Welcome to the
alumni e-newsletter for the
Department of Health Administration and Policy
Alumni From 2007 - 2009: Rise to the
Challenge and Give Back
CHHS has received a challenge grant from five generous
donors totaling $15,000 to be applied towards priority needs for the
college. To complete the challenge:
- CHHS needs to receive 150 individual
donations from alumni who graduated or will graduate from 2007–2011 at
either the undergraduate or graduate level. So far 114 donations
have been received.
- 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, 2010.
We hope you will consider a gift at this time that will
benefit faculty and students 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 via e-mail or
call (703) 993-6018.
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:
- School of Nursing,
- Department of Global and Community Health,
- Department of Social Work, and
- Department of Health Administration and Policy.
In addition, there is:
- The Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and
Disability (CCID) and
- The Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics
(CHPRE).
Sign Up to Mentor a HAP Undergrad
Student
Mentors 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 email. 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 by email or
at (703) 993-6018.
We appreciate your interest!
2010 CHHS Distinguished Alumni of the
Year Award
Barbara L.
Young Summers, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
BSN ’78, MSN ’81, PhD
‘95
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, and
Division Head, Nursing, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center
Houston, Texas
 Barbara Summers was awarded the honor of 2010 CHHS
Distinguished Alumna of the Year on behalf of the CHHS Alumni Chapter
Board, accompanied by her husband George Summers, also a Mason alumnus,
graduating from the College of Visual and Performing Arts with a BS in
1977, at the university's Celebration of Distinction on April 14.
Dr. Summers' practice hallmark has been a persistent and
unwavering focus on building nursing excellence. She has led the creation
of new frameworks and models to develop nurse leaders and build
organizational cultures that promote health care safety and professional
nursing empowerment. From 1993 – 1997, Dr. Summers worked at
National Institutes of Health, where she was manager of critical care
services and a nurse specialist in ambulatory cancer care and
research. In addition, Dr. Summers worked for 13 years as a clinical
nurse specialist in the cancer center and as director of medical and
psychiatric nursing for INOVA. Dr. Summers is the recipient of numerous
honors and awards and in November 2009, was inducted as a fellow into the
American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Summers made a presentation to alumni and faculty
titled “Synchronicity: Auspicious Coincidence, The Journey of one GMU
Alumna.” School of Nursing alumni attending the presentation included
classmates and colleagues: Karen Drenkard, PhD ’06; Margaret
Goode, BSN ‘88, MSN ’99; Paulette Komarny, BSN ’95; Lynn Magrum, BSN
’79, MSN ’81; Lorraine McLean, MSN '96; and Carolyn Taylor BSN ’78, MSN
’86, MBA ’94.
Spotlight On A HAP
Alumna: Dani-Bree Bialek
Dani- Bree
Bialek, MS Health Systems Management
Dani-Bree Bialek is a 2004 graduate
of the HSM program, with a concentration in Executive Management. She was
the administrator of the Ourisman Breast Health Center at Georgetown
University Hospital from 2005-2007. Bialek is currently the
administrator for physician services at Virginia Hospital Center, working
with the employed physician multispecialty group and associated hospital
departments.
Bialek has also been an adjunct
professor with the department since 2007, teaching HHS 465, Examination
and Integration of Professional and Health Care Issues.
Bialek has served as a leader with
the American College of Health
Care Executives (ACHE) at the local chapter level where she held
positions as membership director and advancement committee chairman.
She currently co-chairs the chapter's new mentoring
program.
On April 15th, Bialek was awarded the
ACHE Early Careerist Health Care Executive Award in Williamsburg, VA at
the Annual Virginia ACHE Luncheon.
“Ms. Bialek has demonstrated
qualities of leadership, dedication and participation that have
consistently shown her to be deserving of recognition by her peers and
colleagues as the recipient of the Early Careerist ACHE Regent's Award,”
said Jay Shiver, professor and undergraduate advisor for the department’s
Health Systems Management program.
The
department congratulates Bialek on her award and future
success!
CHHS Signature Alumni Event: "The Dirt on
the Grape"
 SAVE THE DATE
The Dirt on
the Grape…The Next Course
CHHS Signature Alumni Event
October 2,
2010
Time TBA
 Mark your calendars to join us for the CHHS
Signature Alumni Event on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Sommelier Mary
Watson-DeLauder returns and joins Chef Sandy Amato (owner of Cooking with
Sandy) to educate and tantalize your tastebuds with dessert and dessert
wine pairings.
We invite CHHS Alumni and
guests to come and learn something new, re-connect with friends and
colleagues, and enjoy an evening of socializing.
Details on the event will be available soon on the CHHS
Alumni website. For information contact Gail Weirich by email, or
at (703) 993-6018.
The CHHS Signature Alumni Event is held in conjunction
with Alumni
Weekend.
Let Us Hear from You
We would like to hear from HAP
alumni about career moves, accomplishments, and recognitions. Please
send information to chhsalum@gmu.edu, and we
will post it in the next edition of the Alumni E-news.
To update
contact information with the Mason Alumni Association, visit the MASONline
Alumni Directory.
HAP
Introducing Two New Academic Programs
for Fall 2010
HAP is
pleased to announce that the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia
(SCHEV) has approved two new academic programs for the department starting
with the Fall 2010 semester.
The Master
of Science in Senior Housing Administration, offered through the
Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) in the College of
Health and Human Services (CHHS), is the nation’s first stand
alone degree for assisted living/senior housing professionals,
and intended to train executives for careers in this rapidly growing
field. Multidisciplinary coursework enables students to evaluate, analyze,
and synthesize information relative to the aging population, the evolution
of assisted living and senior housing services within the U.S. health
system, the application of executive level hospitality, healthcare, and
housing management practices to these services, and current regulatory and
policy issues. For more information about the program, see our website.
The department will
also offer a Master of Science in Health and Medical
Policy. This new Master of Science (MS) in Health and Medical
Policy (HMP) will prepare students to become health and medical systems
policy analysts, consultants, and public health advocates in the U.S. and
internationally. The new HMP degree will be offered by HAP/CHHS in
collaboration with the School of Public Policy.
The new
degree will build upon faculty expertise across academic programs in CHHS
and SPP, relating to expertise in public policy processes, analysis and
statistical methods, economics, policy making processes/entities,
strategic thinking, political feasibility, technology, the environment,
social values and culture, as well as public advocacy and communications
to ensure improve health and health policy development and implementation.
New Faculty Member
Dr. John Cantiello
 Dr. John Cantiello joined HAP in
January as a new assistant professor. He will be teaching and
advising students in the undergraduate Health Administration
program. His research interests include health insurance coverage
and access to health services and underserved populations.
Dr. Cantiello holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in
Health Services Administration from the University of Central
Florida. His Doctoral degree is in Public Affairs (also from the
University of Central Florida).
Dr. Cantiello’s experience in the health care field
includes working in medical facilities and hospitals in an administrative
capacity, working for the Orange County Health Department as operations
management consultant, working for The Florida Center for Nursing as a
research assistant, and serving as a health agency site evaluator.
He has taught undergraduates
and graduates in the Department of Health Management and Informatics at
the University of Central Florida.
Upsilon Phi
Delta National Honor Society
The department has started a Mason chapter of the Upsilon
Phi Delta National Honor Society for HAP undergraduate and graduate
students and recent alumni.
Upsilon Phi Delta is a national academic honor society
for students in health administration. The Association of University
Programs in Health Administration sponsors UPD to enable academic programs
in Health Administration/Healthcare Management to enrich their student’s
academic experience.
Current students and graduates within the past three
years are eligible to join. If interested in joining visit
Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society. For additional information, contact
the UPD faculty advisor, Dr. Alison
Cuellar.
HAP Alumni Affinity
Event
 On April 1, HAP alumni, students and faculty
came together to re-connect and hear the latest on policies and trends in
health care information management.
Alumni David
Goldberg, MS Health Systems Management '06; and Marcy Osterhaus, BSN ’80,
MS Health Systems Management ’06; were instrumental in the organizing and
planning of the inaugural first meeting of HAP alumni.
 The topic for the April 1
event was "Management of Health Information: Trends and
Opportunities.”Attendees heard presentations by P. J. Maddox, chair,
Department of Health Administration and Policy, and Harry Greenspun, CHHS
Advisory Board member, executive vice president and chief medical officer
of Dell Systems Healthcare Group.
Many HAP
alumni are working in the greater Washington and, as alumni, have a great
opportunity to stay connected with Mason and to hear from the rich
resources Mason has in faculty and advisory board members in the field of
health care management.
SAVE THE DATE The next meeting is
scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2010 in the afternoon on the
Fairfax campus. Details on the meeting will be announced in the coming
weeks.
If you are interested in
volunteering to serve on the planning committee for the HAP Alumni
Affinity group, please contact Gail Weirich by email or
(703) 993-6018.
Quality Improvement
Awards
Winners of the
Spirit Award for Clinical Excellence from Mary Washington Hospital
The 6th annual Quality Improvement of the Year Awards was held on
April 22, at the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn, Virginia.
 More
than 160 Mason faculty, alumni, staff, and community leaders gathered
along with 14 award nominee project teams from Northern Virginia hospitals
to celebrate their hard work and success in health care quality
improvement.
Dr. Mary Wakefield (HRSA
Administrator) delivered the keynote address. Also celebrating the
evening were the department's inaugural student inductees to the Upsilon
Phi Delta national honor society.
Projects from the
following organizations were honored for their outstanding
work:
- Children’s
National Medical Center
- Inova Fairfax
Hospital for Children
- Georgetown
University Hospital
- Washington
Hospital Center
- Mary Washington
Hospital
Established in 2004, the Quality
Improvement Awards recognize outstanding examples of quality
improvement team efforts in hospitals and health care systems.
HAP Seminar Series
In 2008 the
department began a monthly lecture series (organized by Dr. Jack Hadley)
of timely topics and hot issues in health systems and policy for faculty,
staff, and students of Mason, and professional colleagues in the
community. The 2009-2010 series began in October and has features such
topics as: “Charitable Expectations for Nonprofit Hospitals”, “The
Patient-Centered Medical Home Model”, and “What’s So Different About
Health Insurance?”
Learn more about the
HAP Seminar
Series or contact Adam McCutcheon. The
Seminar Series will take a hiatus over the summer semester and it will
resume again in the fall. Mason alumni and their work colleagues are
always welcome and encouraged to participate.
Faculty Research
The HAP faculty continues to extend
their reach in the healthcare field by teaching a series of topics and
issues in their research and professional pursuits. Selected highlights
from some of their research, publications and professional
endeavors.
Andrew Carle
December
6, 2009
Long Term Care CXO Summit, Boca Raton, Florida.
Keynote: "Innovations, Technology, and the Future of Senior Housing"
March 22, 2010
Environments for Aging.10, San Diego,
California.
Session Presentation: "University Based Retirement
Communities - Not Your Grandparents Retirement".
Mark
Meiners
February
25, 2010
3rd Annual
Medicaid Managed Care Summit, National Harbor, Maryland.
Panel
Member: "Establishing Coordinated Long-term Services and Support Programs:
Solutions for Medicaid, States, and Consumers that Promote Improved
Quality and Flexibility".
March 16 – 17, 2010
10th Annual
Intercompany Long Term Care Insurance Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Panel Member: "Speaker: Interactive Discussion of New DRA
Partnerships".
Panel Member: "The Economics of a Public Long Term Care
Program".
During this same trip, Dr. Meiners, along with his wife,
Faith, and several volunteers from the 10th Annual Intercompany Long Term
Care Insurance Conference, participated in a Community Service Day project
helping to clear up the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans that was hit by
Hurricane Katrina.
Faith and Mark Meiners volunteering for a community
service project
in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans
March
23-24, 2010
Amerigroup
National Advisory Board Site Visit of the New Mexico COLTS Medicaid
Managed Care Program, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The meeting
also involved strategic planning for future activities of the NAB, the
group that helped sponsor the GMU Long-Term Care Summit on Capital Hill
this past fall.
Janusz Wojtusiak
Workshop
Paper:
Wojtusiak,
J., Prior, S. and Thompson, D., "Adaptive Infrastructure Protection:
Machine Learning Approach to Data Collection," Workshop on Grand
Challenges in Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis for Homeland Security.
(MSAHS-2010), Arlington, VA, March 17-18, 2010.
Book
chapter:
Wojtusiak, J. and Kaufman, K.,
"Ryszard S. Michalski: The Vision and Evolution of Machine Learning,"
Advances in Machine Learning, Koronacki, J., Z. W. Ras, Wierzchon, S.T.
and Kacprzyk, J (Eds.), 3-22, Springer-Verlag, 2010.
Tony Yang
"Establishing the Taiwan Genetic Date Bank" Global Studies Review,
Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2010
"Analyzing the effect of
non-medical exemptions to state school immunization laws on
vaccine-targeted diseases" Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Public Health
Law Meeting, Jan 7, 2010.
Tracey Koehlmoos
Uddin J, Koehlmoos T, Saha N, Khan I, Shamsuzzaman (2010)
Child immunization coverage in rural hard-to-reach areas of Bangladesh,
Vaccine, 28(5): 1221-5.
Innovation and Development of the Bangladesh Health
System Workshop
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London,
England
Dr. Koehlmoos presented an
update on the at a workshop hosted by the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine for the Rockefeller Foundation funded project: Good
Health at Low Cost. She is leading a team from Bangladesh in producing a
chapter for an update of the classic global health text by the same
name. | 