HAP News

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.”

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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.

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Mason Professor’s Paid Family Leave Research Featured in President Biden’s Economic Report

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 06 May 2022 13:40:33 +0000

Mason Professor’s Paid Family Leave Research Featured in President Biden’s Economic Report Mary Cunningham Fri, 05/06/2022 - 09:40

In This Story

Priyanka Anand, PhD

The 2022 Economic Report of the President cited Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy Priyanka Anand’s research on the impact of paid family leave mandates on labor supply and caregiving decisions following a spousal disability or health shock.

“Having our research recognized in the President’s Economic Report is an honor and emphasizes the importance of research on paid leave,” said Anand. “Only nine states and DC currently have paid leave mandates, but more are considering adopting their own policies and the American Families Plan proposed by President Biden in 2021 would have permanently guaranteed all workers in the US 12 weeks of paid leave. It is important to understand what type of impact these policies would have on employment.”

The 2022 Economic Report of the President discusses the economic progress the United States has made over the past year and includes the Council of Economic Advisors Annual Report. Anand’s work is featured in Chapter 4 of the report titled “Investing in People: Education, Workforce Development, and Health."

The full paper, “The role of paid family leave in labor supply responses to a spouse’s disability or health shock,” was published in the May 2022 Journal of Health Economics.

When a family member is injured or suffers an unexpected health setback, they may need additional care. Workers without paid family leave often face the tradeoff between staying at work to earn income or leaving their job to provide care for their family member. Job protection, such as what the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides, is important too, but often unpaid and not all families can afford to go without income while caring for a family member. Additionally, paid leave policies do not always include job protection.

“There is a large body of existing research that examines the impact of paid leave on women’s careers after childbirth, but very little on the impact of paid leave on potential caregivers after a spouse’s work-limiting health shock or disability. The recent global pandemic brought the issue of paid leave for family caregiving to the forefront, with many workers having family members affected by COVID-19 and needing care,” Anand said.

Anand and her fellow researchers sought to better understand paid family leave policies' effect on employment in relation to a spouse's disability or sudden health issue (health shock). They questioned whether paid leave and/or job protection may further support families since they would not have to choose between caregiving and income.

The team used data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to compare employment and caregiving decisions before and after a spouse’s work-limiting health shock or disability, specifically in states that have a paid leave mandate (California and New Jersey) versus states that eventually had a paid leave mandate, but didn’t at the time of the spouse’s health shock.

They found that paid leave mandates reduce the likelihood of decreasing paid work hours to provide caregiving after a spouse’s health shock. However, paid leave mandates also reduce employment if they are not provided together with job protection. For caregivers who may not qualify for FMLA or have other sources of job protection, paid leave mandates increase the likelihood that they will leave their job to care for their spouses.

They did not find evidence of an impact of paid leave mandates on other measures of employment. The research team acknowledges that the small number of states (two) that have paid leave and the limitations of SIPP survey data are limitation of the research.

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth is funding a new project that is an extension of this research. The new project will examine the characteristics and long-term outcomes of individuals who have a need for paid leave (due to their own or a family member’s health shock), but lack access either through their employer or a state mandate.

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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.

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Tracy Shevlin Named Mason Staff Alumni Award Winner

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 13:34:25 +0000

Tracy Shevlin Named Mason Staff Alumni Award Winner Mary Cunningham Thu, 04/07/2022 - 09:34

In This Story

Tracy Shevlin

Health Administration and Policy (HAP) Department Manager Tracy Shevlin was honored with the Mason Staff Alumni Award at Mason’s 2022 Outstanding Achievement Awards.

Shevlin was nominated by her peers in HAP who are grateful for her hard work and dedication to bettering the department.

“Tracy is the heart of the Health Administration and Policy Department. For more than a decade, she has kept us on track and organized with her can-do attitude and Patriot spirit. The department could not run without her!” said P.J. Maddox, HAP Department Chair.

Shevlin has worked in the department for 14 years supporting students and faculty with administrative tasks such as events, onboarding, scheduling, and budgeting. She holds a bachelor of arts in Business Communication from Mason.

The Staff Alumni Award is awarded to a Mason alumnus who is currently working for Mason. Alumni of ��ӽ紫ý currently working for Mason are a special group of employees who are proud to call themselves Patriots. Their hard work and contributions to the university community are a reflection of their unique perspectives as former students and current employees. This award pays tribute to this special population of employees. The Outstanding Achievement Awards celebrate the hard work, dedication and achievements of Mason’s faculty and staff across several awards categories and support Mason’s values and mission.

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Risk of Homelessness or Incarceration among Foster Youth Varies by Type of Disability

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:53:37 +0000

Risk of Homelessness or Incarceration among Foster Youth Varies by Type of Disability Mary Cunningham Wed, 03/30/2022 - 09:53

Ages 17-21 are important transitional years as young adults learn to become adults with more responsibilities. Many youth have family members who provide social and financial support to help them during this critical time; however many transitioning out of foster care lack these supports. Without social supports, they face a greater risk of homelessness, incarceration, and other socially isolating outcomes.

A new study shows that the likelihood of a foster youth with disabilities experiencing homelessness or incarceration during the transition to adulthood varies by type of disability. Associate professor of Social Work JoAnn Lee and associate professor of Health Administration and Policy Gilbert Gimm found that youth with emotional disabilities are more likely to experience homelessness and incarceration than those with other disabilities. However, after digging a little deeper, they found that there are other factors that explain the association between emotional disabilities and both homelessness and incarceration: “Our findings did not find statistical significance for an emotional disability when controlling for other variables, contrary to what we expected based on prior studies,” said Lee. “This is especially notable since emotional disability is the disability type people tend to focus on, if they differentiate the type of disability diagnosis.”

Previous studies either grouped everyone with a disability together or focused only on emotional disability. This study found that intellectual or developmental disability, visual/hearing disability, and physical disabilities are associated with a lower likelihood of homelessness and incarceration. Out of the disabilities analyzed, those with a physical disability reported the lowest rates of homelessness and incarceration and those with an emotional disability reported the highest rates.

“This study brought to light the need to tailor social supports and policies to the specific needs of young adults with disabilities, which can reduce barriers to services and improve community participation. In turn, improved access to services and social engagement can ultimately reduce the risk of homelessness and incarceration," said Lee.

Additionally, the research revealed that youth connections to school, employment, and extended foster care support were associated with lower likelihood of experiencing homelessness and incarceration. The study also identified a smaller group of youth who had not yet been evaluated and requires more study because they appear to have the worst overall outcomes.

In the study, nearly half (46%) of youth aging out of foster care were diagnosed with a disability. The majority had an emotional disability (36.8%) and a small percentage of youth aging out were diagnosed with an intellectual/developmental disability (4.3%), visual or hearing disability (6.3%), and a physical disability (1.1%). Nine percent of the study cohort had not been evaluated for a disability.

“We recommend two important policy implications based on our findings. First, transition services for high-risk youth should be bolstered. Second, extending transition services up to age 25 can help to reduce the risk of homelessness and incarceration,” said Gimm.

The paper titled “Assessing Homelessness and Incarceration Among Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, by Type of Disability” was published online in the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal in February 2022. Researchers did an analysis to identify associations between disability type and both homelessness and incarceration while controlling for other demographic and child welfare system characteristics.

The study merged the administrative data from the 2014 cohort of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS). The NYTD outcomes database interviewed youth when they were 17 years old, with follow-up interviews when they reached 19 and 21 years of age, respectively, to find out how they were doing as they age out of care and transition to adulthood.

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Master of Health Administration Ranks in Top 50 Graduate Programs According to US News & World Report

eander6 — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:44:52 +0000

Master of Health Administration Ranks in Top 50 Graduate Programs According to US News & World Report eander6 Tue, 03/29/2022 - 08:44

The College of Health and Human Services is pleased that the Master of Health Administration graduate program maintains its rank (#33) within the top 50 of its discipline, as recognized in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate programs.

“The Mason MHA continues to prepare future executives to assume leadership positions in health care organizations,” said Peggy (P.J.) Maddox, chair of the department. "This accomplishment is a credit to our dedicated health administration policy faculty, passionate students, and thriving alumni.”