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MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES

I am not sure how everyone else feels, but the pandemic has distorted my concept of time. It is hard to believe that the spring semester is ending and we are heading into summer.  It is even harder to grasp that we have not been in person as a group in over two years!  Although the pandemic is still with us, we are finally starting to somewhat move into life as we knew it. Over the past two years, everyone has put in additional time and effort to adapt to a “new normal” and keep Health Sciences moving forward through what was a challenging time for everyone around the world. Despite the challenges, we should all be proud of what we have been through and celebrate our accomplishments. Thankfully this May, after two years of virtual events, we will once again have the Health Sciences Graduation Celebration in person. What a proud moment it will be to see our students walk across the stage to receive the diplomas they have worked so hard for and to move into or be promoted within the health professions! The graduation will also be one of reflection since our Health Sciences leader, Reamer Bushardt, will be leaving the helm this summer. Change and the challenges resulting from the pandemic can cause uncertainty, however, it is important to highlight one of the positive effects that the pandemic has shown, which is that Health Sciences is comprised of a group of individuals that are strong, passionate in what we do, and resilient. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that we will continue to do what we do best, which is to embrace change,  tackle challenges head-on, and use our innovation to move health sciences into the future  - hopefully one that does not involve a pandemic. 

To emphasize the importance of all health science professions which includes medical laboratory scientists, I would like to mention that April 24 -30 is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. Please consider giving a nod to your laboratory science colleagues who remain behind the scenes while playing a vital role in health care and patient advocacy.  

--Marcia Firmani, chair, Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

PEOPLE

ANTHROPOLOGICAL PURSUIT. Kiara Caldwell wants to know what makes people tick. Caldwell is still learning her role as the admissions and enrollment management officer in the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS), but this fall she’ll start a master’s program in anthropology at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “I want to understand humans better, where we come from,” Caldwell said. “I think it will improve my marketing knowledge and apply to my work in occupational health.” She joined HS in February and is working with the new Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program. The hybrid program will enroll its first cohort of 32 students this fall, and Caldwell loves being in on the ground level. “I have to educate myself so I can educate others,” she said. “Being in communication with the students has been heart-warming – to know that you’re part of their path.” The program will live on the Terrace level of the Watergate (the former home of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership). Caldwell is helping design and brand the renovated space. “I’m trying to take it by storm,” she said with a laugh. “It’s really exciting. I’m hoping the vision will come to fruition and it will be amazing. We want it to be an inspiring space.” She visited local museums to get ideas for wall applications and ways to display historical OT items. “I feel like GW embodies inclusivity and growth,” she said. “This department’s commitment to help people and excellence really drew me. I wasn’t looking for a job, but I was compelled to apply.” Before joining GW, Caldwell worked in marketing with health care companies in Scottsdale, Arizona, but the native of Chandler, Arizona, was ready to move on. “I always wanted to live on the East Coast and experience more culture,” she said. “I visited once and thought that it was more relaxed than New York City, so Washington, D.C., was it. Shout out to my mother for motivating me to move!” She now lives in the Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. “It’s definitely a world of difference from Arizona.” Outside of work, she enjoys hiking in Rock Creek Park – “I’m transitioning from the desert in Arizona to the woods of D.C.” – working out, yoga, listening to audio books, and working on mindfulness and spirituality.  She has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.

A LIFE IN ACADEMIA. Madi Higareda isn’t shy about taking risks. Higareda, a new administrative assistant in the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS), struck out on her own to live and work in South Korea for two years before joining GW. “I learned how to navigate, and I had to learn how to be okay alone,” Higareda said. “It made me realize what I wanted out of life.” And what she wants out of life is to work in academia, eventually teaching English, and to become a novelist. “In the last few years I became really interested in working for a university,” she said. She’s enjoying using her organizational, event planning, and administrative skills in her HHF&RS role. “I’m really good at multi-tasking,” she said. “Everyone I work with is very pleasant. I can take on more if I want, but no one wants to overwhelm me. I think I’m most excited when I get to work with the students.” She’s become so comfortable since joining the university in January that she’s decided to become a student herself. She’s taking a “Creative Non-Fiction” course at Columbian College of Arts and Sciences this summer and will apply to the master’s program in English next year. “I’d like to continue my education and become an English professor one day. It would be so rewarding to work with adults in higher ed,” she said. Until then, she’s pursuing her writing craft. “I love writing and I hope to be a novelist,” she said. Her favorite genre is young adult fiction, and she’s currently writing about her experience in South Korea. “It was an impactful time in my life,” she said, noting that she lived alone and had to adapt to a new culture and language. “It was the first time I’d ever been away from home and I chose to go all the way to Asia.” Higareda spent her two years in South Korea teaching kindergarten students in Seoul and elementary students in Chungcheongnam-do, which is in the countryside. Higareda currently lives in Derwood, Maryland, with her parents, but she’s ready to strike out on her own and get an apartment in Northern Virginia. Besides writing in her spare time, she enjoys martial arts, reading, and traveling. She’s looking forward to visiting Ireland in May: “After being in Asia, nowhere is scary for me.” Higareda has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

STARTING A CAREER. Being an admissions officer in the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) is Yilnette Morales Núñez’s first professional job. And so far, so good. “I like how supportive the office is and how helpful everyone is in teaching me about BLS and SMHS,” Morales Núñez said. She also has received reassurance from a close SMHS colleague: her sister, Naiyill Morales Núñez, a program associate in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine. Morales Núñez started her path to a career in academia when she was a student at Georgia Southern University in Savannah, Georgia. A staff member who became her mentor helped her see the career potential. “By my second year as an undergrad, I knew I was going to pursue a career in higher education,” she said. “Admissions has always been a passion of mine. I was able to work closely with admissions as a student orientation leader. I enjoyed connecting with students, orienting them to college life; it was very rewarding.” Before joining HS in February, Morales Núñez spent a year as a Graduate Fellow in the GW Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities. At BLS, she is working with prospective students. “I like helping students get from the point of being interested to pursuing higher education with one of our programs and then helping them determine which program is best for them,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to branching out into marketing activities for our programs and attending more events.” Morales Núñez is from Puerto Rico, but she grew up across the U.S. due to her dad’s Army assignments. “I was entirely raised in the military; we moved every two to three years,” she said. “I say I’m from southeast Georgia,” noting that she finished high school in Ludowici, Georgia. Now, she lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her sister and brother-in-law. “We were always close, so it’s great having her around. I want to settle down in this role for now and then get my own apartment.” Outside of work, Morales Núñez likes to sew and craft. “I’ve been getting into knitting lately … I like anything that’s kind of crafty.” She enjoys going thrifting – buying an item of clothing and changing it up through her sewing skills. “I really enjoy travelling, too.” Morales Núñez has a master’s degree in higher education administration from the GSEHD.

P-CART FELLOWS.Three postdoctoral Primary Care Research Training Program (P-CART) fellows have been named: Luke Lindemann, Senait Tekle of the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC) in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL), and Ava Williams. The P-CART program at SMHS is a federally funded Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (T32 grant) administered by the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration. The program is led by PI and program director Reamer Bushardt of HS Administration, associate director Trudy Mallinson of CRL, and program manager Sheel Singh of HS Administration. The program’s goal is to develop researchers who are prepared to generate, test, and disseminate primary care-oriented interventions that aim to improve health and health equity. Lindemann is currently a member of the Advanced Metrics Laboratory, where he studies communication and decision-making in complex health care encounters. His research interest is in characterizing patterns of speech variation in order to understand the causes of miscommunication in health care encounters. Tekle is a research program associate in BIC whose research interests primarily address wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention. Tekle’s P-CART project focuses on improving the outcomes of TBI in veterans and identifying the barriers and facilitators in using complementary and integrative health treatments. Williams earned an MSN and DNP from GW and has 10 years of clinical nursing experience. Her career goal is to improve access to care and shared decision-making among individuals and families within underserved and vulnerable communities. 

PROGRAMS

MED LAB PROCLAMATION. Kudos to Cliff Cymrot of BLS for contacting government leaders in the Town of Leesburg, Virginia, and getting a proclamation issued to support Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, which is observed nationally April 24-30. At a Leesburg Town Hall meeting on April 12, Cymrot talked about the profession and received a copy of the proclamation from Mayor Kelly Burk.

HS GRADUATION! Register now to attend the first HS in-person graduation celebration in two years! Graduation is Saturday, May 14 at 4p in Lisner and will be followed by a reception in the University Student Center. All faculty and staff must register to attend. If you register before May 11, a member of the HS Administration team will print your name badge/Covid credentials and deliver them to you! Questions? Contact Nick Atlas or Teri Capshaw.

EHS FIELD TRIP. Students in the Emergency Health Service Management Program’s Special Operations and Disaster Management course had a special field trip in March, thanks to their faculty member, Andy Garrett of CRL. The students were briefed on the mission of the Secretary’s Operations Center (SOC) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) from SOC Director Shaun Allen, who also discussed HHS’s role as the lead federal agency for medical and public health emergency response under the National Response Framework.

FEATURE

STUDENT'S WAR EXPERIENCE INSPIRES PAS TO HELP UKRAINIAN REFUGEES

Galina Mirzoyan, a first-year student in the Physician Assistant Program, remembers all too well when Russia invaded her homeland of Georgia in August 2008.

“We heard bombs going off, saw Russian tanks rolling into Tbilisi. It felt surreal; I never thought I’d experience anything like that in my lifetime,” said Mirzoyan.

The Russian-Georgia War was Europe’s first 21^st century war. The conflict was over in a matter of days and at its end Georgia remained a democracy, but the invasion displaced 192,000 Georgians. Mirzoyan can’t help but think of that unprovoked attack in relation to what’s happening in Ukraine.

“President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine under the same pretense his predecessor, President Dimitry Medvedev, invaded Georgia back in 2008,” said Mirzoyan of Tbilisi, Georgia. “As I was watching the stories that my friends from Ukraine were sharing on social media, it broke my heart. What has been happening in Ukraine is beyond what I experienced in Georgia. The devastation that the war brought to the Ukrainian people is unfathomable, but I feel hopeful because I see that there is a global response to the crisis in Ukraine, unlike in Georgia in 2008.”

The global response to help Ukrainian refugees now includes GW PA students, faculty, and staff, thanks to Mirzoyan and two of her classmates: Emilie Marcinkowski of Laguna Niguel, California; and Emma Jarczyk of Boston. They are “Living Our Social Mission,” one of the focus areas of the Health Sciences Strategic Plan.

The students’ humanitarian aid started with a fundraiser at Roti Restaurant, where the PA Program’s Tolton Society received 25 percent of the proceeds to support Voices of Children. That project prompted the three students to compile ideas on fundraisers so other student groups can help.

 “They created a manual of how to fundraise with partners and are working to distribute it to all of the 254 PA programs in the U.S, so all PA students can be involved,” said Mary Warner, chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies. “It is truly an honor to support these three women who are using their voice for positive change. Our entire PA program team is proud of their initiative especially given the time constraints associated with PA school.”

Warner and the students hope to partner with the George Washington University Hospital to collect medical supplies to send to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees. Warner is coordinating the efforts with SMHS leadership.

Once the partnership with GW Hospital is established, the students will invite others in the Health Sciences division to get involved. “We want to set up opportunities for students to help us organize and package supplies,” said Jarczyk. “It sounds cheesy, but this project warms my heart – as three PA students we can help in a massive way. It makes me feel like I’m doing something other than schoolwork. It provides a sense of purpose.”

“DC is very much an action city and we want to utilize that activism to help,” Marcinkowski added, noting that they are also raising money to support World Central Kitchen. “Galina’s experience led us to want to get involved.”

Mirzoyan has never visited Ukraine, but she says Georgia is a melting pot of former Soviet Union countries. “Many of my friends growing up were Ukrainian,” she said. “A few of my friends reached out to me from Ukraine. They fled and are now scattered in Poland and some are in the U.S.”

She is heartened by the support for Ukraine.  “It’s been wonderful to watch the help for refugees” Mirzoyan said. “There are a lot of like-minded people here. The ripple effect is mind-boggling to me. I’m very grateful to everyone involved. I didn’t think it would turn out like this.” 

APPLAUSE

NUTRIPOLICE. Leigh Frame of CRL presented, “The Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease: Focus on the Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis,” at the first NutriPolice International Conference: Leading Nutrition Care in Hospitalized Patients held in Cairo on March 24. She also presented, “Supporting Well-being & Resiliency with Lifestyle: An Evidence-Based Approach,” at the 10th Annual Women’s Leadership Conference -Community, Connection and Courage: How To Thrive In Challenging Times in March at Johns Hopkins University.

NEW POSITION. Andy Garrett of CRL has a new part-time role as co-director of the medical student Scholarly Concentration in Disaster Medicine at SMHS.

NEURODIVERSITY. Roger Ideishi of HHF&RS gave a keynote lecture, “The Diversity of Neurodiversity,” on April 7 at the Common Senses Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. Ideishi, Sonia Crandall, adjunct faculty member in HHF&RS, and Jen Weaver, adjunct faculty member in CRL, were co-authors of a poster, “Acknowledging Implicit Bias Among Occupational Therapy Practitioners,” presented April 2 at the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) National Conference. Kellie Sawyer, a GW alum, was the principal presenter. Ideishi, Weaver, and Sarah Doerrer, an adjunct in HHF&RS, also coauthored “Addressing OT Practitioner Knowledge and Attitudes about Older Adult Sexual Health through Continuing Education,” at the AOTA conference. Robin Chilton, a GW alum, was the principal presenter.

BUSINESS TALK. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL presented, “I have my Health Care MBA, Now What?,” at the GW School of Business Spring Virtual event in March. 

THE MATRICX. Gaetano Lotrecchiano of CRL published, “The MATRICx: Measuring Motivation in Science Teams,” on the Integration and Implementation Insights blog on April 5. Lotrecchiano, Paige McDonald of CRL, and Laurie Lyons of HS Administration and GW colleagues, presented, “Putting a Spring in Your Online Teaching,” at the March 30 meeting of the Association of Clinical Translational Science Professional Development Roundtable.

TOP DOC. Kevin O’Connor of HS Administration and physician to President Joe Biden gave the keynote address, “Ramblings of a Retired Guy; Stuff I’ve Learned…” at the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians Annual Assembly in Anaheim, California, on April 1. He also was featured in a special military edition of Physician Outlook Magazine Vol. 10.

NEW PHD. Congratulations go out to Anne Wildermuth of PAS on successfully defending her PhD in biomedicine at Salus University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, last month. Her dissertation was on “Examining Admissions Interview Processes in PA Education.” 

EVENTS.

• April 29, 12 to 6p: Free Chair Massages! Drop by for a free massage from a licensed therapist from Eye Street Massage Therapy. University Student Center, Room 403.
• May 3, 12 to 1:30p: Who defines humanitarianism? Challenging the International Imaginary of Aid. A virtual panel discussion sponsored by the Elliott School. Register
• May 21, 7a: 5k Run for One, Run for All. Sponsored by Family Development & Samaritan Foundation @ Bowie Town Center. All proceeds go toward school fees, school supplies, and scholarships for children in the DMV and Caribbean. Register

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

MESSAGE FROM DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL RESEARCH AND LEADERSHIP

February is Black History Month, and I can’t think of a better time to celebrate the contributions of our Black faculty and staff in Heath Sciences. As a division, HS is committed to diversity, inclusion, social justice, health equity, and anti-racism.  We are fortunate to have rich multicultural teams advancing health outcomes for Black individuals and communities – communities that continue to suffer from decades of inequities. Through translational research, educational scholarship, curricular development, and service, we honor the rich history and wisdom of the Black community. We celebrate Black colleagues and community members who are making history of their own. In the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership, I’d like to spotlight five Black faculty members who are advancing our mission through scholarship, curricular design, and service:

Shawneequa Callier is an associate professor whose scholarship is shaping medical and research ethics and law on both the national and global landscapes. She is a leader in data science ethics, law and underserved patients, a top scholar in the field of law, ethics, genomics, and society, as well as ethical, legal and social implications of genomics. 

Robert Turner, an early career faculty member, has gained a national reputation for research with retired NFL players, black male caregivers, and early aging in the African American male. His research is opening doors to understanding Black men’s health, a door that has historically been closed due to a history of inequity, ethical breaches, and social barriers.

Maranda Ward is an early career faculty member who commits her expertise in curricular design to ensure that health equity and diversity is a competency in all HS curriculum. She has developed curriculum and training that is core to our mission, and her work has gained national recognition. She is developing similar programming for pharmaceuticals and other industry.

John Young, a part-time faculty member, is dedicated to health quality and leadership advancement. His contributions to program fostered rich discussions in health inequity, gun violence, and depression in the Black male youth community. Ray Francis is another part-time faculty member who contributes valuable experience. He is an executive coach and brings his expertise to CRL programming while also mentoring students.  These CRL faculty members, along with Black colleagues across HS, are making an impact through their commitment and work. I hope you will join me in thanking these remarkable team members and all of our Black colleagues. Individually and collectively, they help us do our jobs better by giving us a deeper understanding of their experience so we can ensure that our research and teaching advances the mission of health equity, inclusion, diversity, justice, and anti-racism. Black lives matter and we in HS commit to making each life healthy, meaningful, and purposeful.

--Leslie Davidson, chair, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership

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PEOPLE

NEUROSURGERY KNOWLEDGE. Mike Johnson recalls the exact moment when he decided that being a PA would be a great profession. He was an EMT student on a clinical rotation working alongside a nurse in a Colorado ER when he noticed an individual he didn’t know. “There was a guy going from room to room doing the cool stuff – he was suturing, removing a needle from a woman, doing other procedures, and connecting with patients,”  Johnson said. “I asked the nurse, ‘who is that?’ and she told me he was a PA.  I remember it well. I’d like to find that guy; he changed my life.” Johnson is looking forward to impacting PA students’ lives as an assistant professor in the Department of PA Studies (PAS). He joined the faculty in December after serving as a preceptor and clinical instructor with the PA program since 2016. He’s been a neurosurgery PA with the MFA since 2013. He worked as an EMT and firefighter for eight years in Las Vegas before going back to school to become a PA. “I always wanted to help people,” he said, noting that it runs in the family – his mom is a nurse and his dad is a doctor. As a PA, he enjoys the challenge of making complicated concepts understandable. ”I’ve loved being in neurosurgery,” he said. “It can be very rewarding, if you help someone get through something terrible. You have to operate at a very high level.” Johnson’s familiarity with the PA program was key to his decision to join the faculty full time. “It’s such a distinguished program and to be a part of it is a privilege,” he said. “The students are so sharp and prepared – they make great clinicians. I see the quality of the education and the students. It’s a great program that I’ve watched for years.” Johnson says he brings a strong clinical background and unique perspective to the program. “I’ve been in medicine a long time and can provide a practical approach,” he said. “I have a strong leaning toward teaching. I was always interested in that.” Johnson lives in the Woodley Park neighborhood of DC with his wife, Allison, and 15-year-old and six-year-old sons.  For fun, the family enjoys hiking and camping in Shenandoah National Park and appreciating their greater backyard. “We explore Rock Creek Park a lot,” he said. “It’s amazing that I can walk 10 minutes from my house and be on the trail system.”  Johnson has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a master of physician assistant studies degree from Touro University in Henderson, Nevada.

SHOW ME DATA. Rolla, a small city midway between Springfield and St. Louis, lived up to the “Show Me State” nickname for Jen Pattershall-Geide. Life there showed her it was time for a career change. “I came to the conclusion that being a professor wasn’t for me,” she recalled of her time at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). “I enjoyed teaching, but I found it very stressful and draining. I’m kind of an introvert.” The rural area offered few job prospects for her husband, Matt Geide, a clinical nurse manager, so the couple moved to the DMV. Fast forward to Pattershall-Geide joining GW and becoming a senior data analyst in HS Administration last fall. “I think it was the right move at the right time,“ she said. Since pivoting from teaching to data science, she hasn’t looked back. “I enjoy using data to support the school and its mission. I want to use the skills I have to help faculty, staff, and students achieve their academic goals,“ she said. In HS, she will provide data, analytics, and evaluation support while also managing program improvement processes and reviewing and scoring annual program assessments for leadership and program directors. After serving as an assistant professor at Missouri S&T for just over a year, she joined GW as assistant director of survey research and analysis. She moved to the Milken Institute School of Public Health four years later and spent two years as a business intelligence analyst. She left Milken for a centralized role at GW before joining HS. “I was interested in being in an academic role and supporting academic programs and data processes,” she said. Pattershall-Geide and her husband live in Falls Church with their German Shepherd, Rizzo, and cat, Leo. She says Rizzo is named after the character in “Grease,” but her husband claims he’s named for Frank Rizzo of the comedy duo, the Jerky Boys. The two do agree on spare time activities such as playing board and video games and going out to eat and to concerts. A native of Maine, Pattershall-Geide still has family there and enjoys visiting. “I never loved the winters,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a lot snowier and colder, but the summers can’t be beat.” She earned a bachelor's degree summa cum laude and a master's in psychological science from the University of Maine, and received her PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Arkansas.

LEADING WITH PURPOSE.  Mary Warner is excited to lead PAS. “The PA program being in DC has a tremendous amount of potential to impact policy,” said Warner, who was named chair of the department in December 2021. “I’m looking forward to interacting with policymakers and increasing access to care and the use of PAs in more clinical settings. I also want to advance professional education in novel ways.” It’s not just GW’s proximity to decision makers that attracted her to GW – she likes the fact that the department has a PA program and the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medicine Program. “I think we can leverage both programs to increase diversity in our profession,” she said. For now, her goal is to sustain the programs’ high quality during the pandemic. “Having lofty goals at this time isn’t really feasible,” she noted. “We’re not in a place to start new initiatives. We have to focus on our core mission that students get the education they need, and we need to improve the well-being of faculty and staff. I am impressed by the levels of excellence that exist given the stress everyone has faced with Covid.” She’s enjoying getting to know faculty, staff, and the department’s culture. “I’ve found an incredibly dedicated group of educators that have excellence as their No. 1 goal,” she said. “I’m really delighted to see that everyone is focused on excellence and that students acquire the skills they need to be competent PAs. It’s really impressive.” Warner has been a full-time PA educator for more than 20 years. She joined HS from the University of Bridgeport, where as an associate professor she focused on PA education, assessments, and mentorship for early career faculty. She previously held positions at Quinnipiac College, Yale University School of Medicine, and Boston University School of Medicine. At Boston University, she was the founding director of the PA program and served as a clinical skills specialist and master teacher within the school’s Office of Medical Education. Warner and her husband, Mark, live in Arlington. Though her husband is a retired vet, they don’t have any pets “at this very moment. I bet six months from now, we’ll tell you we have a dog,” she said with a laugh. The couple has two grown daughters, Hannah, an actor in Boston, and Charlotte, an Emory University nursing student living in Raleigh, North Carolina. Post-pandemic, Warner looks forward to visiting museums in the area and traveling to Europe and Hawaii. “We like to travel and I like to hike and get out in nature as much as I can,“ she said. A native of San Diego, California, she has a bachelor’s degree from Seattle University, a master of medical science degree from Emory University, and a doctorate of behavioral Health-Management from Arizona State University.

MODEL STAFF. Thanks go out to Rohini Ganjoo of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) and the following HSers who took part in a photo shoot at the Arlington Education Center for the BSHS Hybrid Program: Nick Atlas of HS Administration, Allison Cannon of BLS, Patrick Corr of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL) and HS Administration, Alexandra Dacey of HS Administration, Rakia Johnson of PAS, Ivy Meadows of BLS, Carmen Sessions, Sheel Singh, and Jessica To-Alemanji of HS Administration, Christian Ulysse of PAS, and D’Shaun Vance and Linda Zanin of HS Administration. Teri Capshaw of HS Administration directed the shoot which also included two HS students, a graduate, and an appearance by George, the GW mascot.

KUDOS! Four HS staff members have received “Kudos” from coworkers for going above and beyond. Andrew Godleski, of PAS, Minhye Kim of HS Administration, Emma Levine of BLS, and Joshua Walberg of the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS) have been recognized by the HS Staff Culture & Morale Committee for their commitment to excellence and collaboration. Notice a staff member doing a great job? Nominate them today!

PROGRAMS

BELLS & WHISTLES. The Immersive Learning Center (ILC) is ready to hit the road, literally. GW’s first mobile classroom was delivered in January and is currently at VSTC. The ILC is the showpiece of the Community Medi-Corps Program, funded by a GO Virginia grant and GW. The ILC will provide immersive learning in STEM-H subjects to six magnet high schools in four NoVa school systems. 

SURVEY SAYS... Heartbeats wants to know the one thing you’re most looking forward to when “normalcy” returns. No masks, no social distancing, no limitations…what’s at the top of your want-to-do list? Send us your answer and we'll report results in the next issue.

APPLAUSE

NEW CREDENTIAL. Congratulations to Yousif Barzani of BLS for earning a master’s degree in education and human development from GW GSEHD.

TECH ROLE. Reamer Bushardt of HS Administration and co-authors published, “The Role of Technology in Health Professions Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in Academic Medicine in November 2021.

EDITORS. Reamer Bushardt of HS Administration and Harrison Reed of PAS co-edited with others, “The JAAPA QRS Review for PAs; Study Plan and Guide for PANCE and PANRE,” published in December 2021. Teri Capshaw of HS Administration served as a senior editorial consultant and contributor on the book. Several PAS faculty also contributed.

GOOD COMPANY. Leigh Frame of CRL was inducted into the Cosmos Club last fall. The club is a private social club for individuals distinguished in science, literature and the arts, a learned profession, or public service. Frame gave a talk, “Caring for the Other Half of Humans: The Microbiome & Its Relationship with Nutrition,” and took part in a roundtable, “The Future of Healthcare Begins with Nutrition, but Tell Us More about that Future,” at the Plant-Based Prevention Of Disease: American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Prerequisite Training as part of its Distinguished Researchers Series in October 2021.

DIGITAL HEALTH. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL has been named to a two-year term as chair of the digital health track to review and recommend proposals for the Global Healthcare Information and Management conferences.

KNITTING KINDNESS. Olga Kochar of BLS was featured in The Weekly, the GWU Hospital newsletter, for knitting scarves for the hospital’s homeless patient population. The ED distributes the scarves. 

SCOPING REVIEW. Paige McDonald, Philip Van der Wees of CRL, Donald Adams, a student in the PhD in the Translational Health Sciences Program, and co-authors have published, “Management of non-compressible torso hemorrhage of the abdomen in austere/remote environments: Protocol for a scoping review,” in Trauma Surgery & Acute Open Care last fall. In January, McDonald was elected to a three-year term to the board of directors of the Online Learning Consortium.

P2P PROFILE. Physician to President Biden, Kevin O’Connor of HS Administration, was profiled in the Federation of State Medical Boards’ “FSMB Spotlight.” Find the interview here. 

CHAIR. Tami Ritsema of PAS has been named to a three-year post as chair of the Grants and Scholarships Committee for the Physician Assistant Education Association, starting in January 2022.

COVID & CAREERS. Lisa Schwartz and Cliff Cymrot of BLS co-authored, “Factors Influencing Medical Laboratory Science Career Choice Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in the Winter 2021 issue of the Journal of Allied Health. Schwartz and SMHS colleagues, Naomi Luban, Alison Hall, Diane McQuail, and Yolanda Haywood, co-authored “The Mentored Experience to Enhance Opportunities in Research (METEOR) Program,” in the December 2021 issue of Medical Education Online.

Q&A. Carmen Sessions of HS Administration was featured in a SMHS Black History Month profile.

PAIN MGMT. Mary Warner of PAS presented, “Facilitators and Barriers to the Adoption of Pain-Management Guidelines after an Adaptive Learning CME,” at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Addition Psychiatrists in December 2021.

ANNIVERSARIES. Congratulations to the following colleagues celebrating work anniversaries: Lisa Bagby of HHFR&S (one year), Joe Bocchino of CRL (20 years), Reamer Bushardt and Karen Foote of HS Administration, Melissa Parno of PAS, and Kathy Thoma and Robert Turner of CRL (five years).

SERVICE. Looking to give back? Check out opportunities sponsored by the GW Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.

MESSAGE FROM SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR HEALTH SCIENCES

Let me wish each of you and your families a happy, healthy Thanksgiving. This time of the year is my favorite of the entire year—from the changing colors of the leaves, the twinkly lights sprinkled around town, more time spent with friends and family, to the way my kitchen becomes engulfed with the best holiday aromas from holiday baking and fall spices. Whatever your culture and traditions may be, I hope you will find joy, renewal, and time to spend with your loved ones this holiday season.

Our lives began to change dramatically in February 2020, and since then we have seen both heartbreak and modern-day miracles unfold before our eyes. Let us remember the many lives lost to COVID-19 and keep their families in our hearts and minds. In a season of thanks, let us also honor the ingenuity and courage of all those who have sustained us during the pandemic, including our scientific, health care, and essential worker communities. My youngest daughter received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine recently, as soon after it was authorized that I could get her scheduled. As she received her dose, I thought about all the people that helped make that a reality from the scientists, the clinical trial volunteers, the health care and research teams conducting and monitoring the studies, the regulators, and so on. It reminds me that when we come together around a shared goal with a true desire to collaborate and value one another’s contributions, we can solve nearly any challenge.

It is a great honor to be part of the Health Sciences faculty and staff, sharing in a common purpose to teach, learn, and serve. This holiday season, I am especially thankful for each of you and our students who live their passion and a commitment to care for others. This month’s Heartbeats once again reminds us of the important, impactful work being realized in Health Sciences. Be generous and kind to others, open your heart to those you teach and serve, and always nurture the curiosity that lives within each of us. These are my wishes for you, and my own new year’s resolution.  Happy Thanksgiving!

--Reamer Bushardt, senior associate dean for Health Sciences

PEOPLE

KUDOS! Three HS staff members have received “Kudos” from coworkers for going above and beyond. Desmond Edwards, Minhye Kim, both of HS Administration, and Heather Richards of the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS)  have been recognized by the HS Staff Culture & Morale Committee for their commitment to excellence and collaboration. Notice a staff member doing a great job? Nominate them today!

PROGRAMS

BIOMEDICAL AI. The joint GW-Yale Informatics Seminar Series presents, “Biomedical AI: Its Roots, Evolution, and Agenda for the Future,” on Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 12 to 1p. Featured speaker is Edward H. (Ted) Shortliffe, MD, PhD, FACMI, FIAHSI, chair emeritus and adjunct professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University. Join via Zoom. For more information, contact lizworkman@gwu.edu

STRIKE UP THE FUN! The HS Staff Culture & Morale Committee is hosting a Holiday Bowling Party for staff members Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 2:30 to 5:30p at Pinstripes in Georgetown. If you haven’t rsvp’d yet, check out the invitation.

‘TIS THE SEASON. GW’s holiday celebrations for faculty and staff have been announced. The Foggy Bottom campus will celebrate at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 2 to 4p. VSTC’s holiday event is Thursday, Dec. 16 from 2 to 4p. (Location tbd).

MERRYMAKING. The SMHS/MFA Holiday Party will take place Wednesday, Dec. 15 from  to 6:30p in Ross Hall.

A PROMISING PROGRAM. They serve in different departments. They have dissimilar research. One’s a clinician, one’s not. Harrison Reed and Maranda Ward might not appear to have a lot in common, but they both agree that the Emerging Scholars Fellowship (ESF) is a boon for their academic careers.

 “Through the Emerging Scholars Fellowship, I have had the protected time to lead health and racial equity research and disseminate its outcomes in ways I had yet to experience,” said Ward, assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL). “This is invaluable as a junior investigator with a heavy teaching load.”

Ward and Reed, assistant professor in the Department of PA Studies (PAS), are the first two recipients of the ESF which provides early and mid-career faculty with salary support for protected time and individualized mentorship from senior scholars for one academic year, with an option for a second year of funding. The protected time and mentorship help faculty launch scholarly careers and research trajectories. The program also enables faculty to build their scholarly networks through team science, collecting and analyzing pilot data, and disseminating their work to build their national reputation, and achieve future funding.

“We are forging new ground with this state-of-the art education and training fellowship for burgeoning health professions scholars,” said associate dean Anthony Artino of HS Administration, director of ESF. The program is an example of how GW Health Sciences is “Investing in People” and “Influencing Health Professions Education, Health Care Policy, and Practice,” focus areas of our Strategic Plan.

Reed has appreciated his experience and endorses ESF. "The Emerging Scholars Program is a great opportunity for early career researchers to utilize the protected time and dedicated mentorship that is often difficult to obtain without external grant funding,” he said. “For faculty who have primarily focused on education, it's an excellent first foray into the world of research. It allowed me to connect with researchers and academics outside of my usual professional circles."

Reed is using ESF support to study the effect of interpersonal workplace behavior on PAs. The interactions of health care professionals and the environment these behaviors create plays a pivotal role in important institutional and health-related outcomes. His exploratory work will inform interventions to mitigate toxic workplace behavior and improve the wellbeing and efficacy of the 130,000+ certified PAs practicing in the United States.

The program has enabled Ward to lead the educational efforts of SMHS’s Anti-Racism Coalition and manage a multidisciplinary student research lab: the Coalition for Restructuring Education via Health Equity and Antiracism Leading to Health. The lab is piloting a department-level antiracism demonstration project that will be scaled and replicated across SMHS’s medical enterprise.

ESF is funded by HS Administration. Artino said the program is moving toward a "shared funding" model where HS covers about 10 percent of a fellow’s salary and the chair of the faculty member's department agrees to cover the other 10 percent. “The goal is to cover 20 percent of the faculty member's time, so they can have one day per week of protected time to participate in the Emerging Scholars Fellowship,” Artino added.

The program is currently limited to two scholars per year, but Artino would like to eventually expand so up to four fellows can participate annually. The application and selection process for the next class of fellows will open in Spring 2022. A letter of nomination (self-nominations are fine), as well as a letter of support from the faculty member's chair will be required. For more information on ESF, contact aartino@gwu.edu

APPLAUSE

ETHICAL BEARING. Anthony Artino of HS Administration and HHF&RS and co-authors published, “Knowledge syntheses in medical education: Meta-research examining authors’ gender, geographic location and institutional affiliation,” in the Oct. 26 issue of PLOS One. He and co-authors also published, “Ethical bearing is about our conduct: Ethics as an essential component of military interprofessional healthcare teams,” in the Oct. 26 issue of Military Medicine.

VETS AS PAs. Brandon Beattie and Harrison Reed of PAS co-authored, "No, Thank You" For Your Service,” in the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

PEDIATRICS. Marisa Birkmeier of HHF&RS presented, “GEORGE Practicum, Pandemic Edition: Preparing Early Interventionists to Meet the Needs of Teachers, Family, and Children,” at the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy Annual Conference this month. She and Erin Wentzell of HHF&RS presented, “CAT Got Your Tongue? Small Group Discussions to Enhance Pediatric Clinical Reasoning,” at the conference. 

NIH GRANT. Shawneequa Callier of CRL is a co-investigator of a bioethics, legal, and social implications grant, "Bridging Gaps in the ELSI of Data Science Health Research in Nigeria.” NIH awarded $75 million to catalyze data science research in Africa and Callier’s team is one of the awardees. She’s collaborating with colleagues at the West African Bioethics Center in Nigeria. Callier also presented, “Population Descriptors in Genomics Research: What classifications are used?” this month at the Q4 IHCC Members Workshop. IHCC is the International HundredK+ Cohorts Consortium. 

NUTRITION FIRST. Leigh Frame of CRL presented, “The Future of Healthcare Begins with Nutrition, but Tell Us More about That Future” and “Caring for the Other Half of Humans: The Microbiome and Its Relationship with Nutrition,” at the Plant-based Prevention of Disease Continuing Education Conference in October. Frame has been named an inaugural member of the Friends of NIH Office of Nutrition Research Coalition by the American Society for Nutrition. 

DIVERSE DIETS. Rohini Ganjoo of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS), Sameera Talegawkar of the School of Public Health and co-authors published, "Dietary Diversity and its Associations with Anemia among Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Odisha, India," in the October issue of Ecology of Food and Nutrition.

ACTION PLAN. Mountasser Kadie of CRL presented, “Sustainability of Healthcare Organizations: A Plan of Action,” in October to the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Southeast Texas Chapter at the ACHE Annual Healthcare Leadership Conference. Kadrie was a panelist discussing, “Collaborating Across the Health System To Connect Data and Optimize Workflow,” this month to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society-Phillips Advisory Group. The panel assessed how COVID-19 has impacted and promoted collaboration across health systems to connect data and optimize patient care workflow. Last month, Kadrie developed a global health informatics course, “Digital Health Adoption: Psychological Staff Safety and Well-being,” for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform. HIMSS members from 120 countries will take the course, which launches in January, as it is a requirement for HIMSS professional certification and fellowship tracks. Kadrie was recertified and reappointed as a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives in October.

HCOP DATA. Joyce Maring of HHF&RS, Carmen Session, Reamer Bushardt, Minhye Kim of HS Administration, and Russell Korte of GSEHD presented a poster, “Improving Educational Outcomes through Mentorship: Health Careers Opportunity Program Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds,” at the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions Conference in October.

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD. Howard Straker of PAS received the President’s Award for leadership and dedication from the PA Education Association at the group’s Annual Forum in October. Straker is a former president of PAEA. He and Susan LeLacheur of PAS presented, “Teaching Race, Power and Privilege in Healthcare Settings,” at the meeting. Straker also presented, “Presidents Commission: Pipeline to the PA Profession.”  

GROUP EFFORT. Maranda Ward, Kathy Thoma and Tim McCall, all of CRL; Trudy Mallinson of HS Administration, HHF&RS and CRL, Angela McNelis of SON, Heather Yoho (MSHS graduate and former HS research assistant), Erin Wentzell of HHF&RS, Yolanda Haywood of  SMHS Administration, and Rohini Ganjoo of BLS authored a poster, “Validating an Instrument to Measure Health Equity Knowledge and Capacity of Students across the Health Professions,” for the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in October. Also at APHA, Ward presented a poster, “The Need for Processing: Training on Antiracism While Black in A White Colonial Space,” and co-authored two posters: “An Introduction to a New Model for Organizational Change towards Racial Equity,” “Student-Led Research and Practice: A Model for Organizing Antiracist Institutional Aims.”

ANNIVERSARIES. Congratulations to the following colleagues celebrating work anniversaries: Senait Tekle and Ying Yin, both of the Biomedical Informatics Center (one year). 

SAVE THE DATES. Upcoming Foggy Bottom campus events include:

• Dec. 7 from 7-8:15p: Myanmar In Crisis. A viewing of “Padauk: Myanmar Spring,” a short film documenting citizens’ efforts to reverse the coup. Film will be followed by a panel discussion with commentators from Myanmar. The Elliott School and SPH are two of the event sponsors. Register here.
• Dec. 8 from 12-6p: Free chair massages! Stop by Room B114 in District House for a free chair massage from a licensed massage therapist.
• Dec. 13 & 14 from 9a-3p: Greenhouse Plant Sale. Go green with your gift-giving and visit Room 8500 in the Science & Engineering Hall to buy a plant grown organically on campus. Houseplants, herbs, hanging baskets, orchids, rare plants, cactus, and succulents are available.

HB HOLIDAY! Heartbeats will be on holiday in December. See you in January!

MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, HUMAN FUNCTION AND REHABILITATION SCIENCES

Editor’s Note: In our continuing efforts to improve Heartbeats and make it an informative and enjoyable newsletter, this month we introduce a lead-in message from one of our department chairs: Joyce Maring of the Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences. Each year, we invite the HS chairs to write about their teams’ work and share departmental updates. Joyce is our longest serving chair, so it’s fitting that she starts this initiative. If you have suggestions for Heartbeats, please email tcapshaw@gwu.edu. We hope you enjoy this October issue – no tricks, just treats!

In fall 2017, the Department of Physical Therapy and Health Care Sciences adopted a new name: Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHF&RS). The updated designation reflects the expanded vision and progress of the department to foster and grow programs that address the health, function, and rehabilitation/habilitation needs of individuals and populations. We have been working hard to operationalize our vision.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is our most established and largest program in the department.  Effectively led by nationally recognized faculty and supported by excellent staff, the program graduates approximately 45 service-minded clinicians each year. Our graduates are trained as movement scientists who achieve the vision of the PT profession to transform society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.

A relatively new program is the Doctor of Health Sciences – Leadership in Clinical Practice and Education, which soft launched in spring 2020 and has since enrolled about 60 part-time students. Students who represent a number of health professions, geographic regions, and backgrounds, collaborate to drive improvements in education and practice, as well as advance knowledge through action-oriented research.  Many of you have contributed to our current success; thank you!

The newest program is our entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate. The program leaders and supportive staff are working hard to build a curriculum, a state-of-the-art educational space in the Watergate, and a clinical network that meets our ambitious mission to graduate practitioners who will be changemakers, empowering people and communities across the lifespan to be fully included in society. The inaugural class of 32 will start the program in fall 2022.

All of these initiatives and activities require the commitment and support of our very best resource, our people. The faculty, staff, and students of HHF&RS and of Health Sciences are dedicated and creative leaders of their professions. Although we bade farewell to a number of contributors who embraced new opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, we welcomed and continue to welcome new people and talent committed to our vision. Raise high!

--Joyce Maring, chair, Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences

PEOPLE

ON THE MOVE. While some might balk at a 1.25-hour commute to work, Alexandra Dacey doesn’t mind her bus ride from Haymarket, Virginia. “I end up sleeping for about 30 minutes,” she said with a laugh. “I look forward to that morning nap.”  Being well-rested is a good thing for her role as administrative associate in HS Administration. Dacey manages scheduling and correspondence for the senior associate dean and provides fiscal and operational support for the division. “I’ve always liked the academic setting,” she said. “I like that it’s structured and offers lots of opportunity to help others. I like learning new things and being the point-of-contact for the departments.” One of the GW perks she looks forward to is the tuition benefit. “I want to go back to school for a master’s degree in health data,” she said. Before joining GW in September, her previous experience included working as a disaster recovery specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration and as a patient care coordinator for a dental practice. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, outdoor activities, reading self-help books, and teaching Greek. She designs and teaches Greek language lessons for kindergarteners through fourth-graders at the Nativity of Our Lord Greek School in Manassas, Virginia. Dacey’s mother started the language school and Dacey enjoys teaching alongside her and her siblings. She appreciates being able to share her Greek heritage with the students. Dacey has relatives in Athens and enjoys visiting them for a couple weeks every summer. At home in Haymarket, Virginia, she lives with her parents, older sisters, and younger brother. “I like being able to spend time with my family,” she said. She is considering getting an apartment closer to Washington, D.C., eventually. “It will be nice to have a place in this fun city and go for broke for a bit,” she said. “There’s so much to do here.” Dacey has a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University.

SOLVING PUZZLES. It’s probably safe to say that of all the physicians in Health Sciences, Phillip Ma studied in the most tropical location.  Ma, who joined the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL) and the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC) as an assistant research professor, attended the University of Health Sciences Antigua School of Medicine and the American University of Integrative Sciences School of Medicine in Barbados. “It was quite an adventure,” he said of his studies in the Caribbean. “Barbados is great for vacations, but it’s different to live there. You don’t get to live on a resort – you have an apartment and cook for yourself,” he said with a laugh. “I got to try a lot of different flavors.” Island life also changed the New Jersey native culturally. “In New Jersey and New York City you don’t greet people on the street. In Barbados, if you don’t say good morning or good afternoon then they refuse to serve you. They think you’re rude.”  Ma pursued medicine because of his love of science. “Medical school seemed like the natural place for me to go,” he said. “I enjoy solving puzzles.” While he thought he wanted a career as a clinician, he realized there was more he could do with his degree. He joined BIC after volunteering there for a year and considers the position a perfect marriage of his medical and computational interests. “There are a lot less limits of what research you can run,” he said. “The computational work is fascinating to me and combining that with my medical background is great. In informatics, the world is your oyster and you can study whatever you want. I’m having a great time.“ His research interests are in Alzheimer’s, dementia, dementia-related diseases, addressing the needs of underserved populations, and leveraging social media to better inform clinical decision-making. His most recent project explored reasons for COVID hesitancy using topic modeling on Twitter data. Before joining GW, Ma worked as a scribe/consultant at Ficus Medical, a start-up in Washington, D.C. He lives in Baltimore with his wife Sophia, who is a nurse. Away from work, he enjoys skiing and golf – “I’m awful. I just enjoy playing it.” He added, “I’m also an avid tv and film consumer.” Ma doesn’t have any favorite genre but lately he’s enjoying re-watching the Sopranos. Besides his medical degree from the American University of Integrative Sciences School of Medicine, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. 

A NEW SCRIPT. D’Shaun Vance doesn’t mind admitting his guilty pleasure is watching romance movies. In fact, Vance, who recently joined HS Administration as program supervisor in academic affairs, is writing a script for a love story --and scripts for tragic and horror movies. Working on his dissertation, however, is eating into his passion for scriptwriting.  “Up until last year, I was aggressively writing scripts,” he said, noting that he took a film writing course from Spike Lee. “Now any spare time has to go to my dissertation; figuring out how to do both is a challenge.”  Vance doesn’t shy away from challenges. He pivoted from a career in finance to education and came to GW to focus on academic affairs. “I knew higher education was my calling,” he said. “I don’t look at academic affairs as a one-stop situation. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. I thrive off ambiguity and that’s what academic affairs gives me.”  An accounting major, Vance started his career as a risk management consultant with Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. He became involved in recruiting college graduates for Wells Fargo, and that’s what led to his career change. “I felt a shift for higher education come over me,” he recalled. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native headed north and joined Howard University’s School of Business as a student services coordinator. He went on to work as a college prep coordinator with the D.C. Public Schools before joining GW. Vance enjoys spending time with his girlfriend who is a fourth-year medical student at Howard. He also loves to cook – a pastime he shares with his father who taught culinary arts in the Prince Georges County Public Schools for 13 years. “I don’t have a favorite dish to cook. I like to try to recreate recipes – I have more successes than failures,” he said with a laugh. Vance has a bachelor’s degree from Norfolk State University and a master of education degree in higher education administration from Pennsylvania State University. Next July, he expects to complete his doctor of education in higher education leadership from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta.

KUDOS! Three HS staff members have received “Kudos” from coworkers for going above and beyond. Desmond Edwards, Karen Foote, and Vicky Wu all of HS Administration have been recognized by the HS Staff Culture & Morale Committee for their commitment to excellence and collaboration. Notice a staff colleague doing a great job? Nominate them today!

PROGRAMS

SEMINAR SERIES. Join the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health, CRL, and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine for a virtual lecture series on metabolic syndrome research.  The 2021-22 GW Biomedical Cross-disciplinary Seminar Series seeks to promote networking and collaboration in translational health among researchers, health care providers, and policy makers from different disciplines to shift the paradigm—from seeking a cure to developing a strategy of prevention. The seminar series runs from September 2021 through May 2022.  Registration required. 

MONEY TALKS. The GW Raise “Changing Futures” campaign to benefit the Community Medi-Corps Program (Medi-Corps) has launched and will run until mid-November. GO Virginia provided seed money for the program but more is needed for operational costs, so feel free to share the campaign link. Medi-Corps is an HS initiative with the Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, and Fairfax County Public Schools.

APPLAUSE

MINI CLINICS. Marisa Birkmeier, Matthew Garber, both of HHF&RS, and Amy Phillips of GW University Hospital presented, “Inpatient Mini-Clinics: Innovative Short-Duration Full-time Clinical Education Experiences to Meet the Contemporary Needs of all Stakeholders,” at the Educational Leadership Conference this month.

POSTDOC STUDIES. The newly funded T32 Primary Care Research Training Program in SMHS has finished recruitment of its first cohort of three postdoctoral trainees to begin later this fall. The group represents a diverse, interprofessional cadre of early career scientists spanning advanced practice nursing, preventive sciences, and linguistics. The grant, led by Reamer Bushardt of HS Administration and Trudy Mallinson of HS Administration and CRL, will support up to 10 postdoc fellows over the five-year award with partnerships across GW Schools of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nursing, and Public Health as well as the GW Medical Faculty Associates and Children’s National Hospital.  

MEDI-CORPS MESSAGE. Teri Capshaw and Linda Zanin of HS Administration made a presentation on the Community Medi-Corps Program to the GO Virginia Region 7 Board this month. A grant from GO Virginia launched the $1.6 million Medi-Corps project. Capshaw is the PI on the grant and Zanin, Kevin O'Connor of HS Administration, and Qing Zing of CRL and BIC are co-investigators.

MACHINE LEARNING. Yan Cheng, Yijun Shao, and Qing Zeng, all of CRL and BIC, presented, “Accuracies of Training Labels and Machine Learning Models: Experiments on Delirium and Simulated Data,” at Medinfo 2021 this month.

INNOVATORS. Patrick Corr of CRL and HS Administration and Catherine Golden of HS Administration presented, “Innovative Academy: Leveraging Technology & Project Management to Improve Stakeholder Management,” at the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions meeting this month.

MIXED DIETS. Leigh Frame of CRL presented, “Mixed Diets and the Microbiome – Challenges with Complexity,” at the Linus Pauling Institute earlier this month. Frame also took part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s as a member of the GW Institute for Brain Health & Dementia this month. Her mother, Connie Frame, also took part. 

NEW ROLE. Andy Garrett of CRL has been named co-director of the Disaster Medicine Program at SMHS. 

HIV TESTING. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL co-authored, “Knowledge of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV as a Predictor of HIV Testing in Some Women of Childbearing Age in Nigeria,” in the October issue of Science World Journal.

EVALUATING INTEGRATION. Gaetano Lotrecchiano, Joan Butler and Kevin Bugin of CRL co-authored, “Evaluating integration in collaborative cross-disciplinary FDA new drug reviews using an input-process-output model,” in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science last month. The article was from Bugin’s dissertation in the PhD in Translational Health Sciences Program.

CHAPTER AUTHOR. Samar Nasser of CRL and co-authors published a chapter, Cardiovascular Disease in Minorities: Unique Considerations: Hypertension in African and Hispanic Americans, in Cardiovascular Disease in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations published in September.

SHARK WEEK. Kevin O’Connor of HS Administration took a break from his White House duties and HS earlier this month and swam with sharks in Guadalupe Island, Mexico, to help raise money for the Historical Diving Society. “To visit an ancient creature such as great white sharks for several days in their natural habitat was an incredible opportunity,” he said. “The majesty of this beautiful apex predator was sublime. Eye to eye, I saw no hint of ‘frenzy’ or ‘menace’ or ‘aggression.’ They were graceful, inquisitive, and extremely deliberate.” O’Connor, a retired U.S. Army colonel, took part in the fundraising trip with former military colleagues. Guadalupe Island is a protected habitat for sharks.

PA PRESENCE. Several faculty and a staff member from the Department of PA Studies presented recently at the virtual meeting of the Physician Assistant Education Association. Participants and their work included: Debra Hermann and Nate'le'ge' Wardlow, “Deliberate Direct Observation and Assessment of Clinical Skills” (presentation); Susan. LeLachuer, “How Do Geographic and Demographic Factors Influence Physician Assistant Faculty Salary? (poster); LeLacheur, Howard Straker and second-year PA student Edith Tseng, “Teaching About Race, Power, and Privilege in Healthcare Settings (presentation); LeLacheur was a panelist on Understanding and Meeting the Diversity Accreditation Standards; Maura Polansky, Leocadia Conlon, Straker, Karen Wright, LeLacheur, Katie Sanchez, C.N. Bartz, S.O. Akinola-Hadley, J. Molaiy (all adjunct faculty), Kofi Essel of the Department of Pediatrics, and Bopper Deyton, senior associate dean for public health, “Clinical Public Health Summit: Developing PAs to Advocate for Communities” (poster); Polansky, Herrmann, and Uli Koch of CRL, “How Professional Identity May Influence Resident Perceptions of APP Roles” (presentation); Tami Ritsema, “Emergency Physician and Advanced Practice Provider Diagnostic Testing and Admissions Decisions in Chest Pain and Abdominal Pain” (presentation); Annie Wildermuth, “Comparing Admissions Interviews: Are the Applicants We Select Successful?’ (presentation), “Get the Applicants You Want: Creating Maximally Effective, Mission-Based Interview Stations” (workshop with colleagues), “ABC's of Diabetes Education: An Interprofessional Education Model” (poster with colleagues).

SITE VISITOR. Lisa Schwartz of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences served as a member of the reaccreditation review team for the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling. She made a site visit to the University of Minnesota’s genetic counseling program.

AWARD WINNERS. Geoff Shapiro and Andy Garrett of the Emergency Health Services Program in CRL received the 2021 Cooperative Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The award was presented for their collaborative efforts supporting the HHS OIG COVID-19 Organizational Readiness and Agile Response Teams. This program empowered OIG enforcement employees to continue to perform their mission-critical field work while mitigating the risk from COVID-19.

TRAINING OTHERS. Maranda Ward of CRL co-directed a new micro-minor in health equity in CCAS and took part in a DC Health-funded training, “Implicit Bias: A Practical Guide for Healthcare Setting,” for health care practitioners/trainees. She also co-authored two posters, “Creating Community-Centered Modules on Structural Racism for Health” and “Health and Racial Equity Toolkit for Clinical Investigators,” for the American Medical Association Change MedEd Conference in September and lead a training earlier this month, “Moving Beyond Bystanding to Disrupting Racism, Part II,” for staff, faculty, and fellows in the GW Presidential Fellowship program.

RESOURCES. Check out an online course, “Health Equity Series,” hosted by Maranda Ward of CRL. Eligible clinicians can earn CME. Also, a workshop Ward co-facilitated, “Moving Beyond Bystanding to Disrupting Racism,” is now an online asynchronous course.

SAVE THE DATES. Upcoming Foggy Bottom campus events include:

• Oct. 29 from 12-3p: POP! A thrift store pop-up at the GW Textile Museum. POP! was started by GW undergraduates whose goal is to promote a culture of sustainable fashion by reducing textile waste and contributing to a circular economy of campus.
• Nov. 4 @ 2p: Conflict Styles: A Session for Faculty & Staff. A workshop where participants will identify different styles of conflict resolution and learn how to optimally use various conflict resolution skills. Learn more.
• Nov. 14 @ 1p: Corcoran Music Festival. This final concert of the annual Corcoran Music Festival features orchestra, choir, and band students of the Corcoran School for Arts & Design.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN

It has been an eventful week at GW. First, the university officially welcomed students back to campus with its Weeks of Welcome activities, along with numerous Health Sciences and medical students who were already deep into their studies and exams. This Tuesday, the FDA approved the first COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine/Comirnaty™) to prevent COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. In a bold move, Mayor Bowser and D.C. Health announced, that by September 30, 2021, all health care workers in the district must receive at least the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, to avoid adverse effects on licensure/renewal, employment, and access to medical records. The mayor’s rule—welcomed by many public health leaders and health advocates—applies to all licensed, certified, and registered health professionals, including EMS providers, as well as unlicensed health care workers.

Members of the HS community have concerns, understandably, about the Delta variant. I have heard a few related to GW’s return to campus, and more related to sending children back to K-12 schools. SMHS leadership is taking these concerns to heart; rest assured we will continue to monitor community spread and campus surveillance data closely, taking additional steps, as needed, to protect the health and safety of the SMHS trainees, faculty, and staff. Let me share a bit more about the Delta variant and our campus safety plans.

First, the Delta variant causes more infections and spreads faster than earlier forms of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Some data suggest it can cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated people. The GW vaccine mandate is important, because COVID vaccines continue to reduce a person’s risk of contracting the virus that causes COVID-19, including this variant. They continue to be highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death, including against this variant. And fully vaccinated people with breakthrough infections from the Delta variant appear to be infectious for a shorter period. The GW testing program is important, because fully vaccinated people with Delta variant breakthrough infections can spread the virus to others. Getting vaccinated and wearing masks indoors in public spaces can reduce the spread of this variant.  Our community is already putting the best evidence and related practices into action, and each of us can support a healthy campus through vigilance with campus safety guidelines.  Finally, SMHS and our clinical enterprise have plans underway to support third doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for those eligible as they meet the eight-month mark since their second dose. 

From August 1^st to the 23^rd, GW has administered 13,669 COVID tests with 51 positives and an overall case positivity rate of 0.33% (seven-day rolling average). Excellent outcomes with vaccine compliance and early identification of positive cases through quick, on-site testing for returning students and employees will help keep GW a safe place to learn, discover, and serve. I hope you all are excited to reconnect with students and colleagues this fall, so we can continue our important work to drive innovation and quality in health and health care delivery through education, scholarship, and service. I remain incredibly proud of and grateful for the hard work, achievements, and resilience of our HS faculty, staff, and students. This month’s HB offers some incredible examples of your many talents and dedication—I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did. 

--Reamer Bushardt, professor and senior associate dean  

PEOPLE

AIMING HIGH. Angelique Redmond has a passion for improving medical education. “I want students to have the best learning experience possible,” said Redmond, who joined the Department of Physician Assistant Studies (PAS) in May as assistant director of clinical education. Her strategic approach to managing student rotations involves “creating partnerships with preceptors that exemplify our values – equitable, team-based, patient-centered care – and further our mission to help close health disparity gaps in communities by increasing the presence of PAs in health care settings,” she said. “To do this, we will vet and develop unconventional tactics to engage new and current clinical preceptors.” Redmond’s previous experience at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus has prepared her for her GW role. As a program manager at Inova, she was responsible for the recruitment and onboarding processes for medical students, PA students, and physician fellows. Away from the office, she loves to travel and spend time with her two kids who are still at home in Waldorf, Maryland: a daughter who is a rising high school senior and an almost 12-year-old son going into seventh grade. The single mother also has a daughter who graduated from Northeastern University in May and is living and working in Boston. “I like to do new and exciting things – adventurous activities with my children,” she said. “I want them to expand their horizons and experience as many activities as possible, even during this pandemic.” Redmond has a bachelor’s degree from Strayer University and expects to earn her master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus in May 2022. She holds project management professional certification.

QUICK MOVES. Christian Ulysse is looking for a good fight – an enjoyable dodgeball competition, that is. Ulysse, the new assistant director of admissions for PAS, left Philadelphia as a three-peat dodgeball champion and he’d like to continue his streak here. (He does note that before becoming champion he lost in the finals four times in a row.) Ulysse discovered the game as a summer camp counselor and quickly learned it was his sport of choice. “I would destroy the campers,” he said with a laugh, noting that the foam balls didn’t cause any harm. “It turns out I was good with the adults, too,” he added about joining an adult league in Philadelphia. Ulysse’s true occupation in Philadelphia was serving as the assistant director of graduate admissions at Thomas Jefferson University, where he worked with PA, physical therapy, and athletic training programs. Before serving as assistant director, Ulysse was an admissions counselor. The HS PA program and location inspired his relocation. “I wanted to be in DC. It’s my favorite city,” the Pittsburgh native said. “There’s just so much history and it’s beautiful. It’s the place to be.” His position isn’t bad either. “I love working with prospective applicants … being able to see them through from the start to the finish, especially with such an esteemed program as ours,” he said. Ulysse lives in Arlington, Virginia, and has a bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in higher education management from the University of Pittsburgh. Away from work, he enjoys exploring museums, reading, visiting restaurants and bars, and taking walks. But make no mistake, dodgeball is his passion: “I’m looking for a team here. I want to continue my winning streak.”

RIGHT AT HOME. Annie Wildermuth never planned on becoming a triathlete. But at the height of the pandemic, that’s exactly what she did. Wildermuth, who joined PAS in June, is a lifelong swimmer, so when gyms closed she decided to take up running and biking. “I just did it out of the blue; one of the few things you could do was bike and run, so I decided to combine them,” she said. She’s competed in two triathlons already and will undertake a third this fall. The stamina it takes to be a triathlete will serve Wildermuth well in her roles as assistant professor, associate PA program director, and director of didactic education. “GW is a strong program and is associated with an academic health science center; it is a wonderful opportunity,” said the new Arlington, Virginia, resident. “The faculty here are incredible – they’re doing innovative research, considerable advocacy on issues important to the PA profession, and are well-known for being outstanding educators and leaders.” The Health Sciences’ mission to increase diversity in the health professions lines up with her research interests and passion for improving access to the PA profession. She will serve as course director for clinical courses and assist with PA program management. One goal is to expand our work with the military. “A substantial part of my career has involved working with the military, and that’s something I very much want to continue,” she said. Before joining GW, she served as associate PA program director and assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center PA Program. Besides triathlons, Wildermuth, who’s a registered dietitian, enjoys cooking in her spare time. The Connecticut native experts to earn her PhD next spring from Salus University in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania. She has a master’s degree from the Division of Physician Assistant Education at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.

MORE NEWBIES. HS has two more additions. Cliff Cymrot of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) and his wife, Sheri, wecomed a son, Alexander Ephraim Cymrot, on May 2, while Melissa Parno of PAS and her husband, Travis, welcomed a son, Finnegan (Finn) Joseph Parno, born on March 25. 

IT'S OFFICIAL. Anthony R. Artino Jr. of HS Administration and the Department of Health and Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR) has been named associate dean for evaluation and educational research for SMHS, after serving in the role on an interim basis for a year. Artino was also recently appointed to the Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Another organization that Artino and others at HS are involved in, the Association for Medical Education in Europe, has a new website at SMHS. Check it out!

MOVING UP. Desmond Edwards and Vicky Wu both of HS Administration have been promoted to program associates after serving as program coordinators. They joined HS in June 2019 and are part of the records and registration team.

PROGRAMS

SUMMER SCIENCE. Several staff and faculty members of BLS are celebrating another successful Laboratory Sciences Summer Immersion Program. This is the fifth year that the introductory program was offered to high school, community college, and undergraduate students. Ninety-five students attended the sessions held in July. Emma Levine, Cliff Cymrot, Marcia Firmani, Rohini Ganjoo, Allison Cannon, Yousif Barzani, and Graciela Lopez Gamboa of BLS worked on the program.

APPLAUSE.

PEDS PT. Marisa Birkmeier of HHFR and co-authors published, “National Study of Excellence in Pediatric Physical Therapy Education: Design, Methods, and Results," in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal and “The Minimal Clinical Important Difference (MCID) in Annual Rate of Change of Timed Function Tests in Boys with DMD” in the Journal of Neuromuscular Diseases.

SERVING GW. Several faculty members have been appointed to serve on GW and SMHS committees: Marisa Birkmeier of HHFR - member of SMHS Executive Committee; Joan Butler of the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (CRL) - member of Clinical Conflict of Interest/Commitment Committee; Mountasser Kadrie of CRL - Committee on Equity and Inclusive Excellence, Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Fiscal Planning and Budgeting, Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Educational Policy and Technology; Gaetano Lotrecchiano of CRL - Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Libraries, Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Educational Policy and Technology; Lisa Schwartz of BLS - chair of Health Sciences Student Evaluation Committee, chair of the Executive Committee of the Clara Bliss Hinds Women in Medicine and Health Sciences Society, and vice chair of SMHS Executive Committee; Kathy Thoma of CRL - Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Libraries, Faculty Senate Standing Committee for Joint Committees of Faculty and Students; Maranda Ward of CRL - Faculty Senate Standing Committee on University and Urban Affairs.

RESEARCH FIRST. Reamer Bushardt of HS Administration has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from HRSA with a T32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award institutional research training grant – a first for SMHS to train clinical postdoctoral trainees. Bushardt (PI) is joined on the grant by Trudy Mallinson (co-director) of HS Administration and CRL, Sheel Singh of HS Administration, and Sonia Crandall of HHFR. The project hopes to recruit its first three fellows by November, and welcomes nominations and referrals from HS.

GENOMICS GROUP. Shawneequa Callier of CRL has been invited to join the National Human Genome Research Institute’s Genomics and Society Working Group, part of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research.

LEARNING LEADERSHIP. Saachi De Silva of BLS has been accepted into the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Scientists Leadership Academy for 2021-2022.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH. Marcia Firmani of BLS is the co-investigator on a $39,434 grant from the GW Cross-Disciplinary Research Fund for “An Amphibian Surrogate Model of Mycobacterial Immune Evasion.” Leon Grayfer of Columbian College’s Department of Biological Sciences is the PI on the grant that runs through next June. Firmani also made two presentations: “The use and feasibility of pathogen reduction technology on several blood components” with Francisco Rentas of BLS to the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists Joint Annual Meeting in June, and “Priori Diseases” to the BLS department’s PACE CEU program in July.

TOP 100 & A NEW ROLE. Leigh Frame of CRL has received a Top 100 Health Care Leaders for 2020-21 award from the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare. She was recognized at a June ceremony in Las Vegas for her “significant and tangible contributions towards the healthcare industry.” In April, she assumed a new role as associate director of the (GW) Resiliency & Well-Being Center. Frame presented, “Nutrition and the Gut Microbiome: How Your Bugs and Diet Interact,” at the Plant-based Prevention of Disease Continuing Education Conference in June. She and Scott Jackson of CRL presented, “Characterizing the Gut Microbiome of Dietary Patterns using Pooled Samples: Assessing a Novel Methodological Approach to a Complex Web of Confounders,” at Nutrition 2021, the American Society for Nutrition conference in June. 

HEALTH EQUITY. Rohini Ganjoo of BLS, Maranda Ward and Kathy Thoma of CRL and Heather Yoho (MSHS ’21) presented a poster, “Assessing Health Equity Knowledge and Capacity of Health Professional Students: A Validation Study,” at the 2021 American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Education held this summer. The four also presented, “Standardizing Health Equity Competencies Across Health Professions Training Programs,” at the Virtual Health Equity Summit In June.

GO TIME. Mountasser Kadrie of CRL presented, “Tele-ICU: Time is Now,” in June as an invited speaker for a GW School of Business webinar.

PA SCHOLAR. Harrison Reed of PAS has received a Physician Assistant Education Association Scholarship to attend the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Educators in the Health Professions. The program’s goal is to enhance the professional development of physicians, basic scientists, and other health care professionals as educators. Reed also is a recipient of the Doximity Fellowship Program’s “Op-Med’ track for 2021-22. Doximity Fellows are leaders in medical news curation, storytelling, and content creation. Reed has two publications: an editorial, “Diversity requires an admissions process overhaul,” in the June issue of JAAPA and an original research article with co-authors, “Reasons PAs Quit Their Jobs,” in the August issue of JAAPA.

TALKING SCIENCE. Carol Rentas of BLS presented, “Communicating Science to the Public,” at the Biocord Network Summer Conference in July. She also was appointed chair of the Leadership Development Committee of the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science and to the Review Committee for Accredited Programs for the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

CAREER CHOICES. Lisa Schwartz and Cliff Cymrot of BLS presented, “Factors Influencing MLS Career Choice Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic,” at the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science Joint Annual Meeting in June.

IN THE NEWS. Melissa Tice of CRL was quoted in the press regarding the FDA’s review and approval process of COVID-19 vaccines: Healthline.com (July 6), CNN Health (July 22), Buzzfeed (July 23), and FDA News (July 29).

CTE INFLUENCER. Linda Zanin of HS Administration has been appointed to the Virginia Board of Education Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Committee. Zanin was named to the committee for a three-year term by the Virginia Board of Education in recognition of her background and 30 years of experience in education. The CTE committee is charged with advising the commonwealth’s board on policies, procedures, and methods to help strengthen career and technology educational programs.

WORK ANNIVERSARIES. Congratulations to the following colleagues celebrating anniversaries: Shawneequa Callier of CRL (10 years), Holly Jonely of HHFR (10 years), Uli Koch of CRL (5 years), Will Noone of HS Administration (10 years), Howard Straker of PAS (20 years), Nate’le’ge Wardlow of PAS (one year), and Ernestine Yarborough of CRL (5 years).

SAVE THE DATES. Mark your calendar for upcoming events: Sept. 1-2: Proud to be GW Festival and Oct. 1-3: the GW Centuries Celebration Weekend that will include commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021. HS will host a reception for graduates, faculty, and staff on Oct. 2 from 3 to 5 pm in the Ross Hall Courtyard. Contact Nick Atlas for information. 

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).

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).

February 2021

Things are starting to look up in 2021 and not a moment too soon. The COVID Tracking Project is reporting a 37 percent drop in cases, 23 percent drop in deaths, and percent drop in hospitalizations in the U.S. over the last two weeks. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines continue to be shipped and administered around the country, and the FDA will review data for emergency authorization on promising new vaccines this Friday. We still have a long way to go and continued vigilance with public safety measures is key, but the recent progress provides hope. It is yet to be determined if this devastating disease, which has already claimed the lives of more than 500,000 Americans, will continue to be a part of our lives for years to come. However, the response of the health care and scientific communities at GW and around the globe ---despite failures by local and federal governments along the way—has been heartening.  At this point, GW is planning for a largely typical Fall 2021 semester and campus life but continues to monitor the regional situation very carefully.

There is much to be proud of in this month’s “Heartbeats,” and ample evidence of the significant impact HS teams are having in the classroom, the community, and in science. I am particularly excited about the hybrid BSHS programs that we will begin recruiting applicants next month. This advancement in undergraduate education for HS, made possible by many hours of work by our faculty and staff, is a truly milestone moment. Through our shared commitment to increasing diversity within the health professions and growing regional pathway programs (not to mention advocacy at GW to support these causes), we soon begin a new chapter in Health Sciences’ academic life. In front of us is a unique opportunity to help shape more undergraduate students with the foundational skills to not just survive but thrive in graduate health professions and research programs in HS. To be successful, we will need everyone’s participation in the implementation and promotion of these BSHS programs to ensure robust enrollment and the highest quality student experience at VSTC.

Let me conclude, in recognition of Black History Month and SMHS’ commitment to equity and social justice, with a short clip featuring Dr. Maya Angelou. Her divine gift for storytelling, her mastery in the classroom as a professor, and the power of her words as a blueprint for a righteous life all continue to inspire and direct me.  In this short interview, she reminds us that “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Her courage (against major life obstacles), humor, and hopefulness are lessons, and her message should be heard that no one truly claims freedom and equality, until we all do. So, let us find the courage within ourselves and nurture it within those we teach and mentor, then work together to dismantle the structures and processes that drive inequality in our community. There are many opportunities to get involved at SMHS for this essential work, and I invite all of us to join in.   

--Reamer Bushardt, Professor and Senior Associate Dean

LOOKING EAST.

Lisa Bagby, OTD, OTR/L, MHA, has never visited Washington, D.C., but she's eager to make the city her home. Bagby, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR), joined HS in February and plans to move this summer from Omaha, Nebraska. "Friends say, 'You're moving to DC and you've never been there?' That's part of the excitement," Bagby said. "Helping to start a new OT program was really appealing. And I want to live in a more progressive and diverse area." A native of Iowa, Bagby has lived in the Midwest for all of her life, though she has worked in California, Alaska, Chicago, and Oregon as a travel therapist. "You do therapy on contract for 13 weeks and then you move on," she explained. "I worked in five different states on 10 different contracts over five years." Besides the rigor of our Occupational Therapy Programs (OT), GW's reputation and the opportunity for professional development attracted Bagby to  HS. She will coordinate academic fieldwork for the OT programs. "Academia is a really great fit for me," she said. "I can impact peoples' lives every day." Bagby joins us from Creighton University, where she was an assistant professor and director of clinical education for the past four years. So what is she looking forward to when she moves to DC? Visiting museums and seeing the city by foot alongside Biscuit, her Australian Cattle dog. Other hobbies include adventure travel, camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, talking politics, and trivia. "I have quite a memory; I remember random knowledge which I share readily whether you want to hear it or not!" she said with a laugh. Bagby has an MHS from Des Moines University and her doctorate from Creighton.

NEW ROLE.

Rohini Ganjoo of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) has been named senior director of undergraduate studies in Health Sciences. In this new role, she will partner will faculty leading various BSHS programs in Health Sciences  and lead efforts to create a home for hybrid undergraduate programs at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus. Four of seven hybrid BSHS programs, part of a division-wide initiative to expand undergraduate education and advance diversity in the health professions, will enroll their first cohorts in August 2022. The initiative will provide a pathway for graduates of the Governor's Health Sciences Academy, the Health Careers Opportunity Program, along with other traditional students to pursue health careers. Future plans include a fully residential BSHS experience and development of early selection and on-ramp programs that link BSHS students to graduate training programs in HS. Ganjoo, assistant professor, will continue as director of the MSHS in Medical Laboratory Science, MSHS in Immunohematology and Biotechnology, and MSHS in Translational Microbiology programs. She joined HS in 2015 and is the recipient of the 2020 SMHS Distinguished Teacher Award. 

PREVENTION SCIENTIST.

Moving from London to a town of 30,000 in Washington state was a bit of culture shock for Senait Tekle, MS, MA. Needless to say, Tekle, a research program associate in the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC), has had an easier time adjusting to life in the DMV. The big pluses: not having a five-hour drive to an international airport, restaurants with her native Ethiopian/Eritrean food, and being closer to family on the East Coast. Count her work in BIC as a positive, too. "I really like the team; they are very approachable and helpful," Tekle said. "I'm finding a lot of research that we can collaborate on." Tekle expects to finish her PhD in prevention science from Washington State University this year; she's interested in researching social issues, such as suicide and opioid addiction. "Prevention science is a new field that focuses on social issues using a human developmental framework to improve health and well-being," she said. "It's moving from intervention to prevention." Before joining HS last November, she was a research translation graduate intern with the National Prevention Science Coalition. When Tekle was a teen her family left Ethiopia to vacation in England. While there, a civil war broke out in Ethiopia. Her family was eventually able to return home, but Tekle stayed behind at an English boarding school so her education wouldn't be interrupted. She ended up living in England for 20 years and met and married her husband there. She and her husband, a pharmacist whose work brought them here, live in McLean, Virginia, with their 12-year-old son and two daughters, 13 and 15. Away from work and writing her dissertation, Tekle enjoys volunteering at her children's three schools. "I get to spend more time with them and I like that," she said. Tekle has an MA in international business management from the University of Westminster in London and a MS in prevention science from Washington State University.

Things are starting to look up in 2021 and not a moment too soon. The COVID Tracking Project is reporting a 37 percent drop in cases, 23 percent drop in deaths, and percent drop in hospitalizations in the U.S. over the last two weeks. The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines continue to be shipped and administered around the country, and the FDA will review data for emergency authorization on promising new vaccines this Friday. We still have a long way to go and continued vigilance with public safety measures is key, but the recent progress provides hope. It is yet to be determined if this devastating disease, which has already claimed the lives of more than 500,000 Americans, will continue to be a part of our lives for years to come. However, the response of the health care and scientific communities at GW and around the globe ---despite failures by local and federal governments along the way—has been heartening.  At this point, GW is planning for a largely typical Fall 2021 semester and campus life but continues to monitor the regional situation very carefully.

There is much to be proud of in this month’s “Heartbeats,” and ample evidence of the significant impact HS teams are having in the classroom, the community, and in science. I am particularly excited about the hybrid BSHS programs that we will begin recruiting applicants next month, then launch in Fall 2021 at VSTC. This advancement in undergraduate education for HS, made possible by many hours of work by our faculty and staff, is a truly milestone moment. Through our shared commitment to increasing diversity within the health professions and growing regional pathway programs (not to mention advocacy at GW to support these causes), we soon begin a new chapter in Health Sciences’ academic life. In front of us is a unique opportunity to help shape undergraduate students with the foundational skills to not just survive but thrive in graduate health professions and research programs in HS. To be successful, we will need everyone’s participation in the implementation and promotion of these BSHS programs to ensure robust enrollment and the highest quality student experience at VSTC.

Let me conclude, in recognition of Black History Month and SMHS’ commitment to equity and social justice, with a short clip featuring Dr. Maya Angelou. Her divine gift for storytelling, her mastery in the classroom as a professor, and the power of her words as a blueprint for a righteous life all continue to inspire and direct me.  In this short interview, she reminds us that “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Her courage (against major life obstacles), humor, and hopefulness are lessons, and her message should be heard that no one truly claims freedom and equality, until we all do. So, let us find the courage within ourselves and nurture it within those we teach and mentor, then work together to dismantle the structures and processes that drive inequality in our community. There are many opportunities to get involved at SMHS for this essential work, and I invite all of us to join in.   

--Reamer Bushardt, Professor and Senior Associate Dean

LOOKING EAST.

Lisa Bagby, OTD, OTR/L, MHA, has never visited Washington, D.C., but she's eager to make the city her home. Bagby, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences (HHFR), joined HS in February and plans to move this summer from Omaha, Nebraska. "Friends say, 'You're moving to DC and you've never been there?' That's part of the excitement," Bagby said. "Helping to start a new OT program was really appealing. And I want to live in a more progressive and diverse area." A native of Iowa, Bagby has lived in the Midwest for all of her life, though she has worked in California, Alaska, Chicago, and Oregon as a travel therapist. "You do therapy on contract for 13 weeks and then you move on," she explained. "I worked in five different states on 10 different contracts over five years." Besides the rigor of our Occupational Therapy Programs (OT), GW's reputation and the opportunity for professional development attracted Bagby to  HS. She will coordinate academic fieldwork for the OT programs. "Academia is a really great fit for me," she said. "I can impact peoples' lives every day." Bagby joins us from Creighton University, where she was an assistant professor and director of clinical education for the past four years. So what is she looking forward to when she moves to DC? Visiting museums and seeing the city by foot alongside Biscuit, her Australian Cattle dog. Other hobbies include adventure travel, camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, talking politics, and trivia. "I have quite a memory; I remember random knowledge which I share readily whether you want to hear it or not!" she said with a laugh. Bagby has an MHS from Des Moines University and her doctorate from Creighton.

NEW ROLE.

Rohini Ganjoo of the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (BLS) has been named senior director of undergraduate studies in Health Sciences. In this new role, she will partner will faculty leading various BSHS programs in Health Sciences  and lead efforts to create a home for hybrid undergraduate programs at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus. Four of seven hybrid BSHS programs, part of a division-wide initiative to expand undergraduate education and advance diversity in the health professions, will enroll their first cohorts in August 2022. The initiative will provide a pathway for graduates of the Governor's Health Sciences Academy, the Health Careers Opportunity Program, along with other traditional students to pursue health careers. Future plans include a fully residential BSHS experience and development of early selection and on-ramp programs that link BSHS students to graduate training programs in HS. Ganjoo, assistant professor, will continue as director of the MSHS in Medical Laboratory Science, MSHS in Immunohematology and Biotechnology, and MSHS in Translational Microbiology programs. She joined HS in 2015 and is the recipient of the 2020 SMHS Distinguished Teacher Award. 

PREVENTION SCIENTIST.

Moving from London to a town of 30,000 in Washington state was a bit of culture shock for Senait Tekle, MS, MA. Needless to say, Tekle, a research program associate in the Biomedical Informatics Center (BIC), has had an easier time adjusting to life in the DMV. The big pluses: not having a five-hour drive to an international airport, restaurants with her native Ethiopian/Eritrean food, and being closer to family on the East Coast. Count her work in BIC as a positive, too. "I really like the team; they are very approachable and helpful," Tekle said. "I'm finding a lot of research that we can collaborate on." Tekle expects to finish her PhD in prevention science from Washington State University this year; she's interested in researching social issues, such as suicide and opioid addiction. "Prevention science is a new field that focuses on social issues using a human developmental framework to improve health and well-being," she said. "It's moving from intervention to prevention." Before joining HS last November, she was a research translation graduate intern with the National Prevention Science Coalition. When Tekle was a teen her family left Ethiopia to vacation in England. While there, a civil war broke out in Ethiopia. Her family was eventually able to return home, but Tekle stayed behind at an English boarding school so her education wouldn't be interrupted. She ended up living in England for 20 years and met and married her husband there. She and her husband, a pharmacist whose work brought them here, live in McLean, Virginia, with their 12-year-old son and two daughters, 13 and 15. Away from work and writing her dissertation, Tekle enjoys volunteering at her children's three schools. "I get to spend more time with them and I like that," she said. Tekle has an MA in international business management from the University of Westminster in London and a MS in prevention science from Washington State University.