Welcome from the Chair

Carolyn Drews-Botsch
Dr. Carolyn Drews-Botsch, Professor and Chair, Department of Global and Community Health

Welcome to the Department of Global and Community Health (GCH). GCH is the backbone of public health training at George Mason University. We serve our mission of advancing the health and well-being of the public, and especially that of vulnerable populations, through our research programs and by offering CEPH-accredited degrees at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels.

Public health professionals are on the front lines of disease prevention at the community level by identifying patterns of disease occurrence, identifying risk factors for disease, and providing health education on practices that promote health and reduce the burden of disease. The recent pandemic of COVID-19, the observed disparities in the occurrence and mortality associated with COVID-19, as well as the recent examples of the impact of systematic racism on communities of color have shown a bright light on the importance of public health professionals and training in public health. 

The department provides a unique training experience and research environment because of the diversity of faculty disciplines.  Our faculty are trained, and conduct research, in behavioral sciences, biostatistics, health communications, epidemiology, health education, and psychology. By bringing these disciplines together, public health training and research at Mason authentically mimics the work of public health professionals in the community by providing an interdisciplinary perspective on the work of public health professionals.

Our research programs are funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, as well as private foundations, such as the Gates Foundation. Our distinguished alumni take positions in throughout the broad field of public health workplaces, including local and national nonprofits; federal, state, and local government; and in the private sector, like healthcare and consulting. Alumna Erica Street, MPH Public Health '16 shares how her time at Mason prepared her for a career in public health. Learn more about the career outcomes of GCH alumni.

Whether you are a prospective student, alumnus, or community member, we encourage you to browse our website to learn more about our programs, and hope to engage with you in the classroom or at future events.

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Global and Community Health
George Mason University