What’s Past is Prologue
In a little over a month, I’ll retire from GW. This transition has been made easier thanks to our collective experience with the pandemic-related merging of home and work life (my meaning of “work” clothes has already changed from suit jackets to gardening chinos). Yet the decision to retire is still a scary one and invites many questions about the future. Not surprisingly, when contemplating the unknown future, my thoughts keep returning to lessons from the past. After all, where we are going can only be understood by examining where we have been. That’s good to keep in mind for individual transitions like mine but is equally valuable as Health Sciences envisions its own future.
As you may have read in the March/April 2021 issue of Heartbeats, Health Sciences looked very different when I started at GW in 1997. Part of the vast Department of Health Care Sciences, Health Sciences consisted primarily of the Physician Assistant Program and a handful of distance-education programs for the military. I remember thinking about Health Sciences as the PA program and the “Island of Misfit Toys” distinguished by what we were not rather than what we were. The faculty worked hard to change that narrative by defining what made us unique and using that definition to shape our priorities. We blended our backgrounds in education, health care, organizational management, biomedical sciences, research, and administration to develop relevant educational programs and initiatives that have a positive impact on society. The work of Health Sciences reflects a drive for innovation, appreciation for collaboration, love of teaching and learning, and recognition of the importance of diversity in thinking, experiences, and perspectives. The work of Health Sciences has always been based on respect for one another and excitement at learning from others.
As you craft your future dear Health Sciences colleagues, remember that what’s past is prologue and therefore your future is bright. I’ve enjoyed working with each of you and shall miss you all dearly.
--Mary Corcoran, Professor, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership
PEOPLE
PASSION FOR DATA & BUSINESS.
It can be a challenge working and earning a graduate degree, but Minhye Kim appreciates that she can apply her coursework at the GW School of Business to her position as a research program manager in HS Administration. “I’m a part-time student and a full-time worker; I try to stay busy and productive,” said Kim, who joined HS in March. She serves across several sponsored projects, such as HRSA, NIH, SAMHSA, as an analyst/program evaluator and post-award expert. “I like the position very much, the combined aspects of data analysis and the business aspects,” she said. “This was the right position for me to use skills from my MBA studies.” Kim joined HS from the Elliott School of International Affairs, where as a program coordinator for two and a half years she managed grants and non-grant accounts for the Institute for Korean Studies. Before joining GW, Kim worked as a senior associate with Samsung’s global business division in Seoul for four years. One of Kim’s goals in her HS role is to improve data driven decision-making. “I’m excited to use data – I love to put it in real work examples. There are always new projects to work on.” She also appreciates being a part of the social impact of the HRSA workforce project. “I’d like to see more students take advantage of our pathway programs,” she said. Kim has a bachelor’s degree from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul and expects to earn her master of business administration degree from GW next year. In the rare moments when she’s not working or studying, she enjoys biking, hiking, running, and yoga. “The U.S. is really a lucky country to have all of these nature trails and national parks,” said Kim. A native of Suwon, South Korea, Kim and her husband live in North Bethesda, Maryland.
WE'RE HIRING.
HS has three staff openings: Administrative Associate, Program Supervisor, and Research Program Associate. Please share the postings with colleagues, contacts, and prospective candidates.
KUDOS.
The HS Staff Culture & Morale Committee wants to remind everyone that its Kudos Program is still going strong. If there is a staff member you want to recognize for exceptional work and service, simply fill out this form and they will be acknowledged.
PROGRAMS
GRAD ROUNDUP.
The virtual HS 2021 Graduation Celebration is in the books! This year our 504 graduates earned the following: 49 associate's degrees, 87 BSHS degrees, 312 MSHS degrees, four doctorates in Occupational Therapy, five doctorates in Translational Health Sciences, and 47 doctorates in Physical Therapy. The Undergraduate Outstanding Student Award went to Ricky Ditzel, BSHS in Leadership for Emergency Action & Disaster Response, while Heather Yoho, who earned a MSHS in Clinical and Translational Research, received the Graduate Outstanding Student Award. The 2021 Ozgur Awards went to Casey Regnier, MSHS in Physician Assistant, and Kenly Morgenstern, MSHS in Health Care Quality.
ON DEMAND.
Recordings of the 4th Annual Patrick & Marguerite Sung Symposium: Whole Health & Welnness are now available. The April 23 event, sponsored by the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, included the following presentations: "Healing in the Time of COVID" (Wayne Jonas, MD); "The Need for Whole Health: How do We Get There from Here?" (Tracy Gaudet, MD); "Health Equity" (Jehan El-Bayoumi, MD); and "NCCIH Strategic Priorities on Whole Person Health" (Hélène Langevin, MD). Leigh Frame, Janette Rodrigues, and Andrew Heyman, all of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL), organized the event along with Mikhail Kogan of the Department of Geriatrics and John Pan (MD '70, RESD '74), retired clinical professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
VACATION.
Heartbeats will be on vacation in June and July. Check out our next issue in August. Enjoy the summer!
APPLAUSE
VIRTUAL INNOVATIONS.
Marissa Birkmeier, Matthew Garber, and Heather Richards of the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR) presented, "Innovations and Resiliency in Clinical Education in the Time of COVID-19," at the GW PT Clinical Education Focus Group and Education Session last month. About 60 clinical PT faculty from HHFR and other universities attended the virtual session.
GENOMICS.
Shawneequa Callier of CRL presented, "Genomics Research in African Diaspora Populations: Promises and Pitfalls," at the Harvard MIT Broad Institute: Equity in Biomedicine Seminar Series earlier this month.
MAGNESIUM RESEARCH.
Yan Cheng of the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC) this month presented, "Mg and Covid-19: Data from Nationwide U.S. Veterans," at the International Society for Research in Magnesium workshop on Magnesium, Neuroscience and Nutrition in Current Covid-19 Pandemia. Qing Zeng and Ali Ahmed of BIC collaborated on the work.
DISSERTATION DEFENSE.
Ulrich Koch of CRL chaired the dissertation committee for Kathleen Clark in the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program. Monica Ruiz of the Milken Institute School of Public Health also served on the committee.
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR.
Mary Corcoran of CRL received the Distinguished Educator Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) at the ACTS annual conference in April. Corcoran was nominated for the honor by PhD students. A video of her acceptance remarks is available.
TESTING TESTS.
Yuliya Dobrydneva and Rohini Ganjoo of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) presented a poster, "Concordance or Discordance between ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and hs CRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein): Are both tests necessary for patient diagnosis?," at the Experimental Biology 2021 event in April.
INSTA POSTS.
Rohini Ganjoo with co-authors Lisa Schwartz, Yousif Barzani, and Marcia Firmani, all of BLS, published, "Exploring Instagram to Promote Student Engagement in an Online Didactic Environment," in the March issue of the Journal of Microbiology Education. Ganjoo also published, "Improving Iron Folic Acid Consumption through Interpersonal Communication: Findings from the Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) Project," in the May issue of Patient Counseling and Education. Sameera Talegawkar, Jeffrey Bingenheimer, Ichhya Pant, Hagere Yilma, and Shikha Chandarana from the Milken Institute School of Public Health were co-authors.
GUT HEALTH.
Leigh Frame of CRL and Christine Matey (MSHS '21), presented a "Gut Health Cooking Demo" at the 2021 Integrative Medicine & Health Symposium from the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health in April. Frame also presented a lecture, "Healthy Lifestyles to Support Mental Health," earlier this month as part of the GW SMHS Health and Wellness Center programming for Mental Health Awareness Month. Her lecture will be available on the GWell Center for Healthcare Professionals website.
STAFF SAFETY.
Mountasser Kadrie of CRL presented, “Staff Psychological Safety: A Strategic Mandate to Power and Transform Care Delivery,” at the Institute of Health Improvement: 2021 Patient Safety Congress this month. Also, Kadrie was selected to participate in the GW Digital Learning Focus Groups to support faculty digital learning and faculty conceptions around digital fluency.
PROJECT MGMT 101.
Amy King along with Patrick Corr, Catherine Golden, Blake Harrison, and Laurie Lyons, all of HS Administration, presented, “Project Execution for Non-Project Managers," at the University of Maryland Project Management Symposium in April.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
Gaetano Lotrecchiano of CRL has been named co-chair of the Professional Workforce Development Committee with the Association for Clinical and Translational Science.
LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEMS.
Paige McDonald, Phillip Van der Wees, and Mary Corcoran, all of CRL, published, "Learning Health Systems from an Academic Perspective: Establishing a Collaboratory Within a School of Medicine and Health Sciences," in the April issue of Medical Education Online. G.C. Weaver, a CRL research assistant, Ken Harwood, formerly of CRL and HHFR, and Jessica Phillips, a student in the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program, were co-authors.
BENDER AWARD.
Paige McDonald and Maranda Ward of CRL received the 2021 Morton A. Bender Teaching Award earlier this month. The award recognizes undergraduate, graduate, and professional teaching at GW. Endowed by Morton Bender and GW, each award provides a $1,000 prize to be used by the recipient for professional development.
FACULTY EXCELLENCE.
Kathy Thoma of CRL has been accepted into the Academy of Education Scholars by the SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence.
PRESENTING...
Maranda Ward of CRL made two presentations in April. She moderated, “Curriculum and Training for Health and Racial Equity,” at the Beyond Flexner Alliance 2021 Conference, co-sponsored by GW Fitzhugh Mullan Health Workforce Equity and Beyond Flexner. She led a training session on “Approaching Research from a Health Equity Lens” for staff at the Human Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health (HRSA MCH) Bureau.
VET RESEARCH.
Qing Zeng along with Yan Cheng, Yijun Shao, Douglas Redd, Helen Sheriff, and Ali Ahmed, all of BIC, published, “Cardiovascular Safety of Hydroxychloroquine in Veterans with Rheumatoid Arthritis,” in the May issue of Arthritis and Rheumatology.
ANNIVERSARIES.
Congratulations to the following colleagues celebrating work anniversaries: Patrick Corr of HS Administration and Marianne Vail of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) (five years), and Souheil Ghannouchi of PAS (one year).
