Danielle Hawkins

Public health social worker appointed as regional representative to United Nations social work commission

Taylor Thomas — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:04:53 +0000

Public health social worker appointed as regional representative to United Nations social work commission Taylor Thomas Wed, 11/19/2025 - 12:04

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Evelyn Tomaszewski, MSW, ACSW

Evelyn Tomaszewski, divisional director of graduate programs and associate professor in the Department of Social Work. Photo provided.

Evelyn Tomaszewski, divisional director of graduate programs and associate professor in the Department of Social Work, has been appointed to a four-year term as a regional representative to the United Nations Commission for the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).

“This role aligns with George �鶹��Ƶ’s Department of Social Work mission and allows me to bring real-time policy, practice, and advocacy experience back into the classroom. As a public health social worker, my hope is that this work highlights the essential role of social work in advancing health, human rights, and sustainable development around the world,” said Tomaszewski.

In this role, Tomaszewski oversees the IFSW team’s engagement with the United Nations in New York. She serves as liaison to the social work professional associations in Canada and the United States and represents the team to the IFSW UN Global Commissioner. She co-leads a team of five IFSW UN representatives and two content-expert advisors, along with Master of Social Work student representatives completing their practicum placements.

Through participation in forums such as the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the Commission on Social Development, she aims to strengthen the visibility and impact of the social work profession within UN agencies and across global civil society.

Tomaszewski is also committed to expanding collaboration with regional representatives across IFSW’s five global regions to ensure the profession’s diversity, values, and community-rooted practice are reflected in global policy discussions. With IFSW representing social workers in more than 150 countries, she views this role as a unique opportunity to connect with colleagues worldwide.

Her responsibilities include helping navigate and interpret UN processes, reviewing and coordinating IFSW policy statements and interventions submitted to the UN, and identifying opportunities for social workers to contribute to UN initiatives.

The mission of the George �鶹��Ƶ Master of Social Work program emphasizes preparing students for systems transformation, global citizenship, and community partnership. Learn more about the Master of Social Work program.

Tomaszewski’s appointment comes after over a decade of UN-focused service with IFSW. Learn more about her previous work here.

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George �鶹��Ƶ researchers awarded $4.65 million NIH grant to explore chronic knee pain

Colleen Rich — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 21:31:42 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers awarded $4.65 million NIH grant to explore chronic knee pain Colleen Rich Tue, 09/30/2025 - 17:31

For millions of Americans, chronic musculoskeletal pain is a daily reality that makes even simple activities like walking across a room, playing with grandchildren, or just getting through a workday feel daunting. At �鶹��Ƶ, researchers at the Center for Advancing Systems Science and Bioengineering Innovation (CASSBI) are leading a new $4.65 million National Institutes of Health-funded R01 study to better understand what shapes those experiences, and how to improve care.

Photo by Getty Images

“Like many people all over the world, I have known close family members living with unexplained chronic pain,” said the project’s lead investigator Siddhartha Sikdar, professor of bioengineering and director of CASSBI. “I have seen firsthand how frustrating it can be to navigate a disjointed health care system that often does not prioritize patient voices. That’s why I’m so excited about this project. It prioritizes understanding each person’s lived experience of pain, so we can come up with better guidelines for personalized management of chronic pain.”

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is one of the world’s most common—and least understood—health conditions. It refers to ongoing pain in soft tissues of the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, or legs. Lower back and knee pain are leading causes of disability worldwide, disrupting work, family life, and well-being.

Despite its prevalence, the condition is poorly understood. Pain perception is difficult to measure, and each individual’s experience of chronic pain is unique. Findings on currently available diagnostic tests paint an incomplete, and sometimes misleading, picture of the underlying problems. Too often, people with chronic musculoskeletal pain encounter fragmented care, misdiagnoses, or treatments that are expensive, invasive, and ineffective. Many report feeling dismissed or unheard.

The research team will work to solve this problem by studying how physical, biological, emotional, and social factors come together to shape the daily experience of living with chronic knee pain. They will look at whether analyzing multiple symptoms over time can help identify important turning points in a person’s pain journey, and how each individual’s particular mix of stress, biology, and movement plays a role in achieving maximal potential for function.

Siddhartha Sikdar. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding.

Over the next four years, the team will recruit participants with chronic knee pain who are receiving treatment at Optimal Motion, a community-based physical therapy clinic. For one year, participants will be followed closely, with data collected every three months on their biomechanics, physical function, biological health, and psychosocial well-being. A smartphone app will also allow participants to share daily reflections, giving researchers an unprecedented look into the lived experience of chronic pain.

“Chronic pain is not just about an abnormal finding in a single body part,” Sikdar explained. “It’s an individual, day-to-day experience that cuts across physical, emotional, and social dimensions.”

Improving chronic pain management without overreliance on opioids and other medications with harmful side effects is a critical priority for addressing the ongoing public health crisis of opioid and other medication misuse, addiction, and overdose in America. Better understanding the factors that shape pain could lead to more effective personalized care and help reduce the devastating ripple effects of medication misuse and addiction.

This study is different from traditional pain research in three important ways. First, it uses a whole person focus. Instead of viewing knee pain only as a local problem in the joint, the team is taking a holistic approach that considers the entire person and the many factors influencing their pain. Second, it puts patient voices at the center. By using advances in large language models, researchers will analyze patient narratives, stories, and reflections, capturing rich perspectives often overlooked by conventional assessments. Third, it will track change over time. Rather than relying only on one-time snapshots, the study will follow patients’ pain experiences as they shift from day to day and month to month.

The interdisciplinary project will involve medical scientists, community-based medical professionals, engineers, data scientists, neuroscientists, and CASSBI’s chronic pain advisory board of patient advocates and community-based practitioners. George �鶹��Ƶ faculty collaborators include:

Kevin Lybarger, assistant professor, Department of Information Sciences and Technology, College of Engineering and Computing (expertise: artificial intelligence, natural language processing)
Secili DeStefano, adjunct faculty, Department of Health Administration and Policy, College of Public Health (expertise: physical therapy)
William Rosenberger, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Statistics, College of Engineering and Computing (expertise: statistics)
Seiyon (Ben) Lee, assistant professor, Department of Statistics, College of Engineering and Computing (expertise: statistical modeling of complex data)
Samuel Acuña, research assistant professor, Institute for Digital Innovation, Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact (expertise: rehabilitation engineering, human-centered product design)
Cameron Nowzari, associate professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing (expertise: robotics)
Lynn Gerber, MD, professor emerita, medical doctor, Inova Center for Integrated Research (expertise: rheumatology, internal medicine, rehabilitation)

The team is also partnering with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and community-based providers such as Optimal Motion.

The project supports NIH’s interest in advancing the understanding of individual differences in pain with a whole person approach to personalized medicine. It also aligns closely with CASSBI’s mission to bring together scientists, engineers, health care professionals, and community members to drive real-world medical innovation.

For more than a decade, George �鶹��Ƶ researchers at CASSBI have been working across disciplines to better understand chronic pain and this new study builds on that legacy with fresh tools, new partnerships, and functional outcomes that reflect wha patients have expressed is important to them .

“Pain is a uniquely personal perception and experience,” said Sikdar. “Our goal is to listen more closely, understand more fully, and translate those insights into better care guidelines and treatments. Ultimately, it’s about helping people get back to living their lives.”

Find more innovation on the CASSBI website

Grand Challenge Initiative

Explore George �鶹��Ƶ’s Grand Challenge Initiative addressing the greatest threats to humanity’s ability to live a peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and just existence.

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Practicum and research empower this future public health leader

Mary Cunningham — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:28:03 +0000

Practicum and research empower this future public health leader Mary Cunningham Fri, 09/19/2025 - 20:28

�鶹��Ƶ master of public health (MPH) student Janell Addo-Boateng, MPH ’25, describes her practicum experience at Culture Care Collective as a launchpad into the public health field.

Janell Addo-Boateng, MPH '25, Photo provided.

“This experience helped solidify my interest in policy and program evaluation for maternal and community health, which is an area of interest I hold dear to my heart,” she explained. “I strengthened my skills in policy writing and stakeholder engagement, which are all important skills for working in public health policy and advocacy.”

For Addo-Boateng, a first-generation student who graduated in May, her practicum provided a strong foundation for a career in the public health field. She participated in research, evaluation, and communication initiatives at Culture Care Collective—a health equity program aimed at integrating community health workers into university and clinical environments to improve care for underserved populations. During her time with the collective, she wrote a policy brief and a case study, supported the design and analysis of qualitative data on program impact, and co-authored a manuscript summarizing her findings.

Beyond her practicum, Addo-Boateng worked as a graduate research assistant, supporting research led by CPH faculty Rochelle Davidson Mhonde and Michelle S. Williams on fertility desire among women living with HIV. The role allowed her to sharpen her writing, data analysis, and time management skills, while also learning how to communicate research findings to both academic and non-academic audiences.

In addition to supporting faculty-led projects, Addo-Boateng pursued her own research at George �鶹��Ƶ, conducting a policy analysis for the March of Dimes on closing Medicaid postpartum care gaps and addressing maternal mortality disparities. She evaluated three policy approaches through the lenses of effectiveness, efficiency, and feasibility, with an emphasis on justice-oriented solutions, and presented her findings in testimony and peer presentations on how strategic policy changes could reduce costs, strengthen care coordination, and improve maternal health outcomes.

She further demonstrated her skills at the national level by participating in the 2025 National Case Study Competition in Health Education, where her team earned the silver award for their solution to address rising rates of sexually transmitted infection among young adults.

Janell Addo-Boateng, MPH '25. Photo provided.

“I learned how to put research into actionable policy tools that will resonate with diverse stakeholders,” explained Addo-Boateng. “I also learned how important it was to be adaptable, especially when working on interdisciplinary teams and navigating real-world timelines. In my case, I was completing full time studies as a graduate student, working on my research assistant position with my professor Dr. Rochelle Davidson Mhonde, and contributing to my practicum responsibilities.”

Addo-Boateng says she is incredibly grateful for the opportunities she had at the College of Public Health, especially the mentorship and hands-on experiences that helped bring everything together. She believes her time at �鶹��Ƶ has truly prepared her to step into the next phase of her career with confidence and clarity.

For fellow students, she offers this advice, “Choose a practicum that aligns with both your values and your long-term goals. Also, don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone, as it’s often where the most growth happens! Lastly, take initiative because from my personal experience, my practicum was a launchpad into getting experience in the public health field.”

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Carter School alumna is nurturing the next generation of peacemakers

Katarina Benson — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:26:45 +0000

Carter School alumna is nurturing the next generation of peacemakers Katarina Benson Thu, 08/21/2025 - 12:26

For nearly two decades, �鶹��Ƶ alum Nawal Rajeh, MS Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’10, PhD Conflict Analysis and Resolution ’24, has been transforming the way Baltimore’s youth see themselves—shaping them into peacemakers through long-term relationships, hands-on education, and a community-wide commitment to nonviolence. Her work is a testament to the enduring connection between academic training and grassroots action.

When Rajeh first arrived at George �鶹��Ƶ in 2008 as a graduate student, she was already deeply rooted in the work of peacebuilding. She had just cofounded a peace camp in East Baltimore while serving as a Jesuit volunteer there. The Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution had long been on her radar as a place to deepen her understanding of conflict resolution and community-based change.

Nawal Rajeh with a peace camp participant. Photo provided

After earning her master’s, Rajeh cofounded the nonprofit By Peaceful Means, which focuses on youth empowerment, peace education, and employment opportunities for young people. This year marked the organization’s 19th Peace Camp, a free program serving children ages 5–13, with opportunities for former campers to return as junior and senior counselors well into their 20s.

"We see the children’s growth in social, emotional, and conflict skills, and they’re building their own identities as peacemakers,” she said. “Some have been with us since the very first year, and now their own children are campers.”

Rajeh says her Carter School experience is inseparable from the evolution of her work. “I had a background as a community organizer before I came to the Carter School. Blending that with what I learned here made me feel that being in a community long-term and doing peace work was the way to go,” she explains.

Courses on peace education and exposure to different grassroots models have shaped everything from the camp’s curriculum to how the team measures impact year after year.

Her efforts extend beyond the camp. Partnering with Carter School faculty on the Baltimore Peacebuilding Project, Rajeh interviewed more than 20 local organizations working on violence intervention and peace education and later convened a Peace Summit, which brought these groups together to share current work, identify gaps, and explore collaborations. Much like cities map crime statistics by neighborhood, summit participants mapped Baltimore’s peacebuilding efforts.

“One participant runs eight Safe Streets sites, and all of them had zero homicides up to that point in the year,” Rajeh said. “It’s incredible—and it’s the kind of work you don’t hear about on the news.”

More than 90% of By Peaceful Means’ funding comes from individual donors, underscoring the deep community trust and investment in their mission. For Rajeh, the most meaningful moments come when former campers share how the program shaped them. One young woman, who faced repeated school suspensions in her early years, told Rajeh as a college senior that Peace Camp gave her the skills, confidence, and support network she needed to chart a different path.

“This whole community has been built around Peace Camp,” Rajeh says. “It’s cocreated by all of us. It’s like its own peace ecosystem now, and people feel like they have family here.”

For current students and aspiring peacebuilders, Rajeh’s advice is simple: “Seek out who’s already doing the work. Be humble and open to learning from the community—not just about its challenges, but about its wisdom and strengths. Build relationships and truly become part of the community.”

Reflecting on her George �鶹��Ƶ roots, Rajeh says, “There’s a kind of wonder in being part of this network of changemakers, scholars, and peacebuilders, all connected by the thread of the Carter School. It’s like belonging to an invisible community — I may not know everyone, but the connection makes anything feel possible.”

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Preventing gun violence in Baltimore before it begins

Katarina Benson — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:35:55 +0000

Preventing gun violence in Baltimore before it begins Katarina Benson Wed, 08/20/2025 - 16:35

Maryland ranks among the top 10 states with the highest rates of gun-related killings. Although Baltimore accounts for just 9% of Maryland’s population, it has historically been responsible for a disproportionate share of the state’s gun violence (41% of all gun homicides). Yet across the city, community organizations, public agencies, and violence prevention initiatives are joining forces to reverse that trend. Their efforts are showing promising results: In 2024, Baltimore saw a 23% decrease in homicides and a 34% drop in nonfatal shootings.

One such project led by �鶹��Ƶ’s Arthur Romano is working to prevent gun violence in the city through proactive peacebuilding initiatives. The Baltimore Peace Education and Violence Prevention project is addressing the problem with a multipronged approach: Peace summits that bring together peacebuilding organizations in Baltimore, offering services to municipal governments to strengthen their strategic plans in that area, and an international exchange of violence prevention practitioners to share emerging practices.

Carter School professor Arthur Romano at a peace summit in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo provided

Romano, an associate professor at the at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and founder of the Carter School’s Program on Urban Peacebuilding, has more than 25 years of experience in research and practice in peace and conflict resolution and focuses primarily on conducting actionable research to prevent violence in U.S. cities.

This project received seed funding as part of a collaboration between the Carter School and Rotary International. With its peacebuilding mission and connections around the world, Rotary International and local Rotary clubs were a natural partnership for this work.

“Since community-based violence is a result of multiple compounding stressors and structural issues, then the interventions need to be multi-level,” said Romano. “We’re trying to be proactive and build infrastructure that accelerates learning and communication across organizations. This is a different approach than focusing on a single organization.”

First, the research team held a pilot peace summit in Baltimore in April 2025 that brought together practitioners and community organizations on the front lines of violence prevention to share knowledge, identify gaps, and identify areas for collaboration. During this event, they mapped the peacebuilding work in the city, much like urban crime is mapped, and paved the way for their long-term goal of fostering a sustainable community of practice through ongoing workshops, skill-sharing, peer-learning and targeted training from outside experts.

A key partner in the project is recent Carter School alumna Nawal Rajeh, who organized the peace summit and has been running a peace camp in Baltimore for the past 17 years for children most at-risk for gun violence. Rajeh founded the Baltimore-based nonprofit By Peaceful Means, which aims to reduce violence among youth through peace education, advocacy, and employment. Nawal leveraged her skills in community-building and conflict resolution to bring together leaders in peacebuilding from across the city.

A peace map created by Romano and summit participants. Photo provided

The research team is also conducting outreach to municipal governments on the second component of the project—seeking to develop or strengthen their strategic plans for violence prevention. When municipalities express interest, the team works with local agencies to assess current peacebuilding efforts, share insights from the peace summits, use the city-wide map to assist with coordination and collaboration and help create long-term systems for ongoing learning and collaboration.

The third component of the project is the Urban Peacebuilding Exchange (UPX), a professional learning exchange designed to support and connect community-based peacebuilders. The first pilot UPX program will launch in August, sending practitioners from Baltimore to engage with peers in Valparaiso, Chile, who are addressing issues like incarceration, prison reentry, and community violence.

Romano said they looked at what intervention points would have the highest impact for leveraging practitioners’ skills and the university’s role. “This came out of years of conversations with community organizations and recognition of these needs,” he said. “We create a bridge between the community and the university. I think this is where the Program on Urban Peacebuilding and George �鶹��Ƶ are at their best.”

As the project enters its next phase, the team is mapping peacebuilding efforts across Baltimore and looking to leverage university resources—like cloud computing—to support and scale the work. They are seeking faculty collaborators with expertise in digital and participatory mapping, data visualization, cross-organizational learning platform development, or gaming and simulation design.

The team aims to develop two key tools: a real-time digital map of local peacebuilding efforts that allows for public input and offers dynamic visualization of existing violence prevention efforts, and a citywide learning and communication platform to connect peacebuilders, share resources, and help coordinate community-driven violence prevention efforts in cities around the world.

“This work demonstrates the powerful role universities can play in aiding and accelerating knowledge production in spaces outside the university through research partnerships,” said Romano.

This work in a critical part of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI) and the university’s commitment to strengthening peace, trust, and engagement in democracy. George �鶹��Ƶ also chairs the United Nations SDG 16 Hub—Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, a position it will hold for the next three years. As hub chair, the Carter School is responsible for education and training, research, community engagement, developing partnerships, and working with other SDG hubs to strengthen and further the United Nations’ mission of peace and justice.

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Nursing PhD alum becomes Oakwood University’s first female president

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:32:09 +0000

Nursing PhD alum becomes Oakwood University’s first female president Mary Cunningham Wed, 07/23/2025 - 09:32

Throughout her career, Gina S. Brown, PhD Nursing ’99, has demonstrated tenacity and resolve. While earning her PhD at �鶹��Ƶ, she balanced a demanding academic schedule, sustained a full-time job, and raised a young family.

On July 1, Brown returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Oakwood University, to take on a historic new role: the first female president of the institution.

Gina S. Brown, PhD, MSA, RN, FAAN (PhD Nursing ’99), the first female president of Oakwood University. Photo provided.

Brown emphasizes a leadership approach founded on shared governance, rooted in respect for every voice in the Oakwood community—students, faculty, and alumni alike. “I want to hear from everyone—those who loved their experience and those who didn’t. Everyone’s voice matters,” Brown stated. Nevertheless, she is clear that her foremost priority is to protect and respect students.

A career grounded in service and leadership

Brown has served in clinical, academic, and leadership roles. While pursuing her PhD, Brown worked as a nurse recruiter. She traveled frequently to the Philippines to recruit nurses back to the United States to address the shortage of nurses, and to evaluate their educational level to assess that they were the same as those in the states.

She went on to hold several notable positions, including serving as an investigational review board liaison at Washington Hospital Center, followed by faculty appointments at Washington Adventist University that evolved into leadership roles as associate chair, chair, and dean. Brown also supported underrepresented students at a minority-serving college in Baltimore and played a pivotal role in restoring accreditation at a school in Massachusetts.

She later served on the board of Loma Linda University in California, which led to a faculty role as associate professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone programs. She then became dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University, overseeing 1,500 students and 100 faculty.

Recognitions and professional achievements

Brown’s work has earned her numerous distinctions, including:

Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
Fellow of the Academy of Diversity and Leaders in Nursing (FDNL)
Fellow of the National Academies of Practice
Recipient of the 2024 Gold Foundation’s Medal of Honor, highlighting her wide-reaching impact in health care

She attributes much of her success to the encouragement and foundation laid at �鶹��Ƶ, which inspired her to seek leadership roles, pursue excellence, and serve her community.

Her time at George �鶹��Ƶ

Brown highlights her time at George �鶹��Ƶ as exceptionally supportive, recalling faculty who went above and beyond to help her with funding, tutoring, and flexibility. Brown credits this period as a formative chapter in her career, citing the unwavering support and encouragement she received from �鶹��Ƶ faculty and staff.

“So many times, people complain about their institutions, but I’ve always been very pleased with George �鶹��Ƶ. It was rigorous—it was tough—but it was a great program. It was my most positive educational experience. Keep up the good job.”

Her advice for the next generation: value relationships as much as academic achievement. “Really get to know your professors. When you build those relationships, you can anticipate each other’s needs, and support becomes much more meaningful. It makes all the difference.”

Brown’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, supportive mentorship, and servant leadership. As she steps into her new role at Oakwood, her experiences continue to inspire students, colleagues, and the broader academic community.

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Master of Public Health alum builds a career transforming public health across Virginia

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:32:22 +0000

Master of Public Health alum builds a career transforming public health across Virginia Mary Cunningham Mon, 06/02/2025 - 10:32

“I wouldn't be where I am today without a community of folks who have supported me. Mentors, teachers and all of those folks, it started with a conversation.”

Felicia Baez-Smith, MPH ’19. Photo provided.

Felicia Baez-Smith’s, MPH ’19, public health journey began during her undergraduate years at �鶹��Ƶ, where she earned a BA in Integrative Studies with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. While working at the Student Support and Advocacy Center, she conducted HIV testing and was encouraged by a mentor to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH), and she did. The same week she graduated with her MPH from George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Public Health, she started her career at the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).

“George �鶹��Ƶ is an amazing school. They teach you theory, but I also got the practical skills to transfer to my job. You know, you learn about evaluation metrics, and you learn about a logic model. But what does that mean when you're actually in a job? And how do you actually apply those? So to me, I felt prepared. Even just my writing skills, just the day-to-day sending emails to different stakeholders, whether that's internal leadership folks versus a community member who has never interacted with a public health professional or health department staff.”

At a time when few people had heard of Naloxone, as an opioid outreach coordinator for the Chickahominy Health District, Baez-Smith led efforts to distribute the life-saving medication across rural and urban communities. “I completed over 70 REVIVE! trainings,” she recalls. One of her most impactful initiatives was a partnership with the women's prison in Goochland County, where she trained 70 incarcerated women on how to use Naloxone before their early release. “We heard women's stories, folks who were in recovery. It was powerful. I remember speaking to a woman who saved her 19-year-old daughter when she got out with her Naloxone. It was nice being in that role because you saw the impact you had, and people wanted the help and appreciated that we cared and talked about such a taboo topic.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Baez-Smith transitioned to a full-time health educator with VDH, quickly shifting from community health assessments to providing testing and guidance on masking and traveling.

Following the pandemic, Baez-Smith temporarily joined Hanover County Community Services Board as a behavioral health and wellness specialist, focusing on youth substance use prevention and mental health outreach, especially through local churches—the community gathering places and trusted sources of information. She became a certified mental health first aid instructor and conducted trainings for the community.

Returning to VDH, she built and led a team of community health workers. Together, they launched initiatives such as a car safety program for low-income families and the Healthy Heart Ambassador program, which promoted blood pressure monitoring and communication with health care providers.

Baez-Smith is now the Workforce Collaboration Coordinator at the VDH. When she began the role, it was much more internal and focused on employee engagement. Now she is supporting more than 33 local health districts across the state.

Continually supported as an alum

College of Public Health alum honorees of Forty Under 40 from George �鶹��Ƶ's Black Alumni Chapter: Genesis Brown, Aminata Jalloh, Felicia Baez-Smith, and Nkeiruka Ononiwu-Jones. Photo provided.

Even after graduation, Baez-Smith felt supported through George �鶹��Ƶ alumni outreach efforts. She participated in mentoring programs that connected alumni with current students to discuss job searching, salary negotiation, and career development. “That one-on-one connection made a huge difference,” she says. “�鶹��Ƶ does a great job helping students build networks that last.”

Baez-Smith is also a founding member of Collective 365, a nonprofit that provides seed funding to Black and Brown individuals and organizations. “We wanted to give back in a way that was accessible—whether through money, time, or other support.”

Most recently, Baez-Smith was recognized by �鶹��Ƶ’s Black Alumni Chapter on the 2025 Forty Under 40 List for making a positive impact in the community and trailblazing a new path to shape the future.

Advice to students

Her advice to students and recent graduates: “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I wouldn't be where I am today without a community of folks who have supported me. Start a conversation—it might change your life. Networking doesn’t have to be intimidating. And remember, no one has it all figured out. We’re all still learning as we go. Trust the process.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ civil engineering students are helping local communities improve their flood resilience

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 18:04:10 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ civil engineering students are helping local communities improve their flood resilience Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 14:04

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and quickly became the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Hurricane Katrina. It brought catastrophic flooding, storm surge, landslides, and tornadoes, resulting in more than 250 deaths and $78.7 billion in damages, which some estimate may rise to $110 billion. Areas of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee were devastated by the rainfall it brought, and Southwest Virginia experienced significant flooding.

“Flooding is a growing issue across local communities,” said Celso Ferreira, who leads �鶹��Ƶ’s Flood Hazards Research Lab. “It is one part of engineering that’s not well-solved. Communities want to understand and adapt to flood risk, but it’s expensive. If it were easy and cheap, it would already be solved. That’s where this idea came in—we thought, why not involve students? Not just teach them engineering but help them create useful products for these communities. Can we make a difference without a multimillion-dollar firm? Can we bridge the gap?”

George �鶹��Ƶ PhD student Diana Veronez runs a modeling demonstration for the Flood Hazard Engineering and Adaptation course. Photo provided

Ferreira recently redesigned the CEIE 445/645 Flood Hazard Engineering and Adaptation course to work with community partners to deliver real projects as part of the Institute for a Sustainable Earth’s (ISE’s) NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART) Seed Translational Research Project (STRP) Program. He taught it for the first time in its new format in fall 2024 and plans to offer it again this fall.

In CEIE 445/645, a course for civil engineering students, undergraduate and graduate students work together on teams to develop flood risk maps and conduct analyses to help real clients in local communities improve their flood resilience. For some communities, especially smaller counties or tribes with fewer resources or no engineers on staff, this can provide critical data to help them address areas at higher risk of flooding.

The student teams used the recently developed Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) models, which provided ground elevation surface (topography), hydraulic friction values, and surface water infiltration values. This served as a common framework each project could be built upon.

The class used Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation models to run scenarios. This figure shows areas of potential flooding in the Town of Quantico. Photo provided

During the first part of the semester, the students learned how to create models like those provided by Virginia DCR. Then, they worked with their clients to address individual case studies on flood mitigation.

“I think it’s transformational for the students,” Ferreira said. “I’m glad we’re able to do that. At the beginning, they wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into, but by then end, they’re proud of the projects they built. [This challenge] really captures their attention, and they get enthusiastic about it.”

Examples of student projects include:

Pamunkey Reservation Flood Resiliency Plan - Located on a peninsula east of Richmond, the reservation is just slightly above sea level, increasing its risk of tidal and pluvial (surface water) flooding. The student team—Jacob Ryan Tomechko, Amanda Mullen, Paul Pacheco, Angela Haines-Perez, and Heriberto Perez—helped identify potential problem spots for roadway flooding including scenarios to address sea-level rise and significant storm events such as hurricanes.
Forwarding Roadway Resiliency Efforts in Mathews County – Matthews County is located on Virginia’s middle peninsula and is at risk of coastal and pluvial flooding due to its low-lying roadways. The student team—Matthew Cantos, Daniel Cardona, Mike DeCarlo, Eglal Salih, and Allyson Skahen—assessed which areas were at a higher risk of flooding due to poorly designed drainage ditches or other characteristics.
Flood Adaptive Roadways in Quantico, Virginia – Located in Prince William County, the Town of Quantico is near the Potomac River and Quantico Creek. The student team—Sebastian Galarza, Marcos Sanchez, Roberto Mejia, and Gabby Wade—helped the town assess roadway flooding scenarios to inform future evacuation efforts.

As part of their work, the student teams created ArcGIS storymaps for each project, available through the course website.

After the course, several students were hired as undergraduate research assistants to continue working on the projects so that they could take them beyond one semester’s work and provide the clients with more advanced projects. They are reviewing and enhancing all the projects to improve alignment with the clients’ requests and developing a standardized product that each client will receive.

One client was interested in using the student maps and analysis to assist with their proposal for funding to address these flooding issues. This is one way Ferreira sees clients being able to use the student projects. He explained that when communities apply for a grant to hire an engineering company for a project, they need to do preliminary analysis as part of this proposal. Many communities don’t have this capacity—they don’t have engineers to do preliminary analysis.

Ferreira worked with a graduate research assistant, two post-docs, and a PhD student over the summer of 2024 to redesign the course. “The funding from the ART program made it possible. It provided the resources to adapt the course in this way. It was key to have those resources, because it was a huge undertaking that couldn’t be done by one faculty member alone.”

The goal of the NSF ART program is to translate science from the university to real solutions for local communities that can help them better prepare for climate-related disasters. The ISE and Virginia Climate Center (VCC) are collaborating with the University of Kentucky and the Center for Climate Strategies on the NSF ART initiative to close this gap and help communities in Virginia improve their resilience.

CEIE 445/645 will be offered in the fall 2025 semester, and applications are still open for local communities to participate as clients.

View the course website

Topics

College of Engineering and Computing

Strategic Direction

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

CEIE Success Stories

Physics PhD student is using machine learning techniques to unlock the key to predicting solar flares

Katarina Benson — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:44:24 +0000

Physics PhD student is using machine learning techniques to unlock the key to predicting solar flares Katarina Benson Mon, 01/27/2025 - 09:44

João Felipe Sousa Pereira’s research on solar flares could one day help us safeguard astronauts and technology in space and even prevent widespread blackouts here on Earth. Pereira, a second-year Physics PhD student at �鶹��Ƶ, is studying solar physics with the goal of uncovering the precise triggers of solar flares.

João Felipe Sousa Pereira. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Pereira said solar flare prediction is key because really intense solar flares are often associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which in turn can cause geomagnetic storms, carry radiation, and significantly contribute to space weather.

“CMEs, geomagnetic storms, and solar radiation can affect our satellites if we are unprepared. These events can also knock out our GPS or power grids on rare occasions,” he said. “What we really want is to figure out what is causing solar flares. We have some suspicions, but maybe machine learning techniques can find something we didn’t.”

There are already some prediction models in place now, but Pereira’s research is trying to push past the current “bottleneck” in the research. His work is not only trying to confirm previous techniques but also testing out a new one.

Pereira is the recipient of a Graduate Inclusion and Access scholarship, which works to enhance the diversity of the graduate student community at George �鶹��Ƶ by providing scholarships for first-generation doctoral students who have been historically underrepresented within their doctoral field of study. The scholarship provides funding and an opportunities to become involved in the graduate community through special events each semester.

“The grade requirements [for the scholarship] are a little higher than those of my fellow grad students, but I think the hard work is rewarding and will help me stay on track to finish within the five years.”

João Felipe Sousa Pereira outside the �鶹��Ƶ Observatory. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Pereira came to George �鶹��Ƶ after completing his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy at University of Maryland (UMD), College Park. He initially became interested in space weather his freshman year at UMD. “I had an introductory electricity and magnetism course. It seemed interesting to me to learn about solar wind, the types of phenomena that occur in space, and how the physics of it all actually impacts us on Earth.”

In his junior and senior years, Pereira worked on space weather research with his then-advisor Surjalal Sharma and became interested in continuing that research in his graduate studies. He then visited George �鶹��Ƶ, where he met with his current advisor Jie Zhang of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “[Zhang] helped me set up the possibilities for what can be done in this field, and he had the idea for the project that I'm working on now,” Pereira said.

On the same visit, Pereira had the opportunity to meet with graduate students who let him know that the PhD program wasn’t easy, but he would have the support he needed. He was able to see the graduate student culture with his own eyes, which helped him feel like he could belong at George �鶹��Ƶ.

Pereira offers advice to other students considering PhD programs. “You should talk to as many people as possible—that can help guide your decision process. Some people have good experiences, some people have bad experiences, and they’re all valid. Everyone’s on their own path.”

“Pereira’s passion to research and commitment to his doctoral program are inspiring,” said Laurence Bray, senior associate provost for graduate education. “He represents the �鶹��Ƶ Nation at heart by designing his own path to success with strength and resilience.”

Pereira’s enthusiasm for his research continues. “The reason I do physics is because I like figuring out how things work. And it's not necessarily easy, but in the end, when you have that ‘aha moment,’ it really is rewarding,” he said.

Learn more about Research at George �鶹��Ƶ

Topics

College of Science

Machine Learning

Graduate Inclusion and Access Scholarship GIA

Students

doctoral students

Research

This George �鶹��Ƶ alum can help you sleep better

Colleen Rich — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:16:30 +0000

This George �鶹��Ƶ alum can help you sleep better Colleen Rich Thu, 09/26/2024 - 12:16

In high school and as an undergraduate student, Dan Gartenberg, MA Psychology ’12, PhD ’16, would stay up late and struggle to wake early, a typical experience for many students. Early on in his graduate studies at �鶹��Ƶ, he took a course on the neuroscience of sleep and was hooked.

Dan Gartenberg. Photo provided

Gartenberg became passionate about the study of sleep, due to his own personal struggles with sleep—including delayed sleep phase syndrome and insomnia. He is now founder and CEO of SleepSpace and a scientific advisor to other companies in the sleep science field, including Wesper, Biostrap, CPAP.com, Perfectly Snug, and MDBiowellness.

“�鶹��Ƶ is where I learned to be a scientist, constantly question things, and where I learned the scientific method. That’s an invaluable thing,” he said.

For his dissertation in psychology, Gartenberg worked with the Naval Research Laboratory to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models that could help predict when people, such as pilots, are getting fatigued doing a task for a long period of time by using eye tracking data.

“I was making models of fatigue and using different cognitive tasks to predict when errors would occur,” he said. “You don’t want a pilot to crash a $30 million aircraft, and there are ways to tell when someone is tired based on their [movements].”

Gartenberg published several papers and released his first few sleep apps around this time. He worked closely with the late George �鶹��Ƶ professor Raja Parasuraman, an expert in the field who developed one of the main theories of vigilance.

Photo provided

While at George �鶹��Ƶ, Gartenberg received grants from the National Science Foundation to test whether playing certain sounds during sleep could encourage deeper sleep. His research team brought people into a lab and hooked them up to polysomnography—like an EEG but used to measure multiple physiological data streams.

They played sounds on the up state of delta brainwaves and showed some evidence that it primes deeper sleep. Gartenberg and his colleagues went on to get more grant funding in that area. But he found having someone wear a device was cumbersome.

“And it wasn’t a great form factor for consumers, so I pivoted a bit toward insomnia,” he said.

Then, in 2020, he received a $2.5 million grant from National Institutes of Health to develop a new digital therapeutic for insomnia. He recently ran a randomized control trial to test this novel therapy. This is the main focus of his company, SleepSpace. He also raised $1.8 million from venture capitalists to build this sleep improvement platform.

First, Gartenberg and team created very accurate sleep trackers. Gartenberg made some algorithms on the Apple watch and using smartphone sensors to track sleep in real time for the purpose of playing sounds to augment sleep and later integrated smart lights.

Gartenberg said that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the treatment for insomnia recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other academies. So the team built a six-week CBT course with collaborators at Penn State University and the University of Arizona. The software also integrates with sound and light devices to promote improve sleep quality, and includes meditations and interactive content driven by an AI chatbot called Dr. Snooze.

“Our software allows the coach or a sleep doctor to see their client’s data from the app and wearable devices, so they can see the perception of sleep alongside what’s happening and create customized sleep programs,” he said.

Gartenberg and colleagues showed that when people experience the treatment as usual plus the software, more people were able to avoid insomnia remission, and it was more effective at treating it on some metrics. Since launching, they have 30 therapists and coaches using the platform and have seen more than 100,000 downloads.

“We’re augmenting the therapist, not replacing them,” Gartenberg emphasized.

He’s currently working on developing a comprehensive package to improve sleep and also launching a new smart topper and bedsheet called the SleepSpace Smart Sheet that will integrate with his current software and be able to control the temperature on either side of the bed. It can help with falling asleep, hot flashes, night sweats, and navigating different temperature needs of partners.

And it all started at George �鶹��Ƶ. Gartenberg said the university played a major role in his career as a scientist and entrepreneur.

“George �鶹��Ƶ gave me, as a PhD, the freedom to pursue a lot of different interests that weren’t strictly in one field,” he said. “It was a combination of software development, science, and even intellectual property. I worked with �鶹��Ƶ’s [Tech Transfer] team on some patents, and I got my first patent granted through that collaboration.”

Gartenberg’s advice for �鶹��Ƶ students is to know who you are and what you want. He took the entrepreneur route, but he admits it’s not for everyone, and it can be quite stressful. However, he thinks entrepreneur skills are more important than ever, especially creative problem solving and persistence.

“If you can creatively solve problems, that can be applied to almost anything.”

Learn more about Gartenberg's work