” was published online in Social Work Education in December 2023.

The College of Public Health has set a goal of raising $10 million so that every student in the college can learn through VR. Learn more about our VR Simulation Center here.

Innovate for Good is an ongoing series that examines how Mason faculty in the College of Public Health are harnessing technology to improve health outcomes. If you have stories to share as part of the Innovate for Good series, email Mary Cunningham at mcunni7@gmu.edu.

In This Story

Holly Matto, PhD, LCSW-C

Emily Ihara, PhD, MSW, FGSA

Bethany Cieslowski, DNP

Denise Hines, PhD

Jeanne Booth

Topics

virtual reality

Social Work

master of social work

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

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Patriot Profile: Arion Lillard-Green

Priyanka Champaneri — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:43:13 +0000

Patriot Profile: Arion Lillard-Green Priyanka Champaneri Tue, 11/07/2023 - 15:43

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Year: Doctoral Student
Major: Health Services Research
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

The thought of hospice care can stir up many emotions, including grief, fear, or dread. But what about peace, comfort, or courage? As a former hospice chaplain, Arion Lillard-Green, MHA Health Systems Management ’21, has probably seen–and felt—all of these. When she started her doctoral program at Mason, Lillard-Green brought experience from a unique combination of disciplines: journalism, theology, and health administration. Her goal of earning a doctorate in health services research comes from a desire to bring these disciplines together to ask important questions that impact health policy.

Asking Deeper Questions: Lillard-Green studied journalism as an undergraduate because she enjoyed investigating issues and bringing truths to light. She then completed a master’s degree in theology, which pushed her to think more deeply about issues based on theological and philosophical principles. During seminary, Lillard- Green worked as a private caregiver for aging adults alongside hospice clinicians. This inspired her to complete a hospice chaplain residency program, where she spent a year learning the art of spiritual counseling in the hospital setting.

Providing Comfort: Lillard-Green spent 17 years working as a hospice chaplain. This sparked her interest in the health care field. “Although a career in health care wasn’t my initial goal, it somehow found its way into my work,” she says. She gained insight into the issues people face at the end of life: their spiritual and emotional needs and the physical realities of hospice and palliative care.

Facing Difficult Realities: Working in rural West Virginia and in Northern Virginia, she observed disparities in access to and quality of care. She counseled patients who were financially secure and who lived paycheck to paycheck. “The most significant lesson I learned during my time as a clinician is the reality that socioeconomic status determines the way we live, and it determines how we die,” Lillard-Green says.

Support for Her Work: In fall 2023 Lillard-Green earned a spot in the second cohort of the Public Voices Fellowship at AcademyHealth. This fellowship, conducted in collaboration with The OpEd Project, is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in public health, research, and social justice.

Rethinking the End-of-Life Journey: Lillard-Green hopes that her research will help capture the degree to which hospice and palliative care providers are meeting the needs of patients and families, along with barriers to access. “We need to find ways to collect better, meaningful data to gain a well-rounded understanding of social risk factors,” she says. “The end-of-life journey should not start at the end of life. Unfortunately, aging and dying well is a privilege that needs to be extended to all persons earlier in the health care continuum.”

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Student team improves substance use disorder app thanks to venture capital funding

Shayla Brown — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 18:30:23 +0000

Student team improves substance use disorder app thanks to venture capital funding Shayla Brown Wed, 09/20/2023 - 14:30

A ��AV multidisciplinary research team recently received $5,000 in funding from the VentureWell Accelerator to continue to develop their app, iCONNECT SUD.

The team, which includes recent alumna Rebecca Leung, PhD students Dylan Scarton and Tolulope Abidogun, and second year graduate student Srinath Silla, calls themselves the Good Troublers. Their project started as part of the National Science Foundation-funded National Research Traineeship (NRT) program at the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain Body Interactions (CASBBI).

Rebecca Leung, Srinath Silla, Dylan Scarton, and Tolulope Abidogun in Peterson Hall. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

“[The NRT Program] trains graduate students to utilize design thinking principles and develop an entrepreneurial mindset to solve the pressing issues in society today using a community-engaged user-centered approach,” said Siddhartha Sikdar, CASBBI director.

“This funding will help the team translate their work and have a real impact in the community.”

Mason was recently ranked No. 1 for research performance in entrepreneurship among public universities, and No. 2 overall nationally, in the latest report from EduRank. The NRT Program is one of a series of programs at Mason designed to help researchers bring their discoveries to market.

The iCONNECT app uses smart technology, such as customized experiences and automated or user-defined identification of local resources, to help those who are struggling with or recovering from substance use disorder (SUD).

“The grant not only helps us in procuring hardware and software to optimize development, it gives us credibility and will also help us with future grants to sustain our work,” said Leung, co-founder of the team who recently graduated from Mason with a master of social work degree.

The team received the grant as part of their Stage 1 or "Pioneer" funding through VentureWell’s E-Team Program to attend a 2-day start-up entrepreneurship workshop at The Engine in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they were provided with additional guidance for the use of their funds. Any remaining funds after the Stage 1 workshop expenses are covered will be used to further develop their app.

“It was actually our second time applying for the VentureWell grant,” said Dylan Scarton, a neuroscience PhD student and another co-founder of the team. “They gave us feedback [of items] to address and said that we should be good for the next round.”

Tolulope Abidogun, Srinath Silla, Rebecca Leung, and Siddhartha Sikdar in Peterson Hall. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

VentureWell funds for-profit enterprises and some nonprofits, like iCONNECT, that tend to focus on social challenges and health-related innovations. The team’s mentors, Mason mathematics professor Padhu Seshaiyer and social work professor Holly Matto, encouraged them to apply for the funding to help them advance the app.

Tolulope Abidogun, a public health PhD student, is one of the new members of Good Troublers. She works with the team to structure the research side of the app deployment.

“One major goal for us moving forward is to make the [SUD resource collation] process more efficient. It's going to take a lot of groundwork, going to different places and people to get information,” said Abidogun.

The app is currently available and free for all to download, but the beta version only has vetted local resources used by peer recovery specialists in Falls Church and Fairfax County. The team hopes to continue expanding its reach throughout the Washington, D.C., area.

The team is currently gathering information in Arlington, Falls Church, and Fairfax, Virginia, and they hope to implement iCONNECT SUD into the practice of peer recovery specialists in those regions by the end of the year.