faculty spotlight

Department of Social Work to launch the Mason Community-Academic Partnerships in Behavioral Health (CAP-BH) program to increase access to behavioral health services for high-demand populations

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.

This year, billions of Brood X cicadas emerged in the United States and generated quite a buzz, according to environmental experts. They also prompted questions about whether they are safe to eat, and who would want to eat them.

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.

Results of a recently published survey by a team that includes Mason faculty shows that there is still critical public health work to be done to combat COVID 19.

When it comes sharing recipes on social media, what users post, and what they cook may be two different things according to a recent study led by Hong Xue, PhD at George Mason University. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), analyzed hundreds of recipes and found users liked and pinned posts that were healthy, but more heavily engaged off-line with recipes that were high in fat, sugar, and total calories.

Telehealth as a channel for delivering care has boomed in the past few years in response to the growing need for more flexible opioid treatment options and limitations to in-person care during the COVID-19 pandemic. But for states, payers, and providers to deliver on the long-term promise of telehealth, areas such as funding, infrastructure, policy, access points, and coverage must also evolve.