MESSAGE FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR HEALTH SCIENCES RESEARCH
Research in our division reflects the breadth of researchers among our faculty, the diversity of their scholarly pursuits, and their vast networks of collaborators. Health Sciences’ scholarly output is growing every year, and our scholarship continues to positively impact the communities we serve. I want to highlight the increased involvement of students in our research activities from high schoolers, undergraduates, and graduate students to PhD candidates. These trainees, who are contributing meaningfully to numerous research projects, are the focus of the upcoming GW Research Showcase. The showcase will be held virtually April 11 to 14. Undergraduate research will be presented on April 12, while Graduate and Professional Student Research Day will be held April 13. I hope you will attend the event and support HS researchers and students.
Health Sciences is also now sharing its research with the launch of our new Health Sciences Research site. These pages describe work in the HS priority research areas of Health, Equity, and Justice; Health Professions Education; and Health, Function, and Participation, and in the skills and expertise of our faculty, what we call translational strategies; innovation in applying theory, measurement, and methods; promoting wellness and healthy living; biomedical informatics and data analytics; developing novel interventions; and translating knowledge to action. The web pages provide a new way to search for and connect with faculty researchers, HS centers, labs, and research initiatives. Click through to each area for a brief description of the kinds of research faculty do in that topic and a link to the SMHS Researcher Database to view faculty research profiles. For example, if you click on “Health, Equity, and Justice,” it will open a list of HS faculty who work in that area. Click on the link next to a faculty member’s name to see more details about their research interests. Also included is information about opportunities for student collaboration on research projects with faculty. This is an exciting feature that can help both prospective and current students discover faculty whose interests align with theirs. I hope that the website will lead to more faculty student research collaborations that will impact our community, just like the kinds of projects to be featured at the GW Research Showcase.
--Trudy Mallinson, associate dean for Health Sciences Research, associate professor Clinical Research and Leadership and of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences
PEOPLE
TEACHING PASSION. Spring 2020 was undeniably a challenging time, and it was especially difficult for Jason Dring (D.P.T. ’08), a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS). In short order, Dring lost his father unexpectedly and suffered a TBI in a serious car accident. But there was an upside: he found a companion in his rescue Pitbull-mix, Suli, and a new love of teaching at GW. The turning point was when members of the DPT Class of 2021 sent Dring, then an adjunct instructor, a video expressing condolences for his dad and gratitude for contributing to their education. “It was beautiful,” he said of the student messages. “They knew I was super into my dog so they had their dogs or borrowed someone’s dog to be with them in the videos. I just had this moment,” he recalled of deciding to seek a full-time teaching position. “I realized that I really enjoy teaching and I am making a difference. I’m so passionate about it now.” Suli, Dring’s dog, was the other bright spot from that period. Dring had been fostering Suli and was on his way to surrender him when they were involved in a serious accident on Interstate 66. Dring sustained a brain injury and was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he learned that Suli had stayed beside him and wouldn’t let the EMTs near him. “How could I not adopt him?” he recalled. “Clearly we were bonded after that.” Dring is a graduate of GW’s first DPT class, and three of his former professors -- Ellen Costello, Joyce Maring, and Margaret Plack -- are now his colleagues. “We’ve come full circle,” he said. “It’s a little overwhelming at times. I have a very high bar to hold myself up to.” Upon graduation, he joined the program as a lab assistant and went on to serve as an adjunct instructor before being named visiting assistant professor last fall. “I’ve been around the program in some capacity since graduating,” he said with a laugh. Dring also works in the acute rehab unit at GWU Hospital and has experience in private practice. It’s no surprise that when he’s away from work, Dring enjoys time with Suli. They live in DC’s U Street corridor and take two to three walks a day, totaling six to 10 miles. “He has to burn through his energy,” Dring said of Suli. Dring also enjoys mountain hiking, camping, and backpacking. He earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
BETTING ON HERSELF. Righteousness El-Berith, a program manager in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL) feels strongly that every student deserves a chance, and that includes her. When her low GPA led to rejections from all the law schools she applied to, El-Berith didn’t give up. She advocated for herself and was admitted conditionally to a JD/MS program at the University of Baltimore School of Law. El-Berith was determined to show that her undergraduate experience, where distractions affected her coursework, did not define her. She knew she could do the work, and she has, earning a 3.84 GPA last semester. She’ll finish her master’s in negotiations and conflict management next year and earn her JD two-and-a-half years later. “I can do this,” she said. “We can’t give up on our dreams.” El-Berith wants to help CRL students achieve their dreams, too. She joined HS in January and works with the PhD in Translational Health Sciences, Clinical Operations and Healthcare Management, and Correctional Health Administration programs. “Education is important to me. I really aspire to help students in any way I can,” she said. “I understand the difficulties of trying to study and having to do other things. I want to make the process as easy as possible so students can focus on their studies.” She’s 100 percent remote and likes to change up working from her home in Laurel, Maryland, with a coffeeshop – “a real one,” she noted, “where the environment is conducive to work.” When she finishes school, her goal is to work in international law. El-Berith’s previous work experience was with nonprofits, but she’s enjoying academia. “I love it, everyone is great,” she said. “There’s a lot of teamwork and I’m learning to jump in and get the ball rolling. I’m looking forward to growing within GW and the department.” Her position in HS came about in a unique way. She wasn’t looking for a new opportunity, but when a professor in her MS program challenged the class to apply to a job they wouldn’t normally, she applied to the CRL post. In the interview process, she realized the position was something she wanted. “I said, ‘Wow, this actually could be a good fit for me.’ And here we are!” In her free time, El-Berith enjoys sharing study tips on her Instagram account and mentoring undergraduate women at her church. “I’m always trying to find ways to relax, to work out, and to eat healthy,” she said. El-Berith earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
STAYING YOUNG. Ashley Ewing is all about students, so she’s right at home in HS. Ewing, who has joined the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS) as a senior service associate, didn’t help recruit the newest DPT class, but that doesn’t affect her enthusiasm to welcome the students. “I’m very excited to meet the incoming class and see them on campus,” Ewing said. Her love of working with students is one reason she’s spent her career in higher education. “I like being able to help people realize their passion and how to obtain it,” she said. Ewing also enjoys the lively atmosphere of a campus: “It keeps you young,” she said with a laugh. “You have to keep up with things.” A native of Staten Island, New York, she previously worked at Columbia University and New York University. “I honestly fell into higher education accidentally, but I’ve enjoyed it because I view it as a way to help people achieve their dreams.” She joined GW last fall from the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she was a transfer enrollment counselor. “I was interested in this position because it merges everything I’ve done in the last decade in higher ed,” she said. Ewing is looking forward to being involved with the DPT admissions cycle from start to finish. “I like to take ownership of the process and see students from beginning to end,” she said. “This position is allowing me to learn more about the ins and outs of admissions. How do we build a class? How do we use data to build a good class?” So far, she’s enjoying the process. “I’m still learning a lot about the role. I do a lot more work with data, but it’s exceeding my expectations. Everyone is super friendly!” Ewing lives in the NoMa neighborhood of DC with her fiancé, whose job in technology prompted her move to DC about two years ago. “I’ve always loved DC and I didn’t love Boston,” she said with a laugh. She’s not sure when the wedding will take place: “Since getting married is expensive maybe next year or I’ll just hold onto the ring for a while!” Away from work, Ewing enjoys cooking, going out to eat, walking on the mall, and Nats games. “People watching is always interesting. I’m a simple girl,” she added. “One thing on my must-do list is the cherry blossoms and attending a couple of festivals.” Ewing has a BS degree from St. John’s University in Staten Island, New York, and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.
KENNEDY CENTER KUDOS. Roger Ideishi of HHF&RS has been named one of the Kennedy Center Next 50 – 50 leaders and organizations that through sustained excellence of artistic, educational, athletic, or multi-disciplinary work, are “lighting the way forward.” Ideishi and the other cultural leaders will take part in Kennedy Center events and work with the center to create opportunities for “discourse with civic leaders to ensure that the voices of artistic and cultural leaders are lifted and heard,” according to the announcement. “I am humbled by this recognition,” Ideishi said of the honor. “This recognition is not a culmination of my work but more of a motivation to continue the pursuit for a more just, more equitable, and more inclusive society. The arts provide joy and opportunities that deserve to be experienced by the entire community.” Read more.
PROGRAMS
CELEBRATING STAFF. Five staff members were nominated for the SMHS Dean’s Excellence in Service Awards. Congratulations to: Heather Richards of HHF&RS, Carmen Session of HS Administration and Office of Student Support, Geoff Shapiro, Melanie Trask, and Ernestine Yarborough of CRL. Linda Cotton of HS Administration and Session, members of the SMHS Anti-Racism Coalition Staff Domain Working Group, served as core team leads for the March 4 event.
PAYING IT FORWARD. Gaetano Lotrecchiano of CRL and his husband, Paul Moscatt, have established the Lotrecchiano - Moscatt Team Science Award. The endowment will provide a $1,200 award annually to students in the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program who are conducting research in the Science-of-Team-Science (SciTS). SciTS is an interdisciplinary field based in social and behavioral studies, organizational science, leadership, and management studies. A committee will select the first recipients this summer. “After years of working in aerospace and medical IT teams and studying health science teams, we wanted to create opportunities for doctoral students who wish to dedicate research that focuses on teams,” Lotrecchiano said. “While many would agree that this is an important endeavor, funding is relatively scarce for team science researchers. We hope this both encourages team science studies and supports those who dedicate their dissertations to the study of scientific teams at GW.”
FREEDOM! Thanks to everyone who took part in the HB poll about your want-to-do list once pandemic restrictions are lifted. Here’s what HSers are most looking forward to: going to the movies (Leslie Davidson, CRL), happy hour with colleagues (Anthony Artino Jr., HHF&RS and HS Administration), going to the zoo with family (Patrick Corr, CRL and HS Administration), international traveling (Mountasser Kadrie, CRL), visiting family overseas (Senait Tekle, Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC) ), going to the barber shop (Stuart Nelson, BIC), Caps game (Kevin O’Connor, HS Administration), no Covid testing at work (Cliff Cymrot, Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) ), travel (Rohini Ganjoo, BLS), wineries (Katie Sanchez, Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) ), a cycling vacation outside the US (Marcia Firmani, BLS), smiling at others and having them smile back (Mary Warner, PAS), visiting NYC and seeing a Broadway show for the first time – with a stop at Magnolia Bakery for banana pudding (Ivy Meadows, BLS), going on a cruise (Ernestine Yarborough, CRL), visiting amusement parks and other fun activities with her “kiddo” (Allison Cannon, BLS), attending more concerts (Jen Pattershall-Geide, HS Administration), and seeing faces without masks (Matt Garber, HHF&RS).
APPLAUSE
AUTHORSHIP. Anthony Artino Jr. of HHF&RS and HS Administration co-authored three articles in Medical Education: “I, we, and they: A linguistic and narrative exploration of the authorship process,” “Delineating the field of medical education: Bibliometric research approach(es),” in the March issue, and "Publishing your scholarship: A survey of pearls from top reviewers," in February.
ASSOCIATE FELLOW. Patrick Corr of CRL and HS Administration has been named an Associate Fellow of the Association for Medical Education in Europe in recognition of his commitment to medical/health professions education through scholarship.
PRESENTING... Leslie Davidson of CRL was a presenter for the “Remote Monitoring Roundtable” at the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care 2022 Winter Legislative and Regulatory Conference in March.
FRAMING RESEARCH. Sabrina Figueiredo of CRL co-authored, “Reducing research wastage by starting off on the right foot: Optimally framing the research question,” in the March issue of Quality of Life Research.
GUT HEALTH. Leigh Frame of CRL presented, "The Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease: Focus on the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis" and "Dietary Modulation of the Microbiome," at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Fellowship Module IV Gastroenterology: The Crossroads of Health in February. Frame, Susan LeLacheur of PAS, and Lara Zakaria of CRL collaborated in March on a webinar, “Autoimmune Disease: A Gut-based Approach,” for the GW Office of Integrative Medicine and Health.
VACCINE ACCEPTANCE. Rohini Ganjoo of BLS was a co-presenter of “Promoting the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Odisha, India: The role of humor, collectivistic appeal, and gender” and “Social Network Analysis of Covid-19 Vaccine Videos in Odisha, India on YouTube: Mapping the comment network and analyzing comment sentiment” at the Vaccine Acceptance Research Network VARN2022 Shaping Global Acceptance meeting in March.
BALDRIDGE AWARD. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL has been named to a one-year term as a senior examiner for the Baldridge National Excellence Program by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
STUDENT CHALLENGES. Margaret Plack and co-authors, Ellen Costello and Joyce Maring, all of HHF&RS, published, “Navigating student challenges: From the lens of first-year doctor of physical therapy students,” in the March issue of the Journal of Physical Therapy Education.
CASUALTY CARE. Geoff Shapiro of CRL and Reed Smith of Emergency Medicine were co-course directors for a workshop, “Tactical Emergency Casualty Care,” at the annual meeting of the National Association of EMS Physicians in January.
AWARD WINNER. Senait Tekle of BIC received the PhD Prevention Science Award from Washington State University. Tekle is a PhD student studying prevention science at Washington State.
BLACK MALE HEALTH. Robert Turner of CRL gave opening remarks and was a co-presenter on “NFL Alumni Association Research Initiative for Black Male Health” and “Black Men’s Registry” at the Black Men’s Brain Health Conference in February.
PA PUBLISHING. Anne Wildermuth of PAS contributed a chapter, “Nutrition,” in the Clinical Medicine for Physician Assistants textbook published in February and co-authored, “Update on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention,” in the January issue of Physician Assistant Clinics.
ANNIVERSARIES. Congratulations to Andrew Godleski of PAS on his one-year work anniversary.
EVENTS.
- Fridays, 7:30p: Tango! Learn Argentine tango for free Fridays throughout April @ Mitchell Residence Hall. RSVP
- April 3, 5:45 to 11:30a: Cherry Blossom 10 mile run and 5k walk-run. Medical tent volunteers are needed to help DPT students/faculty. An active medical license is required for medical tent workers, but other volunteers are needed. Sign up here
- April 7, 7p: Growing Up Biden. President Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, in conversation with Jon Meacham @ Betts Theatre and via Zoom. Register
