WORLD
Dear Friends,
As we enter our third year as the School of Health, I am pleased to present the 2024 State of the School Progress Report. In it, you’ll find highlights of our accomplishments in advancing knowledge, shaping practice, reconceptualizing health professions education, and engaging with communities locally and globally in the most transformative ways.
But first, I would like to take a moment to step back and reflect on how we got here.
Undoubtedly, we are living in unprecedented times. The state of the world warrants a radical change in how we think about our work. Climate change, identity politics, immigration and migration, racial injustice, income inequality, global wars, voter suppression, and the pervasive spread of mis/dis information are just a few issues compromising our health and well-being in the most profound ways. Recognizing the interconnectedness of these issues, the School of Health is called to offer a different approach in catalyzing progress towards a world where all people can thrive and achieve optimal health and well-being.
State of the School Report | 1
Christopher J. King, PhD, FACHE, Dean, School of Health
REFLECTIONS
It is incumbent upon us to critically interrogate the status quo, apply systems thinking in scientific inquiry, and test unconventional approaches in practice and policy.
School of Health Advisory Task Force
● Promoting health equity and racial justice
● Amplifying well-being as a distinguishing attribute
● Embracing problem-focused interdisciplinary practice
● Leveraging the school’s existing strengths in public health, population health, and global health
● Leading and influencing change in the health and healthcare ecosystem
● Leveraging and/or re-situating aligned expertise and resources across schools and units
In the Fall of 2022, a School of Health Advisory task force was formed. Composed of an interdisciplinary group of 20 esteemed faculty who represented schools and units across Georgetown campuses, the charge of the task force was to provide recommendations to uniquely situate the school in the market, and offer guidance for substantive impact in a world that is rapidly changing. Out of that body of work, the following priorities are shaping the school’s formation:
● Advancing the Georgetown University-MedStar Health academic health system partnership by deepening our engagement
REFLECTIONS
continued
Mission and Vision
After the work of the task force was complete, School of Health leadership sought input from additional stakeholders, and the Executive Faculty approved the following mission and vision statements:
Our Mission: To advance the health and well-being of people locally, nationally, and globally through innovative research, the delivery of interdisciplinary education, and transformative engagement of communities.
Our Vision: We envision an equitable and just world where all people can achieve optimal health and well-being.
These statements reflect the work we do each and every day to move us closer to our wish for the world.
Consequently, we realize impact requires us to ask questions that go beyond conventional approaches. For example, how do we prepare our students to help cultivate a society that:
● economically values preventative health care and well-being?
● recognizes Earth as our common home?
● intentionally reflects on past harms and applies atonement in practice and policy?
● operationalizes healthcare from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial approach?
● incentivizes every sector and discipline to vet its work through a health and well-being lens?
REFLECTIONS continued
Key Milestones
In this State of the School report, we highlight our initial approach to some of these questions.
For example,
● We invested in and launched two “Big Ideas” that promise to shape the brand and identity of the school: the Global Mental Health and Well-Being Initiative; and the Initiative for Health Economics, Financing, and Outcomes. Also, in partnership with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, the Center for Global Health, Policy & Politics was approved in 2023.
● We added 10 new faculty to our community. Each brings diverse intellectual strengths that reflect our commitment to interdisciplinary practice and population health.
● Students who pursue a BS in Human Science now have the option to complete an accelerated master’s degree within one semester after graduation. Programs include, but are not limited to: bioinformatics, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics, and integrative neuroscience.
● In our commitment to realign programs to best meet the needs of students and faculty, the nationally accredited Executive Master’s in Clinical Quality, Safety & Leadership (EM-CQSL) and its corresponding certificate program transitioned from Biograduate Education (BGE) to the School of Health in July 2024.
● To strengthen our educational mission, inspire innovation, and prepare students for a diverse world, we identified a faculty champion and developed a comprehensive plan on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
State of the School Report | 5
REFLECTIONS continued
● We recruited a development officer and formed a Board of Strategic Advisors. The board engages in generative dialogue, provides counsel to the Dean, and contributes to the school’s philanthropic strategy.
● We completed a 5-year strategic plan that outlines new degree programs and expansion to the downtown capitol campus effective Fall 2025.
On the Horizon
With great hope and ambition, we will continue to build on a body of accomplishments, and implement the recommendations of the School of Health Advisory Task Force. The 2024–2028 strategic plan includes, but is not limited to: evaluation and realignment of pre-existing university programs with a health and well-being mission; fostering interdisciplinary practice through joint appointments and joint programming across schools; launching new programs and certificates that respond to emerging needs of the field; expanding our research portfolio; and increasing extramural funding.
A footprint at the Georgetown University Capitol Campus is an integral component of the school’s
REFLECTIONS
continued
growth strategy. Beginning in Fall 2025, the school will offer undergraduate courses downtown; and the location will serve as the official home for new and existing graduate programs and executive offerings. The destination will deepen the school’s commitment to advance health and well-being through innovative research, interdisciplinary education, and community engagement. This destination promises to:
● Strengthen student access to experiential learning through close proximity to esteemed organizations and federal agencies dedicated to advancing health
REFLECTIONS continued
● Enhance curricula and foster a dynamic student experience through a campus designed for interdisciplinary practice and joint programming
● Deepen the capacity for impact across disciplines in tackling root causes of inequities in health and socioeconomic conditions that influence health
● Catalyze cross-sector partnerships to advance knowledge and test unconventional approaches to promote health and well-being
● Increase access to the local community to codesign scalable initiatives that shape practice and influence health policy in the nation’s capital
● Expand a healthcare portfolio by launching executive programs and certificates that attract the world’s most talented public health and healthcare practitioners
● Advance the academic health system partnership with MedStar Health through more convenient access to the system’s facilities and practitioners
“I have no doubt that we are on a pathway to unleash our potential, and bring to fruition an unmatched academic destination for advancing health and well-being— locally, nationally and globally.”
— Christopher J. King Dean, Georgetown School of Health
CULTIVATING IDENTITY FOR TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT
At Georgetown’s School of Health, we examine questions such as: how do we cultivate a society that values prevention? How do we restore trust in science and public health? How do we reconceptualize the health care system to reflect cura personalis—care of whole person? And who pays for it? Underlying all that we do is cultivating an equitable society that values well-being.
School of Health Selects Two “Big Ideas”
In the first year after launching the School of Health, Dean Christopher J. King, Ph.D., invited faculty to submit proposals for projects with the potential to influence the formation of the School of Health and make a distinct contribution to the university. This year, two were selected: the “Global Mental Health & Well-Being Initiative” and the “Initiative on Health Economics, Financing and Outcome.”
What It Means to be Well
Learn about the many aspects of well-being, a signature focus for the School of Health’s research and academic missions. A proposed effort will facilitate cross-collaboration between schools and focus toward building a Global Mental Health & Well-Being Initiative.
Building Community with Art
“From Ill-Being to Well-Being and the Liminal States
In-Between: Art Exhibit,” a student-centered, semester-long multimedia art campaign intended to promote conversations about mental health presented by the School of Health’s new Global Mental Health and Well-Being Initiative.
ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE; SHAPING POLICY AND PRACTICE
At the School of Health, we catalyze change through collaboration and scientific inquiry aimed to shape policy and practice throughout the world.
The Center for Global Health Policy & Politics — UNAIDS-designated Collaborating Center
The School of Health is home to the Center for Global Health Policy & Politics, a United Nations Collaborating Center, in collaboration with Georgetown’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. The Center, led by School of Health professor Matthew Kavanagh, Ph.D., supports and advances policy and laws impacting HIV/AIDS with the overarching goal of addressing inequalities.
Understanding Cognitive Decline and its Link to Credit Card, Mortgage Delinquency
In the years prior to an Alzheimer’s disease or other memory disorder diagnosis, credit scores begin to weaken and payment delinquency begins to increase, concludes new research led by professor Carole Roan Gresenz, Ph.D. The findings support a possible use of credit data for early identification of those at risk for memory disorders.
Shared Decision-Making Lowers Health Care Expenditures
Shared decision-making isn’t just good medicine, it also saves money, according to a new study led by assistant professor Vanessa B. Hurley, MPH, Ph.D. The study found that as shared decision-making goes up by 3 percent, health expenditures go down by about 10 percent. This impact doubles when Latinx patients are seen by Latinx doctors; and triples when Black patients are seen by Black doctors.
“In addition to the human toll, a diagnosis of this type can be financially disruptive to families and exacerbated by the harmful financial effects of undiagnosed memory disorders. Our findings substantiate the possible utility of credit reporting data for facilitating early identification of those at risk for memory disorders.”
— Carole Roan Gresenz, PhD
a professor in Georgetown’s School of Health and McCourt School of Public Policy
New Report Examines the U.S.-China Collaboration on HIV/AIDS
A new report written by School of Health professor
Jennifer Bouey, MD, Ph.D., examines the successful collaboration between the U.S. and China in combating HIV/AIDS from 2002 to 2018 and underscores the recent challenges in maintaining such partnerships.
How a School of Health Professor Found His Niche in Climate Change, Culture and Mental Health
Shabab Wahid, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Health, shares his passion for global mental health and how he got to where he is in academia. Wahid co-leads the Global Mental Health & Well-Being Institute and is also on the advisory board.
FORMATION OF FUTURE LEADERS
School of Health faculty continuously examine how best to deliver transformative interdisciplinary education to catalyze needed change in the public health and health care sector, respond to changing global needs and affect well-being. We are uniquely guided by Jesuit values, which distinguishes us from other similar schools. As part of this work, we focus on the most vulnerable populations.
School of Health Students Practice Community-Led Approach to Health With Alaska Natives
Experiential learning is built into the School of Health curriculum. Global health majors Alaina Anderson (H’24) and Seareen Maaita (H’24) chose to study at Georgetown in part because of the opportunity to learn through experiential learning. For 15 weeks, they interned with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
Graduate Students Visit South American Health Care
Facilities as Part of Global Experience
Graduate students in the Master’s of Science of Health Systems Administration program journeyed to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to learn about the varying levels of national health care resources across public and private health care facilities as part of an experiential learning opportunity.
From Cells to the Clinic: School of Health
Undergraduates in Argentina Study
Respiratory Diseases
Human science students immersed themselves in the Argentinian health care system as part of a six-week translational health science internship program to study the clinical effects and molecular mechanisms of viruses that cause respiratory infections in infants and children.
School
of Health Undergraduates Learn Cura Personalis Through the Medical Humanities
Georgetown students immerse themselves in the emerging interdisciplinary field of medical humanities, which seeks to expand the hard sciences approach to the study of science and medicine to include social and historical context. The medical humanities helps students define the Jesuit value of cura personalis to reveal that “the entire person” cannot be treated without developing empathy to recognize a person’s humanity along with their health.
School
of Health Students Analyze Data for MedStar Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment
With substantial contributions from Georgetown’s School of Health, MedStar Health completed its 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, a comprehensive examination of local health needs conducted every three years as mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
“It’s one thing to talk about global health theoretically in the classroom, but it’s completely different to practice it in the community and actually do the work.”
—
Seareen Maaita (H’24)
School of Health Students Journey to Korea to Explore Health Care System Approaches
A global experience designed to examine the various aspects of health care delivery and systems in comparison to the U.S. system drew 10 graduate students in the Master’s of Science in Health Systems Administration program to Seoul.
Day of Service – Food & Friends
School of Health students often volunteer with Food & Friends, a Washington community-based organization. Volunteers worked in shifts to help pack medically tailored meals for Food & Friends’ clients in the D.C. region living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Watch this video to learn more about this impactful organization.
SCHOOL OF HEALTH FACULTY
The mission of the School of Health is led by an esteemed group of interdisciplinary educators, researchers, and scholars.
Department of Human Science
Allan Angerio Emeritus Faculty
Professor Emeritus
Ilona Argirion
Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Pablo Irusta
Tenure Line –
Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Human Science
Associate Dean for School of Health
Jan LaRocque
Tenure Line –
Associate Professor
Allison Marshall
Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Daniel J Merenstein
Tenure Line – Professor
Ted Nelson –
Associate Professor
Joan Riley Engelhard Senior Scholar & Associate Professor
Blythe Shepard
Associate Professor
Dekkers Endowed Chair in Human Science
Rosemary Sokas Emeritus Faculty
Alex Theos
Associate Professor
Jason Tilan
Associate Professor
Department of Health Management & Policy
Maria Alva Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Patricia Cloonan Emeritus Faculty
Caroline Efird
Assistant Professor
Gultekin Gollu
Associate Professor, Graduate Director
Sam Halabi Tenure Line – Professor Adjunct of Law Director, Center for Transformational Health Law
Sean Huang Tenure Line –
Associate Professor, Undergraduate Director
Vanessa Hurley Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Bette Jacobs Tenure Line – Professor Law Center – Adjunct
So-Yeon Kang Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Dae Hyun Kim Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Christopher J. King
Associate Professor
Dean, School of Health (SLE)
FACULTY continued
John Kraemer Tenure Line –
Associate Professor Chair, Department of Health Management and Policy
Carole Roan Gresenz Tenure Line – Professor
Michael A. Stoto Emeritus Faculty Professor of Health Systems Administration and Population Health
Ryung Suh Associate Professor Department of Global Health
Margaret Baker Associate Professor
Jennifer Bouey Tenure Line –Associate Professor Department Chair, Global Health
Eva Jarawan Associate Professor
Matthew Kavanagh Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Adjunct – JD|Law Center–Adjunct
Director, Global Health Policy & Politics Initiative O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Adam Koon Tenure Line –
Assistant Professor
Jessica Kritz Assistant Professor Champion of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Initiatives
Director, Initiative on Health and Peace
Carlos Mendes de Leon Professor
John Quattrochi Associate Professor
Vincent Turbat Associate Professor
Myriam Vuckovic Associate Professor
Shabab Wahid Tenure Line –Assistant Professor
Wu Zeng Tenure Line – Associate Professor
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20057-1107
202-687-4221
health.georgetown.edu
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