 |
|
Stay in Touch |
Welcome to the first issue of our alumni e-newsletter for the
Department of Health Administration and Policy It is our hope this will be
an effective way to stay in touch with you and to disseminate information
regarding news of the Department of Health Administration and Policy and
its alumni.The information will be brief and to the point with links to additional information for those wishing to receive more detail on specific subjects.  Am I an Alum of the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS)?Yes. The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) was created in 2006 using the existing College of Nursing and Health Science as the organizational foundation for creating an expanded presence of health and human service programs at Mason and to transform the environment to include research productivity. The college includes the following units:
Call for Nominations for Distinguished
Alumnus Award
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. If you or someone who you know should be considered for this prestigious award, please contact Gail Weirich at 703-993-6018 by Friday, December 11 with the name of the alumnus. Alumni from 2007-2009: Rise to the Challenge and Give BackCHHS has received a challenge grant from five generous donors totaling $15,000 to be applied towards priority needs for the college. This is exciting news! To complete the challenge:
Spotlight on a HAP AlumnaSharon Brigner, MS '01 Sharon
Brigner is a 2001 graduate of the health systems management program with a
health policy analysis concentration. Sharon currently serves as deputy
vice president for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA). At PhRMA, she provides clinical expertise to executive
leadership regarding clinical and medical policy. She also serves as
spokesperson externally, including with the media, for a variety of
industry issues such as chronic disease, medicines in development,
prescription drug abuse/misuse, patient safety efforts of the industry,
health disparities and pharmaceuticals in the environment at national
conferences, and media events. In addition to her work at PhRMA, Sharon still performs emergency room nursing at the INOVA Emergency Care Center of Reston for two weekends per month to maintain a strong connection with the direct patient care environment and patient education. New Program: Sign Up to Mentor a HAP Undergrad StudentMentors are excellent resources to students interested in researching career options or in shadowing an employer in their field of study. If you're a seasoned grad looking to support future professionals in your field or a student seeking career advice please sign up by sending an e-mail to chhsalum@gmu.edu. Please provide the following contact information:Name Position Title Place of Employment Work Phone Business E-mail Address Alternate E-mail Address Best time to be reached We will find an opportunity for you to share your career experiences with a current student. If you have any questions, contact Gail Weirich at 703-993-6018. We appreciate your interest! Upsilon Phi Delta Honor SocietyUpsilon Phi Delta is a national academic honor society for students in health administration. It is a member service of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. AUPHA sponsors UPD to enable academic programs in Health Administration/Healthcare Management to enrich their student’s academic experience. The GMU chapter is comprised of qualified student members from both graduate and undergraduate programs. Current students and graduates within the past 3 years are eligible to join. If interested in joining visit the HAP web page. CHHS Signature Alumni Event: "The Dirt on the Grape"   More than 50 CHHS alums and guests had a
memorable evening at the “Dirt on the Grape” wine tasting event on
October 3, 2009. The CHHS Alumni Board would like to thank faculty member
Lisa Pawloski and special guests Ellen Crosby and Mary Watson-DeLauder for
their contributions in making the event a success.Additional pictures from the evening can be viewed on the CHHS Alumni web pages. Let Us Hear from YouWe would like to hear from HAP alumni about career moves, accomplishments, and recognitions. Please send information to chhsalum@gmu.edu, and we will post in spring edition of the Alumni E-news.To update contact information with the Mason Alumni Association, visit the MASONline Alumni Directory.  New Faculty MemberPhan H. Giang Dr.
Giang is a new associate professor in the Department of Health
Administration and Policy. Before joining GMU, Dr. Giang worked on
Research and Development in the health care industry at Siemens Medical.
He received B.Sc. in Information Science from Moscow Institute of
Economics and Statistics (Russia), M.Sc. in Computer Science from
Australian National University (Australia) and Ph.D. in Decision Sciences
from the University of Kansas.Dr. Giang's past works focused on mining text-based patient data and the problems of statistical forecasting with applications. CAHME AccreditationIn April, the department underwent an accreditation site visit with the Commission on Accreditation for Health Management Education (CAHME). The CAHME reviewers of the Health Systems Management, Executive Management Program have informed us that they will be recommending us enthusiastically for accreditation. The site visit is a thorough process by which the commission can determine whether the applying program is adhering to a strict guideline of exceptional practices in their educational program. The importance of accreditation is stated on their website as:
HAP Seminar SeriesIn October, the department began hosting a series of talks from guest speakers on a range of topics in the health care field. For our first talk, Dr. Brad Gray from The Urban Institute hosted a talk entitled, “Charitable Expectations for Nonprofit Hospitals.” In November, Dr. Hoangmai (Mai) Pham discussed “The Patient-Centered Medical Home Model.” The
next talk is scheduled for December 8 at 12 p.m. (Johnson Center, 3rd
Floor Meeting Room G), and will be hosted by Dr. Peter Kongstvedt. The
topic is “What’s So Different About Health Insurance?”
In his lecture, Dr. Kongstvedt explores the current health reform debate, which focuses almost solely on reforming health insurance and access to coverage. But what’s so different about health insurance? What makes it different from other forms of insurance, if anything? Understanding the differences between health insurance and other types of insurance, including differences that make us uncomfortable or that do not support a particular policy orientation, is still necessary if we are to successfully address issues of cost and access. For more information on the HAP Seminar Series, visit http://hap.gmu.edu/, or contact Adam McCutcheon. Faculty ResearchThe HAP faculty continues to extend their reach in the health care field by reaching a series of topics and issues in their research and professional pursuits. Below is a brief sampling of some of their research and professional endeavors.Tony Yang, Ph.D Dr. Yang is in the midst of a 13-month research fellowship granted by Academy Health at the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. Dr. Yang’s research project is entitled, “An Examination of Drivers of Changes Overtime in Cesarean Section Rates.” According to his research study, rates of birth by cesarean section have increased by 50% over the past decade, reaching a record level every year in this century. This study aims to advance understanding of why this has occurred. Isolating specific factors responsible for the increase in cesarean sections, and quantifying their respective impacts will provide valuable information for policy makers and clinical leaders involved in efforts to reduce cesarean section rates. The overarching objective is to produce findings that will help target and refine ongoing strategies for improving the safety, appropriateness, and cost-effectiveness of obstetrical care. Peter Kongstvedt, MD, FACP Dr. Kongstvedt is the editor and primary author of two widely used textbooks published by Jones & Bartlett, The Essentials of Managed Health Care, Fifth Edition (2007) and Managed Care, What it Is and How it Works, Third Edition (2008). He is a regular advisor and contributor to the media, including "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." Vicky Debold, PhD, RN  Dr.
DeBold serves as a voting member of the Food and Drug Administration’s
Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and is a member
of the Department of Health and Human Services National Vaccine Advisory
Committee Vaccine Safety Working Group, which is preparing a white paper
that will make recommendations about restructuring the federal vaccine
safety system. She has testified before the Institute of Medicine on
vaccine safety and personal vaccine decision making. She has also
served as a consultant to the CDC’s Board of Scientific Counselors on the
topic of public trust, vaccine acceptance, and vaccination of healthcare
workers. In addition to serving as the director of patient safety and
a board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, she is a
director and committee member for SafeMinds, an autism-focused nonprofit
organization.HAP Advisory CommitteeThe HAP Advisory Committee met earlier this year for their annual meeting. The Advisory Committee is comprised of alumni, professional experts, and employers who advise the department on its academic programs and mission. The Advisory Committee represents selected stakeholders of HSM academic programs and reviews and advises the department on curriculum content, educational and program support, and strategic planning efforts. It also identifies opportunities for community service and collaboration for career development/enrichment of department faculty, alumni, and students.Committee Members: David Goldberg* MS '06, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children Jane Woods, Driftwoods Consulting Peter Kongstvedt, MD, P.R. Kongstvedt Co. Rodger Baker, Fauquier Hospital Sharon Brigner*, MS '01, Phrma William Fried, Aetna, Inc. Lyn Hainge*, MS '05, Arlington Health Department David Roberts, HIMSS Adrian Stanton, Virginia Hospital Center Mark Stauder, Inova Health System Sandy Garfunkle, Veterans Administration Medical Center Cynda Tipple, Prince William Hospital Jeff Joyner, Sibley Memorial Hospital Amir Farooqi, Dept. of Veterans Affairs Joy Drass, Georgetown University Hospital Vish Anantraman, Eclipsys Corporation Sanjaya Kumar, Quantros, Inc. Suniti Ponkshe, IBM Global Services Heather Russell*, MS '04, Inova Health System *HSM Alumni Health Reform SummitDr. Mark Meiners led the discussion at The Long-Term Services and Supports Health Reform Summit on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September 23. The Summit brought together congressional, policy, and LTSS experts to synthesize health reform proposals with LTSS principles, experience, and evidence. The event was co-sponsored by The National Advisory Board on Improving Health Care Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities (NAB), the George Mason University Long-Term Care Educational Foundation (LTCEF), and the Amerigroup Public Policy Institute (PPI).There were three main topics of discussion:
|