MESSAGE FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR HS RESEARCH
The past year has been a time for reflection on how we do things, our values and priorities, and how we want our future to look. During this time, the Health Sciences Research Advisory Committee (HSRAC) has reflected on how best to tell the story of what makes HS research unique, important, and impactful. The committee considered not only what we have achieved to date but also looked ahead to how we want to be recognized in the future. Cognizant that the research in our division is uniquely diverse, the committee sought to identify themes that are inclusive of most faculty research but that also clearly identified and distinguished HS. The HSRAC, with representatives from each department, began the process with discussion of the objectives and followed with reviewing a word cloud, reflecting the titles of all HS studies submitted to the IRB in the past eight years and titles of all proposals submitted for external funding over the past five years. From this word cloud the committee identified emerging themes. Final research themes and translational strategies were developed following the consideration of current faculty research and alignment with SMHS and GW strategic plans. The three primary thematic areas are: Health Equity and Justice, Health Professions Education and Health, Function, and Participation. These three areas represent broad categories that describe most of our research, recognizing that much is ‘boundary-crossing’ and may encompass more than one theme. Intersecting these areas are translational strategies that represent the expertise and skills of our researchers. These ‘translational strategies’ are: Applying Theory, Measurement, and Methods; Promoting Wellness and Healthy Living; Advancing Biomedical Informatics and Data Analytics; Developing Novel Interventions; and Translating Knowledge to Action.
At the center of all of our research are patients, families, and communities. SMHS leadership has embraced our vision for research, which builds upon shared priorities for the school and university. Finally, the committee worked with a graphic artist to visually represent these ideas for use in communicating with stakeholders. Finding concepts and words that reflect the diversity and strengths of HS was challenging -- the committee recognized that certain words are important in different fields and disciplines. The graphics will not stand alone and the team is creating explanatory copy to be included in the HS strategic plan and our website pages. Coming together around thematic areas of research and translational strategies to describe the unique and impactful research conducted in HS represents an important step. This work will support recruitment of PhD and DHSc students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. We anticipate these ideas will create linkages and opportunities for collaboration across the division, and demonstrate our commitment to GW becoming a preeminent, comprehensive, global research university.
--Trudy Mallinson, Associate Dean for HS Research, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences
PEOPLE
CLOSE CONNECTION. HS has Andrew Godleski’s fiancé, Neal Rose, to thank for bringing him to the Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS). Godleski, who joined PAS as a program associate in March, became familiar with GW through Rose’s experience as a graduate student in the Elliott School of International Affairs. “My fiancé had a great experience here and the location is great, so I was interested in GW,” Godleski said. “I really enjoy working in this field and I thought this position would help my career growth.” Godleski’s duties include providing admissions support, assisting with course scheduling, and advising students in the Physician Assistant Program and Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine Program. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Godleski likes the mix of responsibilities though he admits that starting a new job in a telework environment is unique. “I’m looking forward to getting to know my colleagues in person and getting to know the GW campus better,” he said. One plus of the pandemic has been his puppy, Benji. Godleski and Rose, who graduated from Elliott with a MA in 2020, adopted the Rat Terrier/Plott Hound mix last year. “I guess we were like everyone else getting a dog in COVID. He’s really unique and a cool looking dog; people always compliment him.” It’s been such a good experience, that the couple is already thinking about adopting a second dog. Besides walking Benji in his Alexandria, Virginia, neighborhood, Godleski enjoys going out to eat with friends and spending time outside. His post-pandemic wish list includes travelling. “We miss that,” he said. “We definitely want to travel somewhere in Latin America.” Prior to joining GW, he was an education support specialist for undergraduate students at George Mason University. Godleski has a bachelor’s degree from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania.
FROM CLASSROOM TO OFFICE. Jessica To-Alemanji, PT, DPT, PhD, PMP, is eager to put her varied experience to work for HS. To-Alemanji, who joined HS Administration as a program manager in March, is part of the HCOP team, funded by a grant from HRSA and its Bureau of Health Workforce. She will also support regional recruitment, the BSHS hybrid program, and other partnerships and initiatives. “I feel like I have a very unique background,” To-Alemanji said. “I understand the struggle that students go through and the many challenges they have. There are many different avenues they can take and I can provide them with some insight on that.” To-Alemanji has experience as a clinician, an entrepreneur, a faculty member, and a researcher. She has worked in market research, recruitment strategy, as well as project and program management. She began her career as a physical therapist and has been an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR). Why the switch from the classroom to an office? “I really enjoyed teaching the students, but I wanted to make a difference in helping students interested in health sciences.” Besides working with students, she’s most looking forward to developing external partnerships and getting to know faculty and staff outside of HHFR. To-Alemanji lives in Annandale, Virginia, with her husband, Nkengafac Alemanji, and their two daughters, Emma, 11, and Eva, 9. Her family was impacted by COVID-19 in the worst way – last June she lost her 72-year-old father to the virus. “He was in the hospital by himself and we weren’t able to see him until the last day,” she recalled. “It kind of puts everything into perspective…things are starting to look better though. I am focusing on having a work/life balance to grow professionally and personally.” To-Alemanji has a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, a doctor of physical therapy degree from Marymount University, and a doctorate in rehabilitation science from George Mason University.
HERSTORY. March may be designated Women’s History Month, but given that 57 percent of all faculty, staff, researchers, and temps in HS are women, Heartbeats will take the liberty of celebrating anytime! We reached out to the longest serving women members of HS (thank you Heidi Faill of HS Administration for identifying the individuals) and asked them to reflect on their time and experience here. Colleagues who responded include Joan Butler, Mary Corcoran, and Paige McDonald of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL); Debra “Dee Dee” Herrmann and Susan LeLacheur of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS); and Joyce Maring and Margaret Plack of the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR). In their own words, here’s what our long serving female colleagues wanted to share:
“As I enter my 13th year as a HS faculty member, I have witnessed HS as a whole, faculty and staff, evolve and sustain excellence in our research contributions, educational offerings, and service endeavors, while continuing to provide worthwhile contributions to SMHS, the university at large and to our students. First in our efforts to promote faculty excellence and hire tenure track positions which was novel in Health Sciences at that time. In addition, I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to work with all HS staff and faculty at various events, such as the HS volunteer activity in February 2020 and our ongoing passion for excellence in health care delivery, with our students, staff and faculty volunteering at clinics, EMT services and/or in hospitals, laboratories and other health care delivery organizations; and lastly our passion for teaching, learning, and educational innovation through our teaching, expertly advising students enrolled in our F2F, blended and online academic programs, where we demonstrate strong teaching and mentoring, as well as delivering innovative programs, such as our Governor's Health Sciences Academy, the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program and the DHSc in Leadership in Clinical Practice and Education Program.”
--Joan Butler, Assistant Professor, CRL; Director, Clinical Research Administration Program
“I started at GW in 1997 when the educational programs that comprised HS were actually just a small aspect of a very large clinical department, the Department of Health Care Sciences. The department was huge; in addition to HS, it also included public health and nursing (both subsequently became their own schools) and a large clinical practice that would become the future MFA. Obviously much has changed in 25 years and it has been an exciting and rewarding journey of transformation, growth, and vision. The very best part has been the opportunity to work with energetic, talented, committed, funny, smart, creative, and caring people who work their butts off every day.”
--Mary A. Corcoran, Professor, CRL
“Since I arrived on campus as a new PA student in 1998, I have known GW HS would be my academic career ‘home.’ As an alumnus, I am deeply committed to improving GW Health Sciences’ educational, advocacy, and service excellence. “
--Dee Dee Herrmann, Assistant Professor, PAS; Director, SMHS Center of Faculty Excellence
“My most important achievement at GW SMHS has been the learning from friends, colleagues, students, and staff. You all have provided a frame for growth and development and I am deeply grateful.”
--Susan LeLacheur, Professor, PAS
“My time at GW began 16 years ago in a leaky office on the 6th floor of the hospital. Over the years I have been privileged to witness the exponential development and growth of HS into an outstanding and talented unit truly dedicated to transforming health and health care delivery!”
--Joyce Maring, Chair and Professor, HHFR
“I am honored to have been a part of GW Health Sciences and the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership for more than 12 years (as adjunct faculty, visiting faculty, and full-time faculty). Change and innovation seem to have been our 'constant' over the past 12 years: we have expanded our existing programming, including the launch of PhD, DHSc, and OTD programs; added a new department, adopted new delivery models that expand the use of technology in Health Professions Education (HPE), transitioned from a 15-week delivery model to an eight-week model for online courses in CRL, embraced our IMPACT team as an essential component of education design and delivery and, of course, moved office spaces and buildings at least three times! Designing, delivering, and researching innovative curricula that prepares future professionals and leaders in health care for increasingly complex health provisions environments has become my passion. I am equally interested in how we leverage technology in HPE to achieve pedagogical goals. I have made HS my home because my colleagues, faculty, and staff, share my passions and work with me to achieve those goals and because we maintain a collective commitment to providing a quality learning experience for each and every student.”
--Paige McDonald, Vice Chair and Assistant Professor, CRL
“I have been at GW for more than 17 years, and in my 40-plus year career, that is the longest I have remained anywhere. Why did I make GW my home for so long you ask? A few reasons. First and foremost, our physical therapy students. I just love them! We have had some of the most exceptional students move through our curriculum. Our students and alumni are bright, hard-working, fun, ethical, and most of all, caring human beings. They listen (even when you think they are not!), they share, they support, they learn, and it has been fun to watch them grow and develop from first-year students to master clinicians. When they leave, they do such unique and wonderful things with their careers, not the least of which is giving back to their communities. For me, it has been quite an honor to be even the smallest part of their development. Second, the commitment to teaching I have experienced around me. During my time here, I have truly developed my skills as an educator, and it was because I was surrounded by some of the most exceptional educators around. Students first, what do they need, and how can we help them learn, how can we do it better? It was never quite good enough; we can always do better. Faculty continually worked hard for the betterment of our students. Unfortunately, some of those faculty have left because it can take a toll on you, and sadly, I was not able to help them develop their own balance. Just as there is a human cost to being an exceptional health care provider, there is a human cost to being an exceptional educator. The pandemic has certainly shed light on this, particularly for our young female clinicians and academicians. Finally, the third major reason I have stayed, and thrived, here at GW is because of my research colleagues. When I first walked in the door, I was fresh out of my EdD and Larrie Greenberg was one of the first educator-researchers I encountered. We developed a long-lasting friendship and partnership. He took me under his wing at that time, introduced me to a range of individuals and from there, my research blossomed. As an educational researcher who loves qualitative work, I have developed partnerships and friendships with fun, inquisitive, thought-provoking colleagues from across the university. They questioned, and pushed, and prodded, again, until we had a product, we were proud to present. My path has been a bit circuitous, students and colleagues have come and gone, but what I have learned from each and every one of them remains within me. For that, I am grateful!
--Margaret Plack, Professor, HHFR
PROGRAMS
REGISTER NOW! Join the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health 4th Annual Patrick & Marguerite Sung Symposium: Whole Health & Wellness, on Friday, April 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. Presentation topics include: "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).
STUDY ASSISTANCE. The Black Male Caregiver Study needs help recruiting participants from the DMV. The study is examining the cognitive, physical, and physiological effects of stress derived from providing care for a family member or loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia (ADRD). The RW Turner Lab is specifically focused on the impact of stress on Black American males caring for loved ones with ADRD. The study is being conducted virtually. Participant criteria includes Black males, between 30 and 85 years old, and both unpaid caregivers (for persons with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease)and non-caregivers(Black males in the community that do not provide care). If you’re interested in participating or learning more, please fill out this contact form.
APPLAUSE
PROMOTING MLS. Cliff Cymrot and Marcia Firmani of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) presented, “Promoting the MLS profession through a summer immersion program,” at the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference 2021 in February.
DISSERTATION DEFENSE. Three CRL faculty members chaired dissertation defense committees for students in the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program recently: Leslie Davidson, Gaetano Lotrecchiano, and Paige McDonald. Also serving on the committees were Michael Benedict and Eduardo Sotomayor of the GW Cancer Center, Joan Butler and Philip Van der Wees of CRL, Amanda Castel and Leonard Friedman of the Milken Institute School of Public Health, Lawrence “Bopper” Deyton of SMHS, Maureen Monaghan of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Fernando Vidal-Vanaclocha of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, and Brandi Weiss of GSHED.HS students who defended dissertations were: Kevin Bugin, Mandi Pratt-Chapman, Leocadia Conlon, Sam Hanna, and Brittany Wilbourn.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL presented, “Redesigning Health Informatics Academic Programs For the Healthcare Digital Transformation,” at the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform International Task Force in March. Kadrie has been accepted into the Academy of Education Scholars by the SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence.
ACCESSIBILITY. Carol Rentas of BLS presented, “On-ramps to learning: Incorporating accessible learning practices to increase successful outcomes for all students,” at the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference 2021 in February.
FACULTY EXCELLENCE. Lisa Schwartz of BLS was accepted into the Academy of Education Scholars by the SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence in March.
DEEP LEARNING. Yijun Shao and co-authors Stuart Nelson, Qing Zeng, all of the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC), and Ali Ahmed, Angelike Liappis, and Charles Faselis of the Department of Medicine published, “Understanding Demographic Risk Factors for Adverse Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients: Explanation of a Deep Learning Model,” in the February issue of the Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research.
PUBLISHING, PRESENTING & A GRANT. Maranda Ward of CRL published, “Embedding Ethnocultural Empathy in a Community-Based Health Intervention Writing,” in the January issue of Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments. Ward and Lanre Falusi of the Department of Pediatrics presented, “Moving Beyond Bystanding...to Disrupting Racism,” at the SMHS Anti-Racism Coalition Education Series in February. Ward, Denice Cora- Bramble of the Department of Health Care Sciences, and Yolanda Haywood of the Office of Student Affairs presented, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Panel,” at the Women at Children’s (W@tch Seminar Series) event in March. Ward also presented, “Unpacking our Stories: How Narratives Shape Equity,” at the Advocacy Day for the DC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics last month. Ward has received a 2021 Faculty Development Grant for "Racial Justice in Health Training" from the GW Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.
SERVICE LEARNING. Erin Wentzell, Jill Boissonault of HHFR and co-authors, presented a poster, “We Continue To Serve: Virtual Community-Engaged Service Learning,” at the American Physical Therapy Association Combined Section Meeting in February. Wentzell and co-authors also presented a poster titled, “A Healthy Day: The case for adopting the 24-hour movement guideline in early intervention” at the meeting.
WORK ANNIVERSARIES. Congratulations to the following colleagues celebrating anniversaries: Anthony Artino of HS Administration and HHFR (one year), Leslie Davidson of CRL and Yijun Shao of BIC (five years), and Marsha White of HHFR (20 years).
