Department of Health Administration and Policy

Case competitions help students share practical solutions to public health problems

Shayla Brown — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 17:00:54 +0000

Case competitions help students share practical solutions to public health problems Shayla Brown Wed, 12/06/2023 - 12:00

Six graduate students from ��ӽ紫ý’s Department of Global and Community Health and Department of Health Administration and Policy presented a four-pronged solution to address health care and homelessness among Washington, D.C., area women at the D.C. Public Health Case Challenge.

“It was a really exciting day,” said associate professor Debora Goldberg, who mentored them. “The students did an unbelievable job.”

The competition, held at the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, is a chance for students to use what they’ve learned in the classroom to address a real-world issue, Goldberg said.

Mason’s team used a divided approach, each taking a task that related to their research backgrounds to come up with a pilot study.

Debora Goldberg and the team of Global and Community Health students in D.C. Photo Provided.

First-year health services research PhD student Sravya Vunnam was a member of the team that competed in the case competition.

“Before the actual competition, we did a dry run with six faculty members from HAP and [School of Nursing] who came and listened to our presentation to give us feedback and help us prepare,” said Vunnam.

“[Most] of us are going to be in public health and policy making somehow, so this experience helps to shape our minds and prepare us for that,” she said.

The team’s approach included housing, community and mental health support, developing an app that would provide resources for unhoused populations to find places that provide mental health support, and access peer navigators, as well as an anti-stigma campaign.

Because students bring skills that they learn in the classroom to these experiences, case competitions are also a great opportunity for students to practice in public health courses, said Goldberg.

Public health graduate student Anahita Asghari-Kamrani took the GCH 465 Community Health capstone course taught by adjunct professor Sara Hoffman, where she and her classmates got to compete in hypothetical competitions that are set up to replicate the real ones held by the public health community.

The class breaks into teams and identifies a public health problem for which they must find solutions. At the end of the semester, the student teams present their solutions to a panel of local public health professionals, similar to the official case competitions.

“The capstone course has helped me find problem areas in public health and [potential] interventions,” said Asghari-Kamrani, who is in the epidemiology program. “I would say that having an opportunity like this helps you get out of your comfort zone and [now] I would be comfortable participating in something like this in a real-life scenario.”

Community health alumna Madison Knapp also took the GCH 465 Community Health capstone.

“It's a great way of learning and being able to come up with ideas, especially since the world is changing each year and there are new scientific measures available every day,” said Knapp, who graduated in 2023 and now does community health work for the American Heart Association.

Knapp hopes to one day compete in real case competitions so that she can make a difference in her field and community, she said.

“We got to present to people from the Virginia Department of Health, and hearing their feedback was truly a great experience,” said Knapp, whose team ended up winning the hypothetical case competition. “I still think it's one of the best moments of my college career. I hope it encourages students to do the best they can in their courses because you never know what could come out of it.”

Want to know more about the case study competition? Read more in our earlier article about the event.

Learn more about Global and Community Health at Mason

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In This Story

Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA

Topics

Department of Global and Community Health

Community Health

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Students

College of Public Health

Washington D.C.

Strategic Direction

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 18:41:32 +0000

Iqra Hamayoun Ahmed, MSHI, ACTTP John Brandon C… Thu, 11/03/2022 - 14:41

Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator, HAP

Contact Information

Email: ihamayou@gmu.edu

Personal Websites

Orcid

Biography

Mrs. Iqra Hamayoun is the Health Information Systems MAP Clinic Coordinator in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Hamayoun also serves as the Clinical Informatics Data Manager and HAP Preceptor for the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, Population Health Center, and special projects operating through the college. Hamayoun’s research interests include working with vulnerable populations and analyzing community and population-based healthcare to create better services for underserved patient populations.

Hamayoun started her journey with Mason during her undergraduate degree, fell in love with the community within, and never left! After conducting her clinical informatics internship with MAP, she never left her home away from home. Hamayoun proceeded to grow with the clinics starting as the Health Informatics Supervisor, HAP Preceptor, and now Clinical Informatics Data Manager while obtaining her master’s degree in Health Informatics. Prior to coming to Mason, Hamayoun worked in the health field providing administrative support and EMR management to medical facilities.

As a part of the Mason community, Hamayoun was working with the MAP Clinics through her undergraduate degree and her Masters degree as a preceptor for undergraduate and graduate capstone students. She worked her way up from intern, to preceptor, to data manager and now faculty for Mason.

Grants

"Empowered Communities Opioid Project (ECOP)," Virginia Department of Health (Prime: DHHS CPIMP171154). Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), June 2020- February 2023. Role: Data Manager.
“Mason Data and Technology Driven Public Health AmeriCorps Training Program,” Sutter, R. and Wojtusiak, J. (Principal Investigator), August 2022. Role: Data Manager.
"Nurse Education Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)," HRSA UK1HP31716. Sutter, R. (Principal Investigator), July 2020-June 2022. Role: Data Manager.
“Latent TB Project [LTBI] (Virginia Department of Health),” Harvey, M. (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.
“Mason and Partners Free Health Clinic General Operating [MAP Clinic] (Potomac Health Foundation),” Sutter, R (Principal Investigator). Role: Data Manager.

Affiliations

Member, Upsilon Phi Delta Honor Society (UPD)
Member, HIMSS

Awards

Excellence Award, ��ӽ紫ý, May 2021

Degrees

MSHI, Health Informatics – Data Analytics, ��ӽ紫ý
BS, Health Administration and Policy – Health informatics, ��ӽ紫ý

In sickness and health: the influence of paid leave on employee commitment

Taylor Thomas — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:23:45 +0000

In sickness and health: the influence of paid leave on employee commitment Taylor Thomas Tue, 10/18/2022 - 14:23

In This Story

Priyanka Anand, PhD

��ӽ紫ý Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy discusses the importance of job-protected paid leave.

Priyanka Anand, PhD

According to surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2018, only 56 percent of Americans have access job-protected leave afforded by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), leaving 44% of Americans ineligible for this coverage because they haven’t been employed long enough or their workplace is too small.

The FMLA grants employees the ability to take an unpaid leave of absence to care for loved ones in the event of an unforeseen illness or disability. Because many Americans cannot afford to hire professional care providers when a family member falls ill or has a disability, they are often left with the responsibility of providing the care themselves, which is referred to as informal care. For this reason, many people are forced to reduce hours working a paying job to attend to their informal care duties, causing severe loss in income and risking losing their job entirely.

Associate Professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at ��ӽ紫ý Dr. Priyanka Anand’s research centers on social safety net programs with a particular focus on disability policy and paid leave. Her most recent research, titled “The role of paid family leave in labor supply responses to a spouse’s disability or health shock,” was featured in the 2022 Economic Report of the President.

Anand’s research provides insight into the influence of paid leave on labor supply decisions and labor force participation. She shares her knowledge of how health shocks affect families and disrupt employment and is available for further comment.

What is difference between FMLA, parental leave, and paid family or caregiving leave?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was established in 1993 to guarantee 12 weeks of job-protected leave for individuals who are away from work due to medical conditions. FMLA is most known for maternity leave, but also covers long and short-term health conditions and caring for a sick or disabled family member. Job-protected leave, like FMLA, means their job will be available when they return from leave; however, employers are not required to compensate employees while on leave.

Parental leave can be paid or unpaid depending on an individual’s place of employment. Parental leave is given on a company-by-company basis and is not guaranteed in the United States. Paid family or caregiving leave, on the other hand, allows employees to take compensated leave to care for a family member experiencing a health condition.

What factors should someone consider when deciding whether to take time off to care for a family member?

When faced with the prospect of caring for a family member, individuals should closely consider their options and understand the potential outcomes of each. My research provides a framework of three pathways people generally take after a family member’s health shock. The first is to continue working and either provide informal care in addition to working or rely on formal care, which can be costly. The second is to take a short period of leave (either paid or unpaid) and eventually return to work. The third pathway is leaving the workforce entirely to provide full-time informal care.

Individuals oftentimes have to choose between the lesser of evils when faced with what to do about a loved one’s care, all of which result in some form of financial consequence both in the household and on the broader economy. The availability of paid leave can play an important role in this decision as well.

What would the addition of state or federal paid leave policies mean for American workers?

In states that have paid leave policies, the length of paid leave ranges from six to 12 weeks, but most states do not have any paid leave policies at all. In April 2021, President Biden proposed the American Families Plan which would have federally ensured all workers in the U.S. are guaranteed 12 weeks of paid family leave. Unfortunately, it did not pass through Congress in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The availability of paid leave and job protection is designed to offset the financial burden of the health shock. Paid family leave allows workers to maintain a steady income while finding a permanent solution for their long-term caregiving needs, rather than choosing between losing earnings or paying for formal care. The ultimate goal of paid family leave is to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens that come hand-in-hand with a family member experiencing an illness or disability, allowing the individual to maintain their participation in the labor force and improve their overall well-being.

In addition to the cost-saving benefits, paid family leave policies have the potential to alleviate gender workforce disparities given that the burden of caregiving often falls onto women.

Priyanka Anand is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy at ��ӽ紫ý. She is a renowned researcher whose work includes estimating the effect of the ACA Medicaid expansions on federal disability insurance applications, examining the relationship between rising health insurance costs and employee compensation, and analyzing the time use of people with disabilities. Anand’s novel findings on paid family leave, which are in the 2022 Economic Report of the President and published in the Journal of Health Economics, identify implications for the future of federal paid leave policies.

For more information, contact Michelle Thompson at 703-993-3485 or mthomp7@gmu.edu.

About Mason

��ӽ紫ý, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and to shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu.

Topics

CHHS Research

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Telehealth Visits Replace In-Person Visits, Rather than Supplement and Offer Cost-Savings for Insurance Providers

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 19:32:31 +0000

Telehealth Visits Replace In-Person Visits, Rather than Supplement and Offer Cost-Savings for Insurance Providers Mary Cunningham Thu, 08/18/2022 - 15:32

In This Story

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

A new study from Health Administration and Policy Professor Alison Cuellar shows cost savings to insurance companies for telehealth visits because many people substitute virtual visits for in-person visits.

Health Administration and Policy Professor Alison Cuellar

Telehealth has expanded rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Though patients generally find virtual visits beneficial, policymakers and health insurers have been concerned that telehealth visits could raise health care costs if patients supplement in-person visits with telehealth, rather than substitute them. This concern has prevented some health insurers from expanding telehealth coverage that could support more patients.

A new study from ��ӽ紫ý Health Administration and Policy Professor Alison Cuellar helps alleviate that fear. The study found that many people use telehealth as a substitute for in-person visits. The payment rates to the telehealth provider were lower than the average in-office visit, which further increased cost savings for the health insurer. Researchers studied the insurance claims from people with the three most common conditions (respiratory infections, diseases of the urinary system, and eye disorders) who used telehealth from a “direct-to-patient” telehealth provider.

A telehealth visit

“Private insurers and public programs are eager for research to show if telehealth offers a cost-effective alternative to in-person visits,” said Cuellar. “These findings can help inform how we think about telehealth coverage, both at federal and state levels. These patients benefitted from convenient tele-access to providers. More studies like this can help inform how patients choose their visits in a post-pandemic world.”

The study, “Outpatient Care Among Users and Nonusers of Direct-to-Patient Telehealth: Observational Study" was published in Journal of Medical Internet Research in June 2022.

Telehealth has improved access to health care by removing some barriers to in-person visits, such as transportation, unpaid time off, and childcare. Many health insurers created temporary telehealth policies during the height of the pandemic. However, these companies worry that telehealth visits in addition to in-person visits will cost the company more. The results of this study provide companies with data to support that virtual visits for three common conditions did not encourage more overall doctor’s visits and actually costs less overall.

The study, supported by the Agency for Heathcare Research and Quality, used 2017 private insurance claims for adults 18-64. The research team analyzed virtual visits, office-based primary care, urgent or retail clinics, and emergency departments based on claim codes. Virtual visit costs to insurers were the lowest among all the settings. Researchers acknowledge that the findings are limited by the parameters of the search, and findings may not apply to all forms of telehealth medicine.

Topics

CHHS

HAP Faculty

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Telehealth

Exploring All Facets of Health Care

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 20 May 2022 15:27:53 +0000

Exploring All Facets of Health Care Mary Cunningham Fri, 05/20/2022 - 11:27

2022 HAP graduate Nadia Anderson aids in the search for what makes comprehensive care possible

When asked to describe what they associate the words "health care" with, most people would identify nurses or doctors. Not everyone would picture the individuals behind the scenes who make care delivery possible, health administrators. Nadia Anderson, a 2022 Health Administration with a concentration in Health Systems Management graduate, intends to become a health care administrator and improve patients’ experiences. Despite her initial plans to become a nurse or doctor a life-changing discovery altered her original path into the health care field.

“Ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to go into the medical field, either as a nurse or a doctor. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager that I reevaluated that desire. After going through treatment for many years, I did not really feel comfortable with the clinical side of things,” said Anderson. “It was soon after that I learned about health administration, which was more behind the scenes, and focused more on the organizing, planning, and managing skills that I excel in. This career option allowed me to still be in the medical field, but contribute in a different way.”

The Future of Comprehensive Care

She aims to become a health care administrator, who ensures smooth delivery of health services in hospitals, nursing homes, and anywhere that serves the medical needs of communities. Doctors, nurses, and health care administrators all coordinate to meet the diverse needs of patients within these care settings.

As with anyone working in a health care position, Anderson wants to provide the best care for her patients and recognizes that might include undiscovered technology.

Anderson is currently working as an intern on a project with the bioengineering students at the Inova Health and Vascular Institute for a partnered initiative between the College’s Department of Health Administration and Policy and the Volgenau School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering to conduct research studying the ways technology can be more effectively used in health care delivery.

"[Bioengineering and health care administration] are two very different things. The one common goal is to contribute to the medical field, working with other disciplines to ensure efficient and effective patient care,” Anderson said about why she took an interest in bioengineering.

Bioengineering, also known as biomedical engineering, is the study of how engineering tools and technology can increase efficacy in health care. This ﬁeld uses research-based approaches and computation to solve problems in biology and medicine.

As an intern, Anderson has had the opportunity to witness how these two different disciplines work together. “I really enjoyed working in an interdisciplinary group, learning how the bioengineering side and the health administration side of the field interact,” said Anderson. “My role as a liaison between the bioengineering project teams and medical professionals was something that I found helpful and a great introduction to communication within the medical field.”

When questioned about what she is optimistic for in the future of health care, Anderson said, “I am hopeful for health systems being able to provide seamless, comprehensive care for patients.”

Topics

CHHS

HAP News

Graduation

Health Administration

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Student Spotlight

Rising Health Care Leaders at Mason and MHA Alumnus Win Distinguished Quill Awards

John Brandon Cantrell — Tue, 17 May 2022 14:17:23 +0000

Rising Health Care Leaders at Mason and MHA Alumnus Win Distinguished Quill Awards John Brandon C… Tue, 05/17/2022 - 10:17

In This Story

Maria Uriyo

Brenda Sheingold, Rehan Saeed, and Maria Uriyo

Congratulations to the Rising Health Care Leaders at Mason (RHLM) student organization for receiving the Community Enrichment Award at Mason's Distinguished Quill Award Celebration. The award recognized RHLM for its efforts to enrich students' academic and professional prospects by organizing and planning networking events, such as the 2022 RHLM Symposium in March.

"I have observed tremendous growth and confidence amongst the RHLM organization's current leadership," said Maria Uriyo, assistant professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. "During the 2021 – 2022 academic year, the RHLM organized events that reinforced the importance of academic learning and addressed the individual differences of student learning. This was met by arranging in-person and virtual networking events with department faculty and industry health care leaders."

The Distinguished Quill Awards commend Mason leaders and organizations that have profoundly impacted the University's community.

In addition to RHLM winning the Community Enrichment Award, Rehan Saeed, RHLM's former president and a recent graduate of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, received the Mentor of the Year Award to honor his dedication to the student group's growth and professional development during his leadership.

"Rehan is an amazing mentor and has always been of great support for all our initiatives," said the current President of RHLM, Akshaya Chinnathevar Ramesh. "He is usually the first person to come in and stay until our event is complete, standing with us, encouraging, and motivating us. I strongly feel he deserved the 'Mentor of the Year' Award."

Learn more about Rising Health Care Leaders at Mason.

Topics

Awards

HAP News

CHHS News

Rising Healthcare Leaders

student organizations

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Clinical Training Meets Virtual Reality

John Brandon Cantrell — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 14:29:32 +0000

Clinical Training Meets Virtual Reality John Brandon C… Wed, 04/20/2022 - 10:29

Graduate student Sindhu Mallala studies health informatics at Mason to gain a deeper understanding of how technology can transform all aspects of health care.

For Sindhu Mallala, serving as a physician in her home country of India is an honor. She learned about the essential role physicians have in health care while studying at the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences in Andhra Pradesh, India. When she began practicing medicine, she realized the impact she could make by incorporating her dedication to helping others with her love of science and technology to resolve issues that health systems in India were experiencing.

"While working, I saw the amount of data we collected in a hospital [that] just sat in piles, as the concept of digital records is still not as established back home," said Mallala. "I looked up ways to make sense of it, like pieces of a puzzle to solve both medical and hospital issues; Health informatics was the answer to my question."

Mallala's mission to study health informatics fueled her move to America to gain a deeper understanding of how technology can transform the way health systems operate, especially in storing, managing, and accessing critical patient data more quickly and securely.

"The health informatics program at Mason is well-tailored,” Mallala said when asked why she chose Mason for graduate school. “I wanted to learn from the best, so I could go back home and use this in a way that helps everyone in my community."

While at Mason, Mallala pursued opportunities that gave her insight into just how impactful technology can be—not just for hospital operations but also for training the next generation of health care providers.

"Now that I have been on both sides of the spectrum, IT and as a health care provider, I have a better understanding of how to bridge the gaps in between,” Mallala said.

Discovering New Opportunities at the Virtual Reality Simulation Lab

Mallala teaching Mason President Dr. Gregory Washington how to use the virtual reality technology.

Mallala soon became a graduate teaching assistant at the College’s Virtual Reality Simulation Lab, an opportunity that allowed her to have a direct role in discovering how technology can reshape the future of health care. The Lab provides students in various health majors with interdisciplinary opportunities to practice the skills they learn in class through virtual real-world scenarios. For Mallala, this was a chance to incorporate her clinical background with her newfound knowledge of health informatics.

"The Virtual Reality Lab encourages critical thinking and provides a safe space to practice and make mistakes," said Mallala. "Improving technical and patient communication skills are two primary goals of our Lab. We practice evidence-based medicine, and most of the cases that we practice are with diagnoses that students might come across during their [training]."

Having the opportunity to help prepare future health care professionals through virtual reality technology has developed Mallala's perspective on the possible ways technology can enhance health care delivery and training. With her education in health informatics and experience as a physician, she selects appropriate cases for students to explore in virtual reality that align with their course requirements. She also assists Bethany Cieslowski, VR and simulation coordinator in the School of Nursing, in setting up the lab and debriefing with students about the cases they completed.

Until Mason, Mallala said that she did not consider virtual reality simulation as a way to train medical professionals.

"I find the concept of learning skills and practicing patient case management in a lab to be quite intriguing,” she said. “The Lab serves as an opportunity [to prepare students] to handle cases in an informed and methodical way. I've gained a great deal of knowledge from this interprofessional association of informatics and nursing. My perspective on education has shifted significantly as a result of the Virtual Reality Lab. I personally learned a great deal from Dr. Bethany Cieslowski, my mentor, about how to engage students and encourage participation."

In her pursuit to strengthen herself as a physician by obtaining a master's degree in health informatics, Mallala values the many opportunities she receives at Mason that have aided her along her journey in health care. Now, she looks to the future for ways she can further health and technology research by applying her clinical knowledge with her newfound technological skills.

"Now that I have been on both sides of the spectrum, IT and as a health care provider, I have a better understanding of how to bridge the gaps in between,” Mallala said.

Topics

CHHS News

Health Informatics

Healthcare Technology

Training

Department of Health Administration and Policy

HAP News

Student Spotlight

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

Michelle Vassallo Honored as CHHS Alumna of the Year

John Brandon Cantrell — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 20:43:25 +0000

Michelle Vassallo Honored as CHHS Alumna of the Year John Brandon C… Tue, 04/19/2022 - 16:43

Topics

Health Administration

Inova

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Alumni Spotlight

Master of Health Administration alumna led effort to get 100,000 people vaccinated in just 53 days.

When faced with fighting an unfamiliar and contagious virus, Mason alumna Michelle Vassallo rose to the occasion. Vassallo led a team of infectious disease prevention specialists, physicians, pharmacists, and researchers at Inova Health System to develop and execute a plan to distribute 100,000 vaccines in just 53 days. To do this, Vassallo and her team of nearly 30 public health professionals reimagined how their hospital system could fight the pandemic while keeping everyone's safety top of mind. The team reevaluated many components of the hospital system, such as establishing trusted communication channels for patients seeking information on vaccines and redesigning their treatment centers to accommodate a large number of socially-distanced patients. The team also faced ethical considerations when determining which groups would receive the vaccination first based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

In recognition of her achievements and contributions, Vassallo has been named the 2022 College of Health and Human Services Alumna of the Year.

Vassallo began her career as a registered nurse at Inova. Having graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she advanced in her career by accepting nursing leadership positions at Inova. As a graduate of Mason’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program, Vassallo not only learned about health systems, she also learned about leadership and problem-solving. This knowledge served her well in her current role as vice president, clinical platform service line at Inova.

"It's very humbling," Vassallo said on being named the CHHS Alumna of the Year. "The work I am being acknowledged for is something that has saved my life, my family, and all the people I interact with. I can't imagine there will be something else that impactful to my community and the people I care about as that endeavor was."

The process of reworking how the hospital system would operate in the wake of the pandemic required Vassallo to hone her leadership abilities and work with a group of interdisciplinary professionals on critical projects in just a short amount of time.

"Everybody took on a different role and chipped in,” Vassallo said. “We had to fall back on the fundamentals of what are the right ways to engage, influence, and empower team members to make the decisions that are right in the moment. You, as a leader, had to pivot kind of moment by moment based on what the needs were of the situation."

Despite the challenges faced, Vassallo and her team embraced the adversity through strong leadership, organization, and trust in one another.

"We took the opportunity to function well as a system in a way that we never had before," Vassallo said. "We were able to quickly make decisions that were very important to patient care and for team member safety. It was hard work, long hours, and difficult times, but it was also incredibly inspiring and motivating. It's affected our work in a positive way as we have moved through the pandemic."

Vassallo said that the training she received in the MHA program had particularly helped her lead others through the pandemic. Having a clinical background as a nurse and experience in hospital system operations, she saw an MHA degree as a way to develop further her understanding of business management and leadership. These skills resulted in saving many lives through the successful vaccination outreach.

"Almost every class was applicable to this crisis," Vassallo said. "I really think the best benefit was that [the MHA program] gave a broad foundation of knowledge for theory, for business, for leadership skills themselves. The leadership principles and those foundation elements were important to lean back on. When you have a moment to breathe, you can think about them and do them a little more purposefully, and then in the times of crisis, you're just glad you have that muscle memory."

When asked what advice Vassallo would give to graduating CHHS seniors, she encouraged new graduates to pursue assignments that can advance their exposure in their organization, even if the tasks are not a part of their job description.

"The best advice is if someone asks you to do something, it's because they think you're going to be successful and you can do it," Vassallo said. "So, take that opportunity and have confidence in yourself and take that stretch assignment or project because you never know where it will lead you. I think that has been the number one key to my success."

Vassallo was honored as the CHHS Alumna at the Year in April during the Honoring Mason Nurses event. The School of Nursing invites all faculty, staff, students, and alumni to join the celebration. She will also be given the CHHS Distinguished Alumni Award at Mason's Celebration of Distinction on October 21. Learn more here.

Rising Health Leaders at Mason Cultivated Leadership Skills by Organizing Annual Symposium

John Brandon Cantrell — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 13:10:44 +0000

Rising Health Leaders at Mason Cultivated Leadership Skills by Organizing Annual Symposium John Brandon C… Thu, 04/07/2022 - 09:10

Mason student group hosted a successful networking event for students in the DMV area.

As president of Rising Health Care Leaders at Mason (RHLM), Akshaya Chinnathevar Ramesh’s main goal for the 2022 RHLM Spring Symposium was to help other students make connections that will benefit their future careers as health care leaders. Along the way, she also strengthened her own leadership skills. The Symposium gave students from Mason and neighboring universities opportunities to strengthen their professional relationships and learn from local professionals on critical topics affecting today’s health care industry.

Chinnathevar Ramesh, a student in the Master of Health Administration program, led the RHLM leadership team to create a successful spring event. In addition to Chinnathevar Ramesh, the RHLM leadership includes Diba Osmanzada, Karan Khushal, Veronica Desper, and Kirstyn Nero.

Chinnathevar Ramesh aspired to become the RHLM president so she could help fellow students accelerate their futures careers through additional support and networking opportunities.

“I know what it is like to struggle beginning [a new program], being confused, and not knowing where to start,” Chinnathevar Ramesh said. “That is when the RHLM Symposium helped me and gave me the needed guidance, which inspired me [to join RHLM]. I felt the need to be a part of RHLM and help students looking for career opportunities like me. I also wanted to take the organization forward by adding my strengths and values.”

To ensure a successful day of networking and professional development, RHLM members spent over five months organizing and planning the event, which involved outreach, event promotion, and partnering with the National Center of Health Education to determine the panel topics. The event reached registration capacity within three days of the registration opening.

Over 120 people attended the Symposium, which included three-panel presentations from the area’s leading experts in health management on crisis management, implicit bias, and emotional intelligence and two resume review sessions for students preparing to enter the health care field. The event also featured the announcement of two services awards, including an alumni honorarium.

In the spirit of helping others, RHLM donated the extra food from the event to local housing shelters.

For Chinnathevar Ramesh, the opportunity to lead others throughout the planning process was a new experience that strengthened her skill set as a leader.

“Empathy is something I always value and believe is a must-have of any leadership,” said Chinnathevar Ramesh. “I got to know my team and the situation around them, and I learned to be more empathetic of the happenings and other individuals.”

The experience also helped her improve skills relating to active listening, accountability, and making strategic decisions.

“I felt like I had a crash course of my strategic management course,” said Chinnathevar Ramesh. “Strategic thinking and decision-making are two skills that have gone up a level from this experience.”

Chinnathevar Ramesh plans to apply the skills she obtained throughout her involvement in the health administration program and as the RHLM president to work in strategic management and operations, with the goal of becoming a chief operating officer of a company one day.

For students interested in joining RHLM, the group encourages students from any program to get involved. “We are the most active academic organization, and if any student thinks ‘I am not sure of what to do next about my career or where to begin,’ RHLM will be their guiding light,” Chinnathevar Ramesh said.

Learn more about RHLM here.

Topics

Department of Health Administration and Policy

Rising Healthcare Leaders

networking

professional development

Health Administration

CHHS Students in Action

CHHS News

Capstone Practicum Helps MHA Alumni Provide Better Results for Patients

John Brandon Cantrell — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 14:46:34 +0000

Capstone Practicum Helps MHA Alumni Provide Better Results for Patients John Brandon C… Mon, 03/21/2022 - 10:46

MHA alumni credit their capstone internship and research experiences with preparing them for their careers in health administration.

Winter MHA 2021 capstone practicum students.

For students who want to solve real-world health care problems like helping a hospital system create a disaster management plan or developing a security plan for a location health department, Mason’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) in Health Systems Management program is the place to practice and gain those skills with guidance from professionals.

Whether in person or online, the MHA program culminates in a real-world capstone practicum project where students solve a health care problem for an organization or company they are interested in, all with the guidance of a preceptor who is a professional in the field. Projects have included improving a COVID-19 testing and vaccination initiative, creating an improved patient intake plan, creating a strategy to reduce falls at a senior living facility, identifying the impact a hurricane had on suicides in Puerto Rico, and developing an online dashboard for a medical center, among others.

Recent alumni from the program agree that the capstone, which comes at the end of two years of coursework, and the program provided them with well-rounded health care skills that have helped them succeed in their careers.

“My capstone project taught me to be confident in my skills. I knew my perceived worth at my place of employment already so chose to do my project at a different location. Meeting new people, networking, and collaborating to produce a project that was centered on their needs helped me realize that I can step out of my comfort zone and still be successful,” said Kathy Hubbard, MHA ’21, whose project assessed injury prevention at a retirement community.

The field-based capstone practicum provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in class and through faculty collaboration to key health care executives while conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to inform an executive decision regarding a complex problem.

"The most important lesson I learned from my capstone is to ask ‘why’ and strive for better results for our patients and providers."

Jake Rodriguez, MHA '21

“The most important lesson I learned from my capstone is to ask ‘why’ and strive for better results for our patients and providers. I was able to completely change the way my team outreaches to patients and leveraged the data analysis in the project to improve the accuracy of our patient panel attribution, greatly improving our cost of care metrics,” said Jake Rodriguez, MHA ’21. For his capstone, Rodriguez’s looked at a health care system’s highest cost “unengaged” patients to improve preventative health outcomes and the total cost of care.

Jake Rodriguez, MHA '21, discusses his practicum project.

Capstone projects can help students prepare for their future jobs, and sometimes lead to a job after graduation. The projects always provide students with growth, development, and help them learn something new about health care or their desired specialty.

“The capstone opened my eyes to the world of data analytics and its critical role in the health care setting. [I developed] a relentless determination and will to seek out and create opportunities for professional development and personal enhancement,” said Rehan Saeed, who now works at his dream job as a staff consultant at Federal Advisory Partners.

Experienced Preceptors, Supportive Networks

From hospitals, health care clinics, and private practices to government agencies and departments of health, preceptors mentor students in all types of health care facilities and organizations in the private and public sectors. Each student identifies a mentor to help guide them to create a worthwhile project for the host organization and the student and support the student in their research.

“My preceptor was an experienced Registered Nurse (RN). She helped prepare me by giving me opportunities to ask questions but then challenged me to answer them through reflection. This was important to me because I truly believe there is more value in presenting a solution than a question in many circumstances,” said Hubbard, currently the RN Clinical Supervisor for the Internal Medicine Department at Eastern Virginia Medical School. “In health care, we know what the problems are, we have asked all the questions before and done the research again and again. Like the MHA program, my preceptor instilled in me a sense of urgency to create and implement the solutions to the problems we identified.”

Preceptors have included administrators at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Office of Strategic Policy, Mason and Partners Clinic, Sunrise Senior Living, National Institutes of Health, Medical University of South Carolina, Kaiser Permanente, Maryland Department of Health, and Healthcare Sustainability and Relief Effort, and many more.

Career-Ready and Always Learning

Kathy Hubbard, MHA '21 presents her practicum research findings.

“The work I did throughout the MHA program triggered my interest in a career change toward consulting. I had always worked in administrative roles – HR, business management, operations. The capstone work pushed me harder toward the career change and I ultimately decided to ask for a position as a consultant [at my current company],” said Sara Hodgson, who is a double Mason alumna with an MHA and a Bachelor of Science in Health Systems Management. Hodgson is a partner at The Moran Company, a health care research and consulting firm. “It is a complete career switch, but one I am glad I made and perhaps would not have made (or been qualified for) without working through the MHA program and my capstone project.”

The MHA program and its capstone practicum prepare students to thrive in the field of health care as administrators in a variety of roles. Students leave the program ready to take on the challenges of health equity and the health care system.

“The best thing that I learned from my capstone is that there is still work to be done. Health care is an industry that is constantly evolving,” said Jose Vazquez, who currently works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He aims to be a health care administrator within the federal health care system. “Also, I learned that adaptability has to be crucial for health care professionals because in times of crisis we have to respond and provide concrete solutions to deliver the best care possible.”

And Mason students are prepared and excited to do the work.

Learn more about Mason’s on-campus MHA program. Learn more about Mason’s online MHA program.

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