Student Spotlight

Health Services Research doctoral student intends to use her fellowship to uplift the voices of populations previously underrepresented in public health.

Former clinician and hospital chaplain, Arion M. Lillard-Green, seeks to shape health policy for equitable end-of-life care  

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

Sindhu 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. 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.

Patricia Tran became interested in health informatics while working as a nurse. She is now pursuing a Master of Health Informatics degree at Mason, where she obtained an internship with Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) over the summer to research how 5G-enabled technology can transform telehealth care.

Three MHA students reflect on the valuable experience of participating in the three-day competition.

Tarang Parekh, PhD candidate in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP), received a 2021 American Public Health Association (APHA) Career Enhancement Student Scholarship Award for his outstanding peer-reviewed abstract submission, which was selected for an oral presentation by the Disability Section abstract review committee. The virtual oral presentation occurred on Sunday, October 24, 2021.

On Thursday, September 16, the student alumni organization Rising Healthcare Leaders at Mason (RHLM) hosted its first in-person networking event since March 2020. Both the graduate student leadership team and undergraduate students in the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) worked together to make the event a successful networking opportunity for attendees.

Preparing aspiring health care providers is no small task and requires a true partnership between academic instructors and internship preceptors. The value of partnership to successfully prepare students for a career in health administration is exemplified by the relationship between Anastasia (Stacey) Schaab, senior director of nursing rehabilitation at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, and John (Jay) Shiver and Virginia (Ginny) Blair, associate professors in the Health Administration program in Mason’s Department of Health Administration and Policy. 

Meet recent graduates Harsha Nayyar (BS, Health Administration, ’21) and Kelly Simons, (BS, Health Administration, ’20) who share insights and advice with students considering a degree and career in health administration.

This spring, Mason senior Elizabeth Cheang landed an internship that provided her with a unique opportunity to research COVID-19 cases and use public data sets to discover virus hot spots in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

After earning the highest score on the CHES exam, Mason CHHS alumna Irene Parriski leads a team of crisis counselors dedicated to providing wellbeing strategies and self-care resources for local health departments.