faculty spotlight

Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in George Mason’s College of Health and Human Services, was recently appointed to the Editorial Board of Fertility and Sterility.

Amira Roess, professor in the College’s Department of Global and Community Health, says that while several Middle Eastern countries had preparedness plans in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s response shows that the implementation plans remain underdeveloped and under-resourced.

Congratulations to Michael S. Bloom, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, for being elected as a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (FACE). The American College of Epidemiology (ACE) is the professional organization dedicated to continued education and advocacy for epidemiologists in their efforts to promote public health.

Jhumka Gupta, ScD, MPH, associate professor in the College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Global and Community Health, says that she has always been drawn to research that seeks to “bring the ‘hidden side’ of things out in the open: such as violence against women and girls and refugee populations.” Gupta’s research on period poverty, and more broadly, stigma and menstrual health, is helping to inform a national policy discussion on health equity, reaching well beyond the public health community. U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) has referenced Gupta’s research in support of legislation for menstrual equity. After Gupta saw her research referenced on Rep. Meng’s social media, she reached out to Meng’s office to share additional resources. In May 2021, Meng introduced the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, aimed at increasing access to menstrual products, and she met with Gupta to learn more about her work. 

Thanks to the generosity of Michael von Fricken, professor of Global and Community Health, the One Health Scholarship will provide a selected graduate student with funding and/or support to pursue a research project relating to the One Health initiative.

George Mason University’s Dr. Michelle Williams shares program evaluation results determining the feasibility of offering free, same-day cancer screening and health education to reduce disparities. The program examined how access to free screenings affects participants’ knowledge about cancer, self-efficacy for obtaining healthcare, and intentions to change health behaviors. The program had a positive effect on participant’s knowledge of cancer screenings and self-efficacy for seeking regular check-ups.

New research examines commuter characteristics to better understand how factors such as departure time, frequency, and commute length are associated with exposure to air pollution. Using personal air pollution monitors, the research clustered commuters to determine whether these clusters were associated with traffic pollution exposures. The study reveals that commuters that travel during rush hour have higher overall exposure to traffic-related air pollution compared to sporadic commuters, though the difference was not statistically significant.

Lilian de Jonge, PhD, associate professor of nutrition, provides insight and answers questions regarding one of the most popular weight management trends: intermittent fasting.

George Mason and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) awarded grant to help foster social empowerment and gender equity among forcibly displaced populations (FDPs).

Michelle Williams, assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, was recently interviewed about multicultural factors in the public health field by Matt Ashare, OnlineEducation.com.