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| Stay in Touch CHHS Alumni and Friends Mason Alumni Update contact information CHHS Alumni E-news Department of Health Administration and Policy Department of Social Work School of Nursing CHHS News Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability College of Health and Human Services Department of Global and Community Health Department of Health Administration and Policy Department of Social Work School of Nursing CHHS Events Student Research Poster Session - April 9, 2010 CHHS Calendar Comments? Suggestions? E-mail us |
Welcome to the first issue of our alumni e-newsletter for the
Department of Social Work 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 Social Work 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 Social Work AlumniFrom Andrea Therrien, MSW '04:The MSW degree from George Mason University that I obtained in 2004 prepared me to enter the real world in a number of different ways. I was comfortable applying for a variety of jobs in various settings. I felt competent as a social work practitioner, equipped with the skills to provide excellent, ethical care to clients while exhibiting the social work values I learned in school and practiced in my internships.  A
couple of weeks after graduation, I went on to work as a social worker
with homeless families and individuals at a local nonprofit
agency. After working there about two years, I became the assistant
director of a homeless shelter that serves individuals and
families. I also had the opportunity to work as a school social
worker at a Fairfax County Public School and to work at a residential
treatment facility for those with serious mental illness. I am
passionate about serving the homeless and disadvantaged populations and
really enjoyed my work at each agency.In addition to my employment experience, I am grateful for all the volunteer positions I have been offered. I volunteered at a drop-in center for homeless guests on a weekly basis. Currently, I am the president of the National Association of Social Workers, VA Chapter (NASWVA) and serve on a number of different committees. I volunteer as a field instructor for a Mason MSW student who is interning at the NASWVA office. I am also the proud mother of a beautiful 2-year-old daughter, and I'm expecting another daughter in March! Learn how to become a member of NASWVA. From Katie Fair, BS '07: My undergraduate years in college were at Mason, and I graduated with a BS in social work in 2007. I graduated in May 2009 from Columbia University with my MSW in international social work programming and generalist practice. I had been interning at a community-based organization for African women, and I continued on as a contract social worker during the summer. This organization focused on family violence among African immigrant women, mainly from West Africa. I worked with a number of women who were seeking asylum in the United States in order to prevent their daughters from being circumcised. I did my graduate research on female circumcision in Senegal and Guinea as a result, and I learned about the organization where I am currently employed through this research.  I came to
Dakar, Senegal, in September 2009 for one year to work on the
International program's Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning
team. My position involves closely following programs in Somalia and
Gambia, as well as harmonizing evaluation tools across countries and
conceptualizing evaluation strategies.The organization empowers rural communities in Africa through three-year adult non-formal education programs. The programs provide literacy and basic education as well as skills for community organization and development. As a result of the human rights and health components of the program, many communities have decided to abandon the practice of female circumcision. This has been very exciting, and I am looking forward to attending a declaration of abandonment in November. For more information about their work, visit http://www.tostan.org/. Alumni Visiting for Reaffirmation of Reaccreditation The
Department of Social Work had our CSWE site team visit for
reaffirmation of accreditation of both our BSW and MSW programs, on
October 19 and 20. The visit was a success. The team identified several areas of strength and no areas of concern. Some of the areas of strength the team identified were the support and active involvement of our constituents, including students and our advisory board; diversity; and an ongoing assessment process. The final decision for reaffirmation of accreditation will be in February 2010. The picture above includes faculty and BSW students from the site visit meeting. From left to right: Molly Davis, Nageen Chaudhry, Morgan Harris, Samirah Khan, Cindy Betourne, Cathy Tompkins. New Program: Sign Up to Mentor a Social Work 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! 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. Alumni and faculty from the Department of Social Work had a fun-filled evening renewing friendships and visiting with colleagues and faculty. Alumni classes from 1979 through 2009 were represented at the event.  Additional pictures from the evening can be viewed on the CHHS Alumni web pages. |
Minindor
(Mimi) Sodhi, PhD, LCSW (Ga)