CHHS E-News for the Department of Global and Community Health

The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes a professional graduate of the College of Health and Human Services whose contributions to the health care or human services fields merit special commendation. CHHS is accepting nominations if you would like to recommend an alumnus/a to be considered for this prestigious award. Please submit nominations by Tuesday, November 30. Contact Gail Weirich at (703) 993-6018 for additional details.

Alumni Weekend

September 30 – October 3

Mason’s second annual Alumni Weekend welcomed over 1,000 alumni and guests back to campus for four days of events. More on Alumni Weekend. 2010.

Dirt on the Grape, the Next Course

CHHS Alumni Chapter Event

On the evening of October 2, over 50 CHHS alumni, guests, and faculty shared an evening of great conversations, great desserts, and great wines in Mason Hall. Chef Sandy Amato and Sommelier Mary Watson De-Lauder featured samplings of desserts and dessert wines that were paired to bring out the best flavors in food and drink. Each guest received a gift certificate courtesy of Reston Limousine for a local Virginia wine tour and a souvenir program with listings of the featured desserts and wines. The following community organizations contributed to door prizes: Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast Inn, author Ellen Crosby, and Giving Circle of Hope. Alumni were represented from the classes of 1975 – 2010. View photos from the event.

Innovation 101: Trends and Opportunities

in Health Management Information

Presented by the Department of

Health Administration and Policy

Nichols and Matteo CHHS and Mason alumni, faculty, and guests attended the afternoon event featuring John J. Matteo, Esq., Jackson, and Campbell, and Dr. Len Nichols, director, Health Policy Research and Ethics Center, CHHS. The speakers led discussions in health management, health technology and other timely subjects in the field. Alumni and guests had opportunities for sharing of work experiences and networking. Powerpoints for both speakers can be downloaded.

This event was the second meeting of CHHS’ Health Administration and Policy Alumni Affinity group. The group was established to bring together alumni who share a commonality of professional interests in the field of health care administration and management. The next meeting is scheduled for Spring 2011. Visit the website for updates. If you are interested in additional information on the HAP Alumni Affinity group, email chhsalum@gmu.edu.

Alumni Chapter Board Outreach to Local Area Alumni

The CHHS Alumni Chapter Board has started an outreach to alumni by arranging visits to local work places. In June, the board held an open house at Reston Hospital. In September, volunteers visited alumni at the Fairfax County Health Department, Springfield District Office and Kelly Square in Fairfax, and also visited the Fairfax County Government Center. Alumni were interested in learning about post-graduate programs and were pleased to hear about the expanding academic programs at Mason. A scrapbook of chapter events, flyers on upcoming events, and door prize drawings added to the excitement of the visits.

Elaine Bango, BSN '82; Lisa Callahan, BSW '03, MSW '04; Meg Marcus, BSN '86; Lori McLean, MSN '96;Juanita Perkins, BSN '10; Bridget Nesko, BSN '06; Kathleen Ross, MSW '08; and Dawn Whitmore, BSN '10, participated in planning the events.

A visit to Fair Oaks Hospital is scheduled for November 17. Contact Gail Weirich at (703) 993-6018 for additional details or if your work place has a group of CHHS alumni and you are interested in helping to plan an outreach at your facility.

Upcoming Alumni Events

Alumni Chapter Yoga/Pilates Fundraiser
February 3, February 10, and February 12

HC logo Save the date for Homecoming! A weekend of activities culminates on Saturday, February 5 with the exciting basketball game. February is also a great month to be kind to yourself and learn energizing ways to achieve flexibility and strength for our minds and bodies. The CHHS Alumni Chapter is presenting a workshop in yoga and pilates that will teach techniques to aid in stress release, develop flexibility, and strengthen your core.

yoga pilates

Focus inwardly to connect with your mind and body, and focus outwardly to connect with un-met needs of CHHS by contributing to student scholarships and programs. The Alumni Chapter will be collecting contributions of any amount at this event to further scholarship opportunities for students.

Please visit CHHS Alumni and Friends for updates and specifics on the event. Contact Gail Weirich at (703) 993-6018 for additional details.

Step Up To The Challenge For CHHS in 2011

CHHS has received a challenge grant from generous donors totaling $17,500 to be applied towards priority needs for the college. This is exciting news! To complete the challenge:

CHHS needs to receive 175 individual donations from alumni and future alumni in the classes of 2008–2012 at both the undergraduate or graduate level.
The terms of the challenge grant do not stipulate a specific amount for the contribution but the funds must be donated during the current fiscal year which ends June 30, 2011.

We hope you will consider a gift at this time that will benefit students and faculty in the college. You can request that your gift be applied to a specific program or scholarship fund. Please visit the CHHS Alumni and Friends website for more information on ways of supporting the college. For questions, please contact Gail Weirich at (703) 993-6018.

Spotlight on Alumni

Clarice Chau, CERG '09, MS '09

chau Who knew that completing the master's program in global health at George Mason University was one of the best decisions of my life? After graduating with a BS in biological sciences and psychology, I had no idea what I was going to do next in life. I was only an average student, with average marks and test scores, nowhere near exceptional. However, my options were open and the possibilities seemed endless. In my early twenties, I felt I could do anything and no one could stop me. While trying to decide on which path to take, I got a call from the Department of Global and Community Health asking for me to interview for their program. I had almost forgotten about my application sent in months ago.

It was the middle of June 2007, and I walked up the stairs to meet Professor Lorraine Rudowski. Quite intimidated with her straightforward questions and stern look, I answered as honestly as possible and only hoped that I did not completely blow it. The program was global health and she had asked me why I wanted a master's degree in it - I answered that I have a true passion for health and health care, especially of children, and that I loved to travel, why not combine the two? Little did I know that day, Lorraine would be talking about that interview to future students to come.

I was accepted sometime later and was excited to start my studies in global health. My first semester I took Lorraine's class. In addition, I also registered for Dr. Curtiss Swezy's class, "International Health Organization." That class inspired me. He talked from his own life experiences working with USAID abroad and his passion resonated through his lecture. I knew I had made the right decision with this degree. By the second semester of my studies, I proposed a hypothetical research project to be done in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Having lived in Vietnam for many years, Dr. Swezy encouraged me to follow through and actually do the research project. So with much help from him and Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen, I spent my first summer as a graduate student in Vietnam.

Returning in fall 2008, I was completely certain that global child health was my true life calling. I took all of Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen's classes in the next two semesters and decided to add a graduate certificate program in epidemiology to my current studies. Graduating in 2009 with an MS in global health and a graduate certificate in epidemiology, I did not want to stop. I continued as a graduate student with Dr. Heibatollah Baghi for the biostatistics certificate while working as an adjunct professor for the department that inspired me so much. I taught undergraduate classes in international health and nutrition, and hoped that I could inspire my students the same way my professors inspired me. After a year of teaching and continuing with courses, Virginia Tech offered me a position as doctoral student and research associate. I am currently working on my doctoral studies in behavioral nutrition and continue to research to benefit child health domestically and globally. I would not have gotten this far without the inspirations of the faculty in the Department of Global and Community Health, especially Lorraine Rudowski. She believed in me and my interest "in health and travelling," and it was fate that I made a lasting impression on her.

College News

2010 Annual Whitman-Walker AIDS Walk

This year's 2010 AIDS Walk Washington team was the largest team Mason has ever put together in over 20 years of participating in AIDS Walk. Among the 40 student organizations and departments participating on Mason's AIDS Walk team was the Department of Global and Community Health, the GMU Society of Public Health, and students from GCH 450 (Culture, Sexuality and the Global AIDS Epidemic) and GCH 571 (HIV/AIDS Concepts, Principles and Interventions) courses. Mason had the second largest university team participating in AIDS Walk this year and raised over $10,700 for the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Faculty News

Fall for the Book with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. James Metcalf, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, collaborated with the Fall for the Book to treat undergraduate students to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Johnson Center Cinema. In an effort to explore health in the affective domain, Dr. Metcalf's classes are exploring The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Additionally, a screening of the 1931 original film, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, has been shown.

Reading One student commented on the music in the film, “BACH'S Toccata and Fugue in D minor, a malignant melody, fuels our most sinister ambitions and breaks our innocence with ITS swirling sensations of sound. This dark tutor inspires OUR shadows, lovingly encouraging us to reach deep into the heart.”

GCH students Alessandra Senisse and Eba Siddig developed a short quiz after the students viewed the film. Refreshments and discussion followed.

Pictured above: Department manager Allan Weiss and Professor James Metcalf ponder health and disease as metaphors for good and evil -- or perhaps they are planning menu selections for next year's cinema.

Patrice Winter, Physical Therapist, Assistant Professor

Winter Patrice Winter, assistant professor for GCH, research faculty for the Center for Study of Chronic Illness and Disability (CCID), and elder care coordinator for Mason's HR/Payroll department, is a busy member of the CHHS and Mason family. One of the programs in HR/payroll that Winter manages is a health initiative, Wellness by Mason.

Winter was recently interviewed by USA Today on improving posture with exercise and shoes while at work. Additionally, the American Physical Therapy Association has put together six short YouTube videos with Winter demonstrating technique and form. Read the USA Today article. Watch the APTA videos.

Exercising When Diabetes Affects Mobility

“Having an amputation or being in a wheelchair can make it hard to think about fitness, but diabetes management still requires activity,” says Patrice Winter. Winter was interviewed by EveryDay Health. Read the article.

Participants Needed for Study

Assistant Professor Cara Frankenfeld and Research Assistant Jill Poudrier, together with investigators from the College of Science, are recruiting participants for a study of how diet, geography, and obesity interrelate with each other.