Spirit Magazine

George Mason Statue Installation, 1996

ckearney — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:10:21 +0000

George Mason Statue Installation, 1996 ckearney Mon, 09/14/2026 - 12:10

Photo from University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center

Like many cherished traditions at 91��, the George Mason Statue began as a student idea. In 1989, the Student Government proposed erecting a statue of the university’s namesake on the Quad to foster campus pride. At the time, students estimated the project would cost between $30,000 and $50,000 and hoped donations from student organizations over several years could fund it.

By 1992, the project had gained university support, with the Offices of the Provost and Student Affairs helping sponsor a national competition to select a sculptor. The student-led George Mason Statue Committee ultimately chose an 18-inch clay model created by sculptor Wendy M. Ross. In August 1995, the Arts Gala Committee, led by then–first lady Joanne Johnson, commissioned the sculpture and contributed $148,500—93 percent of the project’s total $159,000 cost—as a gift to the university community.

When the 10-foot bronze statue was formally dedicated alongside the Johnson Center on April 12, 1996, it became the first three-dimensional depiction of George Mason in U.S. history. Now the statue of George Mason is one of the most popular spots on campus—he’s decorated regularly by student organizations, and students take their graduation photos with him. And of course, some students still stop by to get some good luck by rubbing his right toe.

Research in Motion

Katarina Benson — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:20:15 +0000

Research in Motion Katarina Benson Wed, 08/26/2026 - 12:20

At 91��, learning and research aren’t limited to the classroom or the lab. Researchers, coaches, clinicians, and students are working across disciplines as a part of the university’s Living Lab, a space where real-world questions become opportunities for discovery, innovation, and care.

Noelle Saine leads a VO2 Max test on a student-athlete. Photo by John Boal Photography

From the training facilities used by NCAA Division I student-athletes to the rehearsal studios where School of Dance students spend hours perfecting their craft, George Mason researchers are studying how bodies perform, recover, and thrive under intense physical demands. This research has an immediate impact: helping athletes avoid injury, improving recovery and sleep habits among dancers, and shaping evidence-based practices that can influence health and performance far beyond campus.

These projects reflect George Mason’s distinctive approach to research—bringing together academic expertise and hands-on practice in ways that directly benefit the health and well-being of the university community. Here, students are not only learning from research—they are living it.

Keeping Athletes in the Game

One way that George Mason’s Intercollegiate Athletics and the College of Education and Human Development keep our athletes in top form is through evidence-based practices and science in the Patriot Performance Lab.

“We’re not just a research lab,” says Margaret Jones, director of the Patriot Performance Lab. “Providing health services to athletes is also critical. It’s what makes the partnership work.”

For example, postdoctoral research fellow Erica King, BS Bioengineering ’21, PhD ’25, a former student-athlete in swimming and diving, led a recent nine-month study that assessed the load demands on volleyball players’ knees using wearable sensors for tracking load during practice, counter-movement jump testing, wearable and clinical ultrasound devices, MRIs, and surveys.

Erica King, right, works with a student-athlete. Photo by John Boal Photography. Photo by John Boal Photography

“At the end of the season, we were able to show the coaching staff the average number of jumps athletes complete in a 15- to 16-week period and the direct effects of that from a joint adaptation standpoint,” Jones says. “Now they can tailor practice sessions to better support the players and help alleviate strain that could lead to injury.”

Athletes, coaches, and athletic trainers often come to the lab with ideas and questions for study. Last spring, George Mason’s swim team approached the lab to conduct a blood lactate study and applied for and received an Office of Student Creative Activities and Research grant to fund the study.

Researchers collected data from blood draws, heart-rate monitors, DEXA scans, and jump testing. An early review suggests a swimmer’s stroke specialization and maximal power generation capabilities significantly impact accumulation in blood lactate levels during all-out swim bouts.

“We couldn’t do what we do without the support and trust of the coaching staff,” says PhD student Noelle Saine, BS Kinesiology ’22, MS ’23. Saine, who was a student-athlete in track and field, understands the importance of strong communication between sport scientists and athletes.

“The sports management field as a whole is starting to ask how we can make good management decisions around athlete health and performance data,” says Chris Green, director of the Center for Sport Management. “The Patriot Performance Lab is already doing this work. It’s one of the things that makes us unique, and it’s what makes our work impactful.”

Helping Dancers Stay Ready for the Stage

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

When Jena Hansen-Honeycutt, the athletic trainer for George Mason’s School of Dance, started seeing an influx in injuries among dance students, she approached Professor of Kinesiology Jatin Ambegaonkar and then-student Kelley Wiese, PhD Kinesiology ’25, hoping to find a solution.

Dancers are “aesthetic athletes,” meaning they have high workloads and high injury rates like traditional athletes. “They dance for at least three hours a day in classroom practice alone,” says Hansen-Honeycutt. “And that doesn’t account for their extracurricular work: rehearsals, choreography, or additional practice.”

“We can recognize there’s a correlation between fatigue and injury, but you need data in order to make a stronger case for implementing cultural and systemic changes,” says Wiese.

Wiese, a trained dancer and now an assistant professor of athletic training at Shenandoah University, worked with Ambegaonkar on various studies at the intersection of kinesiology and dance during her doctoral program at George Mason.

Dancers were given biosensors to wear on their wrists 24 hours a day for seven days. They repeated the study four times throughout the semester.

“We wanted to understand the cycles of the body breaking down and recovering as workload increased and decreased throughout their semester,” says Ambegaonkar.

Participating students were also given surveys to provide subjective perceptions of their workload, sleep habits, and energy levels.

Reviewing the data, Wiese found that at peak times throughout the semester, students were spending more than seven hours a day completing moderate to vigorous physical activity between class, rehearsals, practice, and choreographing. As a result, energy levels decreased and fatigue increased, indicating a need for integrated recovery times and programs.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Another key finding from this study was the dissonance between students’ perceived sleep and the biosensor data. While students self-reported great and sufficient sleep, the biosensors reported insufficient sleep.

“Over time, insufficient sleep can lead to difficulty recovering and therefore higher rates of injury,” says Wiese, “particularly when [students are] already struggling to recover.”

As a result, the research team worked together to develop what Ambegaonkar calls “micro-interventions” through improved sleep health education programs. Hansen-Honeycutt has created sleep health resources for students to educate them on the impacts of good sleep on their academic and physical performance and is working with the faculty to incorporate this messaging into their classrooms.

“This study proved to me that us dance majors are extremely active, more than I often realize!” says Sanaa Fairley, BFA Dance ’26. “I learned that I could develop a much more consistent sleep schedule to set up my space, and therefore my mind, in a healthy way each day to prepare for rest.” Fairley says she has implemented other recovery techniques, such as cold showers, into her routine as well because of the study.

T’aja Williams, BFA Dance ’26, also reports she improved her sleep hygiene through a consistent bedtime. The study also made her more aware of how academic, socio-emotional, and physical activities impact her schedule and technology use.

Building good habits now helps George Mason dance students have long and fulfilling careers in dance. And Ambegaonkar and Wiese think this study might help pave the way for further research into the physical demands and impacts of dance.

“George Mason is a pioneer in the field of dance medicine,” says Ambegaonkar. “We’re broadening the scope of what kinesiology is and what it can do in the public health domain.”

Discover more research at George Mason

Five Strategies to Fight Burnout

Katarina Benson — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:17:38 +0000

Five Strategies to Fight Burnout Katarina Benson Wed, 08/26/2026 - 12:17

More than three-quarters of health care workers report feeling stressed or stretched thin, with burnout contributing to problems like higher turnover and staffing shortages that can affect patient care. According to researchers at George Mason’s College of Public Health, the fight against widespread burnout needs to begin with the training of future health care administrators.

Photo by Getty Images

Drawing from existing research and national frameworks on workforce well-being, Debora Goldberg, principal investigator and an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, outlines several leadership strategies that can help counteract burnout.

1. Build workplaces where staff can speak up.

Health care leaders must create environments where employees can report mistakes, raise concerns, and discuss safety issues without fear of punishment. Clear reporting policies, open communication, and a culture of trust are key for psychological safety. 

2. Redesign jobs to reduce overload. 

Many health care roles involve long hours, heavy documentation, and clunky technology that add to daily stress. Leaders’ decisions about staffing, scheduling, and tools can either ease those pressures or make them worse. 

3. Prevent violence and protect staff safety. 

Health care workers face some of the highest rates of workplace violence of any profession. Leaders can help reduce risks by establishing zero-tolerance policies, training staff to de-escalate tense situations, and putting safety measures in place before incidents occur. 

4. Involve frontline staff in decisions. 

The people delivering care often know exactly where problems arise. When leaders directly involve nurses, physicians, and other staff in decisions about schedules, policies, and daily operations, the changes are more likely to succeed. 

5. Measure and improve workforce well-being.

Health care organizations routinely track patient outcomes and financial performance. Workforce well-being deserves the same attention. Leaders can measure burnout, engagement, and working conditions and use that data to steer improvements. 

George Mason’s John Cantiello and Riva Kamat from Lotus Clinician Well-Being are co-authors on the paper published in the Journal of Health Administration Education.

The Invisible Front Lines

Katarina Benson — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:15:40 +0000

The Invisible Front Lines Katarina Benson Wed, 08/26/2026 - 12:15

Nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid dementia care for loved ones. Researchers at George Mason are building new models of support to help them cope, connect, and carry on.

For 12 years, Lily Liu cared for her mother, who had Parkinson's disease, in her Washington, D.C., apartment. She handled every meal, every bath, and every sleepless night as her mother’s Parkinson’s-related dementia advanced.

Photo by Getty Images

“I was doing it all by myself,” she says. 

Relief arrived through Mason Caregivers Aiming for Resilience, Empowerment, and Support (CARES), an evidence-based virtual support program developed by 91�� researchers to help family caregivers manage stress and burnout. Over nine weeks, caregivers participated in guided breathing exercises, journaling, and group discussions designed to build resilience and connection.

For Liu, the greatest benefit was the realization that other people understood what she was going through.

Researcher Megumi Inoue, a professor in the Department of Social Work who served as a co-investigator on the project, says that was the goal.

“They learn they’re not alone. There are people wearing the same shoes, so they can exchange information and experiences,” she says.

That support translated into measurable results. Using a standardized caregiver burden score that measures exhaustion and emotional strain, researchers found a 15 percent reduction in stress levels among participants.

“That’s a pretty big deal,” says Gilbert Gimm, associate professor of health administration and policy, who led the data analysis. “Even modest reductions mean relief.”

Across the country, nearly 12 million people provide unpaid care for relatives or friends living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Roughly 80 percent of that care takes place at home, a reality that has created mounting pressure on family members as the population ages. Researchers estimate that by 2040, 110 million people worldwide will be living with dementia.

College of Public Health researchers see this growing burden as both a caregiving crisis and a public health priority. George Mason is actively approaching improvements in health systems that advance science, develop talent, and strengthen communities. It’s all part of the university’s Grand Challenge Initiative and its Improving Human Health, Well-Being, and Preparedness solution.

Across disciplines, faculty are developing interventions designed to support caregivers through technology, community-building, and new models of training and care. Their work includes virtual support groups, music-based interventions, artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, and virtual reality (VR) simulations designed to deepen empathy and improve caregiving experiences.

The Invisible Backbone of Dementia Care

Catherine Tompkins. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“Caregiving is one of the most stressful roles imaginable,” says Catherine Tompkins, principal investigator of Mason CARES.

The toll caregiving takes on families is profound. Participants in the Mason CARES study entered the program with stress levels well above the threshold associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, and worsening physical health. In a separate analysis led by Inoue, nearly three-quarters of Alzheimer’s caregivers reported living with at least one chronic condition themselves.

Gimm believes the strain reflects a broader policy problem in the United States, where “aging in place” has become the preferred model for dementia care without a corresponding investment in caregiver support.

“The U.S. saves money by keeping more people at home,” he says, “but it’s on the backs of family caregivers. That’s not sustainable.”

According to Tompkins, for aging in place to succeed long term, caregivers need far more support than they currently receive. Family caregivers urgently need access to training, resources, programs, and respite, she says.

Turning Research into Relief

The pandemic reshaped how researchers approached that support. Mason CARES launched during the pandemic and was delivered entirely over Zoom, ultimately reaching 97 caregivers across the country—an unusually large sample for dementia research.

Historically, Tompkins explains, many caregivers struggled to attend in-person programming because they could not leave their loved ones alone. Virtual delivery unexpectedly removed that barrier.

“We ended up with people from all over—Texas, Louisiana, Northern Virginia,” she says.

Some of the most meaningful interventions are also among the simplest. Within Mason CARES, researchers incorporated elements of Music and Memory, a national program that uses personalized music playlists to help people with dementia reconnect with memories.

Research has long shown that familiar music can prompt moments of recognition, speech, movement, and joy in people living with dementia. George Mason researchers wanted to understand how those moments also affect caregivers.

“The idea is that if the person living with dementia is happy, it can reduce resistance, and caregiving becomes more positive,” Inoue says.

Researchers found that caregivers used the technology in very different ways. Some never found time to use the MP3 players they received, while others discovered deeply meaningful moments of connection. One caregiver told researchers that listening to a song from her wedding helped briefly restore a sense of partnership with her husband after dementia had left him emotionally distant.

In a follow-up study, Inoue and Tompkins are now examining those types of nuances to understand what made the program effective and where it fell short. 

For some Mason CARES participants, the relationships built through the program outlasted the research itself. Liu’s support group continued meeting even after the program ended.

“Five of us kept it going,” says Liu, whose mother passed away two years ago. “We’ve seen each other through loss and grief. This program built a sense of community, and that meant a lot for our little group.”

Technology Designed for Human Connection

Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

As caregiving demands increase nationwide, George Mason researchers are exploring how technology can create more accessible, culturally responsive, and personalized support.

With a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, health administration and policy researcher Y. Alicia Hong is refining Wellness Enhancement for Caregivers (WECARE), an AI-enhanced digital intervention for dementia caregivers.

The seven-week platform combines multimedia education, quiz games, social networking, personalized feedback, and tailored caregiving resources. The goal is to create technology that feels responsive to caregivers’ daily realities.

“WECARE is one of the first personalized digital interventions for dementia caregivers,” says Hong. "Though it is designed for Chinese American dementia caregivers, it can be adapted for other groups and serve the growing demand for digital support for dementia caregivers in an aging society.”

Another George Mason researcher, School of Nursing Professor Kyeung Mi Oh, is using AI to help families reconnect through storytelling and memory.

Oh is serving as co-principal investigator on a $2.9 million National Institute on Aging grant to refine the LifeBio Memory app, an AI-powered storytelling platform that helps older adults capture memories and share them with caregivers and family members.

The project builds on reminiscence therapy, an approach that uses personal memories to strengthen mood, cognition, and social connection for people experiencing memory loss.

“We want to see how storytelling technology can improve quality of life and relationships for both the older adult and the caregiver,” says Oh. “When people talk about their past, they often smile. It strengthens social support and emotional closeness.” 

Over the next three years, Oh’s team—including co-principal investigator Lisbeth Sanders, founder and CEO of LifeBio—is conducting usability testing followed by a randomized controlled trial with 84 caregiver–care recipient pairs.

Earlier versions of the app used in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities showed greater engagement and fewer symptoms of depression among residents. The new phase of research brings the technology into homes and community settings while expanding it into English, Spanish, and Korean.

Researchers hope the platform can eventually become a scalable and affordable support tool for families caring for loved ones at home. “We’re working to make LifeBio Memory accessible for people of different languages and cultural backgrounds, so older adults can tell their life stories in their own voices,” says Oh.

Building Empathy Through Virtual Reality

For George Mason researcher Li-Mei Chen, the potential of virtual reality (VR) became clear the moment she experienced a dementia simulation developed in Japan. At a conference on aging, Chen put on a VR headset and suddenly found herself inside the perspective of a person living with dementia.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The simulation cast her as an older adult experiencing confusion and delusion, frozen in fear at the end of a hallway as the floor appeared to disappear beneath rising floodwaters. “There was no actual flooding,” Chen recalls, “but I could feel the panic.”

Chen, who teaches in the Department of Social Work, immediately saw how the technology could transform dementia training for professional caregivers.

Working with Japanese company Jolly Good, and with support from the Virginia Center on Aging, Chen launched a pilot program for certified nursing assistants at a Northern Virginia nursing home. The training combined immersive VR experiences with online lessons and group discussion.

The VR scenarios, adapted for English-speaking audiences using AI-generated voiceovers, allowed participants to experience the confusion, fear, and sensory disorientation often associated with dementia. For many participants, it was their first dementia-specific training.

Beyond improving patient care, the researchers hope the project can also support workers in a field marked by high turnover, low wages, and emotional exhaustion.

Both Inoue and Chen bring a global perspective to their work, shaped by their years of studying aging and dementia care in Japan, where nearly one in three citizens is over 65. 

“In Japan, dementia is seen as a community issue, not just a family one,” says Chen. She points to dementia-friendly neighborhood cafés, school-based dementia education, and trained community volunteers as examples of a more collective approach to care.

Chen emphasizes that VR is not as a replacement for human caregiving; it’s a tool for building empathy and strengthening relationships between caregivers and the people they support.

“It’s about understanding the person and building a connection that’s beyond client and provider,” Chen says.

Mary Cunningham, Katie Pearce, and Taylor Thomas contributed to this feature.

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of improving human health, well-being, and preparedness.

Discover more GCI human health, wellness, and preparedness research >>

Learn about other solutions >>

A New Pathway for Mental Health Professionals

Katarina Benson — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 18:32:20 +0000

A New Pathway for Mental Health Professionals Katarina Benson Thu, 08/13/2026 - 14:32

As behavioral health shortages grow nationwide, George Mason is training students to bring evidence-based, culturally responsive care to the communities that need it most.

When Gracie Pak, MSW ’26, sat down with clients at the Inova Cares for Women and Children clinics, she quickly learned that healing begins with trust.

Some of her conversations with young patients required translators. Others required patience, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to listen carefully for what was left unsaid.

George Mason alumna Gracie Pak said the fellowship fundamentally expanded her understanding of adolescent mental health. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Therapy is an extremely vulnerable experience, and there’s a lot of open communication involved,” Pak says. “It’s very difficult for a lot of people to be honest, especially if they come from a cultural background where therapy is stigmatized.”

For Pak, who completed her master of social work degree at 91�� in May, those moments became some of the most meaningful parts of her fellowship experience. Pak was part of a training program designed to address one of the country’s most urgent public health needs: the shortage of behavioral health professionals serving children, adolescents, and young adults.

George Mason’s Interprofessional Behavioral Health Training Program for Youth Serving Professionals, funded through a four-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, prepares graduate students to work in communities where mental health services are often hardest to access. Through clinical placements, interdisciplinary training, and community partnerships, the program is building a pathway for professionals who are equipped to meet the growing demand for youth behavioral health care.

That demand is staggering. Nationwide, there is roughly one mental health provider for every 340 people in need, according to Mental Health America. In Virginia, the ratio is even higher.

“This grant opportunity was a perfect fit,” says Christy Esposito-Smythers, director of George Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Behavioral Health (CEBBH) and the program’s principal investigator. “Our center is dedicated to increasing access to evidence-based behavioral health care in community settings through research as well as behavioral health workforce training and consultation for emerging and licensed behavioral health professionals.”

In addition to CEBBH, the program brings together multiple George Mason academic units and centers, including the Center for Community Mental Health in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Center for Health Workforce in the College of Public Health, led by Robyn Mehlenbeck and Caroline Sutter, MSN ’01, DNP ’12, respectively, who are also co-investigators.

To further improve outcomes, this program also draws on the expertise of community leaders working to strengthen the interdisciplinary behavioral health workforce and improve access to care through such organizations as the Virginia Mental Health Access Program, the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, Claude Moore Opportunities, and the Inova Kellar Center.

The program’s design reflects a broader shift happening across health care, one that emphasizes integrated, collaborative models of treatment. Students in George Mason’s clinical psychology, nursing, and social work degree programs train together, mirroring the team-based environments they will enter after graduation.

Each year, 10 fellows like Pak complete supervised practicum experiences within partnering primary care clinics, including Inova Cares for Women and Children, the university’s Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, Capital Area Pediatrics, Fairfax Pediatric Associates, and the Pediatric Group, among others.

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“[When choosing fellows] we look closely at who the applicants want to serve,” says Debora Goldberg, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy and co-principal investigator. “Their goals and prior experiences help us place them in primary care settings where they can grow and make the greatest impact.”

In addition to advanced training, fellows receive a stipend, which may come with tuition support, to help remove financial barriers to participation. They may also earn micro- and macro-badges recognizing demonstrated competencies as they transition into the workforce.

For many students, the experience is transformational both personally and professionally.

Learning to Meet Patients Where They Are

Pak arrived at the training program with years of experience working with children. She volunteered in classrooms, worked as a substitute teacher, and even gave horseback riding lessons—an experience that sparked her interest in equine-assisted psychotherapy.

Still, she says the fellowship fundamentally expanded her understanding of adolescent mental health. “This experience brought a whole new perspective for me on a much broader level and the challenges that [teens] go through,” Pak says. “A lot of their situations force them to live in survival mode and grow up faster than they should have to.”

Just as valuable as the clinical training was the interprofessional collaboration. “Being in the fellowship with diverse medical personnel was really beneficial for learning how to communicate with one another,” Pak says. “Social work is very unique, so figuring out how to work alongside other medical personnel was essential.”

That collaborative spirit is central to the program’s design. Fellows don’t simply study behavioral health in isolation; they learn how psychologists, nurses, social workers, and physicians work together to support patients and families navigating complex emotional and medical challenges.

Pak is carrying those lessons into her new role as a child and adolescent behavioral health therapist with Healthy Minds Therapy. “I am taking everything I’ve learned throughout the fellowship and the practicum and applying it to my real-life job as a professional therapist,” she says.

From Cameroon to Community Care

For doctoral student Luther Achu Njweipi, MSN ’21, serving as a fellow in the training program strengthened a career already rooted in service.

Njweipi immigrated to the United States from Cameroon after attending schools in underserved communities, an experience that shaped both his worldview and his approach to health care. Today, as a nurse practitioner, he works as a clinical manager at Caregivers Home Health Services in Northern Virginia, supporting patients and families through hospice and palliative care.

In addition to earning his doctorate, Luther Achu Njweipi hopes to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“I saw a need in my line of work that required some behavioral counseling with families that are going through a difficult time with a loved one in serious condition,” says Njweipi, who is working on a doctor of nursing practice degree at George Mason.

In hospice care, conversations often center on grief, uncertainty, and loss. The training program helped him develop new tools to guide families through those moments with empathy and clarity. “It is difficult talking to the family about the dying process and about their expectations going forward,” he says. “No matter how many times I’ve gone through this, it impacts me every time.”

Njweipi’s fellowship placement was at the MAP Clinic in Falls Church, which serves uninsured and economically vulnerable patients across Northern Virginia. There, he witnessed how integrated care models can help close gaps for patients who might otherwise go without services. “I saw close to 10 to 15 people a day in this free clinic that accommodates individuals and families who don’t have any health insurance but are in dire need of health services,” he says.

The training in motivational interviewing and behavioral health assessment broadened the way he thinks about patient care. “Everybody needs mental health counseling at some point because we all go through crises,” Njweipi says. “I really appreciate that our training focused on services across the board—for different ages, cultures, and illnesses.”

Now, in addition to earning his doctorate, he hopes to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Paying It Forward

The training program aligned perfectly with doctoral student and fellow Irene Regalario’s academic and clinical interests. “My focus is at the intersection of mental health and physical health—caregiver health, chronic illness, or chronic health conditions—so this integrated, interdisciplinary component was such a perfect opportunity for me,” says Regalario, BSN ’18, MA Clinical Psychology ’21.

Working at the MAP Clinic in Manassas Park, Regalario strengthened her patient consultation skills while learning how culturally responsive, evidence-based care can improve outcomes and build trust. “Those [skills] really helped me to build patient rapport, which makes up a good portion of the treatment,” she says. “I loved being able to reassure [my patients] that we’re here to help and protect them and gain that trust and respect in return.”

As a PhD student in clinical psychology, Regalario says one of the program’s most important lessons has been the value of mentorship and shared learning. Faculty supervisors helped her sharpen her clinical instincts, while at the same time she had the opportunity to mentor undergraduate nursing and social work students at the MAP Clinic.

“We’re still training and learning, so it helps me figure out if I have any blind spots,” says Regalario. “To be a supervisor and mentor to some of the undergraduates and to be able to give them perspective in behavioral health training has been such an amazing experience.”

That cycle of mentorship—students learning from clinicians while preparing to guide the next generation themselves—is exactly what the training program hopes to create.

“A main thing that I’ve learned in this program is how to problem-solve with my peers,” says Regalario, who began a residency at Augusta University in Georgia this fall. “We’re asking what we can learn from each other so that we leave here as better medical professionals to make the greatest impact possible in our fields.”

At a time when behavioral health systems nationwide are stretched thin, programs like this one for youth-serving professionals are doing more than training future clinicians. They are helping shape a workforce prepared to deliver compassionate, culturally responsive evidence-based care in the communities that need it most.

“This is really a beautiful academic community partnership that we're developing here,” says Esposito-Smythers. “Consistent with George Mason’s core value of ‘thriving together,’ through collaborative efforts we are increasing access to behavioral health services in primary care settings, which in turn, may improve outcomes for youth and families within entire communities.”

Learn more about CEBBH

University project shows logistics, not apathy, suppress student voting

Katarina Benson — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:09:21 +0000

University project shows logistics, not apathy, suppress student voting Katarina Benson Thu, 08/06/2026 - 12:09

Every election cycle brings headlines about the lack of voter participation among 18- to 24- year-olds. The conventional wisdom is that young people are too apathetic or tuned out to vote. But, according to 91�� research from the 2025 election cycle, that story is wrong.

For the past four years, Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of political science, has led groups of undergraduates at the Schar School of Policy and Government in experiential research activities to discover what actually keeps college students from voting. 

More than 60 students volunteered to help with the research. Photo provided

“We surmised it’s not that students don’t care,” said Victor. “Maybe it’s that voting is actually hard for them.”

During the 2022, 2023, and 2024 elections in Virginia, Victor worked with Schar School students to conduct experiments and surveys to understand the barriers to voting and test ways of overcoming them. One previous finding was that—not unlike their older counterparts—students are more likely to vote when someone they know personally asks them to. 

Victor and her team found that students often juggle multiple addresses, live in temporary housing, and move between states with different rules. Many assume they have to travel home to vote. And when the process feels confusing or inconvenient, participation drops. What happens if those barriers are removed? Victor and her student researchers wanted to find out.

“For the 2025 election, the student volunteers put into practice all the principles I’d learned in the prior studies,” Victor said. “But could we really increase turnout during an off-year election with no federal candidates on the ballot? The low salience 2025 election was a good test to see if our methods would work.”

Victor said that key to the effort was creating a cross-campus coalition with a leadership team that included staff members from the Offices of University Life and Community Engagement and Civic Learning. Working with a local chapter of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, they recruited and trained more than 60 volunteers who wanted to help their peers vote.

Professor Jennifer Victor (far right) with some of the Mason Votes volunteers. Photo provided

The program, organized as Mason Voting Ambassadors, included formal training in regulations around voter registration, on-campus tabling events, classroom presentations, and an Instagram campaign, as well as broadcast and editorial content produced with Student Media and a website and email hotline for accurate voting information and resources.

After the election, the students analyzed turnout at the university’s precinct in Merten Hall, the polling place for on-campus residents. Voter turnout increased.

“The results stunned us,” said Victor. “George Mason was the only precinct in all of Fairfax County to see an increase in voter turnout compared to the 2024 presidential election.”

Not only that—she said turnout at the polling place was 48 percent higher in 2025. “In a year when turnout typically falls across the state, George Mason moved dramatically in the opposite direction. It seems we did something right.”

Their research confirmed that students vote when the barriers to voting are lowered. Making voting understandable, accessible, and relevant can help drive young people to the polls. 

“This is the type of evidence-based social science that students at the Schar School are learning—turning their passions into action and developing the social science tools to shape smarter, more responsive public policy for the world they’re inheriting,” Victor said.

This initiative supports strengthening peace, trust, and engagement in democracy solution of George Mason's Grand Challenge Initiative.

91�� panel examines the complex legacy of its namesake during America’s 250th Anniversary

ckearney — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:25:36 +0000

91�� panel examines the complex legacy of its namesake during America’s 250th Anniversary ckearney Tue, 06/30/2026 - 16:25

91�� hosted a Virginia 250 panel discussion on its Fairfax Campus examining the legacy of George Mason, the founding father, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and slaveholder whose contradictions mirror the broader American story. The one-hour program, The Complex Legacy of George Mason, will premiere on 91�� YouTube channel and GMU-TV at 10 a.m. ET on July 2, 2026.

The discussion was moderated by Christopher Eck, executive director of Gunston Hall, George Mason's 18th-century estate on the Potomac River. He was joined by Carly Fiorina, national honorary chair of the Virginia 250 Commission and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; George Oberle, historian and director of the Center for Mason Legacies at 91��; and Gregory Washington, president of 91��.

Throughout the conversation, the panelists examined how the same man whose words helped shape the language of universal rights—language echoed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence and James Madison in the Bill of Rights—also enslaved more than 100 people and never freed them. Rather than avoiding those contradictions, the discussion explored how confronting difficult history is central to the mission of a public university.

Photo by Andani Munkaila/Office of University Branding

"This is what a university is for: to have these hard conversations," said Oberle, who co-founded the research initiative behind the Enslaved People of George Mason Memorial, the centerpiece of the redesigned Wilkins Plaza on the Fairfax Campus. "If you're not going to have them here, where are you going to have the hard conversations?"

Washington, who became the university’s eighth president in 2020, described the university’s decision to keep its namesake and use his legacy as a platform for learning, reflection, and dialogue. He also noted that freedom of expression remains a core university value rooted in Mason's own writings.

Fiorina connected the discussion to the broader goals of the nation's semiquincentennial—to educate, engage communities, and inspire civic renewal.

"Nostalgia is not history. Propaganda is not history," she said. "To know our country fully is the only way we can be true citizens and true patriots."

The panel was presented as part of Virginia's 250th anniversary commemoration, marking 250 years of George Mason's Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the nation’s founding.

Watch The Complex Legacy of George Mason beginning at 10 a.m. ET on July 2 on the George Mason YouTube channel or GMU-TV. Additional airings on GMU-TV will be July 3, 8:30 a.m.; July 4, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and July 5, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

A full transcript of the panel is available.

Learn more about the Center for Mason Legacies

Patriot Profile: Mia Arevalo-Delcid

Katarina Benson — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 18:06:50 +0000

Patriot Profile: Mia Arevalo-Delcid Katarina Benson Tue, 06/30/2026 - 14:06

When the call-up to El Salvador's Senior National Team finally came through, Mia Arevalo-Delcid didn't need a moment to let it sink in. She already knew exactly what it meant. "That's the big leagues right there," said the George Mason women's soccer standout. "It's all eyes in the country on you. It's going to be amazing.”

Mia Arevalo-Delcid. Photo by Rafael Suanes/George Mason Athletics.

Home and Away: Arevalo-Delcid, a Manassas, Virginia, native and dual citizen of the United States and El Salvador, has been representing El Salvador on the pitch since earning her first call-up to the Salvadorian U20 National Team in 2022. That experience gave her a taste of something she hadn’t expected: the electricity of playing in front of family. "Family means everything to me," she said. "Everyone was so excited for me. We were in the newspaper, and my family bought like 50 papers. Representing my country was one of the best moments of my life."

Ready for the Big League: This summer, she did it again—only on a much bigger stage. She traveled south in early June to train with El Salvador’s top players for several weeks before a series of friendly competitions against neighboring countries. "I love playing for my family's home country," she said. "It's a way to honor my heritage."

“It's really pretty amazing,” said Aaron Brunner, George Mason women’s soccer head coach. "It's such a tremendous honor to represent your country. But I'm not surprised because Mia is so amazing."

Homegrown: The road to San Salvador ran through some familiar Northern Virginia zip codes first. Arevalo-Delcid was a four-year letterwinner and team captain at Colgan Senior High School in Manassas, earning All-District First Team, All-Region, and Honorable Mention for the Washington Post’s All-Met honors. She also starred in club soccer with the Virginia Development Academy (VDA), one of the top programs in the region, earning ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference First Team honors in her junior year and a ranking of No. 16 prospect in the Mid-Atlantic region by Top Drawer Soccer. She went on to James Madison University before transferring to George Mason in spring 2025. The decision was personal. "I wanted to be closer to home," Arevalo Delcid said, "and I believed in what Coach Brunner was building here."

A Team Player: Arevalo-Delcid quickly established herself as not only one of the team’s best players, but as one of its leaders. A natural attacking midfielder, she willingly shifted to a more defensive role to fill a need for the Patriots—and still managed to contribute a goal and two assists in her first season. “She had a great year for us and was always willing to do whatever the team needed of her,” said Brunner. “She’s grown a lot, she's learned a lot, and her confidence is high.”

This spring, Arevalo-Delcid signed with Loudoun United's semi-pro league. Photo by George Mason Athletics.

Turning Pro: The national team call-up is just one line on a resume that's been filling up fast. This spring, Arevalo-Delcid signed with Loudoun United in the USL W semi-pro league and landed an NIL deal with Tinycup Coffee, a George Mason alumni-owned company.

"A dynamic and tireless presence in the midfield," Loudoun United Head Coach Christian Cziommer said at signing. "Known for her relentless work rate and creative flair, she brings significant high-level experience to our roster."

Beyond the Pitch: When she's not training or playing, Arevalo-Delcid—a civil engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computing—works as a substitute teacher at Woodbridge High School, tutoring Latino students and helping them prepare for AP exams, and holds down a part-time job at a Starbucks near campus. "Yes, it's a lot," she said. "But you have to work for anything worth having."

Eyes on the Future: Arevalo-Delcid turned 21 in June, right around the time she boarded a plane for El Salvador. She's already thinking about what comes next and a professional soccer career is squarely in her sights. "I want to try," she said. "I want to see whatever opportunity I can get. Going to El Salvador has definitely been a game changer for me."

Brunner likes her chances. "She's going to be ready," he said, "and I think she's going to do awesome."

Creating joyful new—and therapeutic—connections through dance

Katarina Benson — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:27:30 +0000

Creating joyful new—and therapeutic—connections through dance Katarina Benson Thu, 06/25/2026 - 14:27

“Being in class with our participants reminds me of the pure joy of dance,” said School of Dance senior Emma Simons of her time interning with Dance for PD®.

Dance for PD is a national program providing movement-based classes for people with Parkinson’s disease. Photo provided

Dance for PD is a movement-based class for people with Parkinson’s disease, which offers physical benefits to the participants and helps reduce the social isolation associated with the neurological disease. 91��’s School of Dance has offered the national program, administered by George Mason arts partner Mark Morris Dance Group, in Northern Virginia since 2021.

When Simons and fellow dance major Asiah Moore interned with Dance for PD, each took a different approach to her work, a practice encouraged by George Mason adjunct Elizabeth Spatz, a certified Dance for PD teaching artist.

Moore concentrated on increasing internal awareness of Dance for PD at George Mason, creating strategic social media content and encouraging her peers in the School of Dance to engage more robustly with the program.

She recruited fellow students to attend the classes and perform brief dance selections for class participants. After these showings, participants had the opportunity to ask the students questions about the pieces and their experiences overall.

“I wanted to combine these worlds and give the community a chance to see inside the work we do,” said Moore. “When [the participants] have a chance to see pieces beforehand, they might come to a performance, [then] they come in feeling like they’re already part of this world because they know us.”

Dancers participating in Dance for PD®. Photo provided

In her work, Simons focused on external communications, building on previous interns’ research into local medical practices, retirement communities, and businesses where patients and caregivers might be looking for the resource that Dance for PD provides.

Simons made cold calls and sent out emails, aiming to bring more people to George Mason’s Fairfax Campus. But as she spent more time in class, she noticed that people’s hesitation melted inside the studio, and she decided to pivot in her approach.

“It’s so much joy to be in the room with the participants, and I knew words can’t bring people in as much as the movement itself could,” said Simons.

Simons and Moore joined forces and started reaching out to administrators at various retirement communities to organize in-person trial classes on-site. The class they offered with Westminster at Lake Ridge was very well attended.

“There were staff members who said ‘We’re just here to watch’ at the beginning of the session, but within five minutes, they were dancing and smiling and moving. It has this power for connecting people,” said School of Dance Associate Professor and George Mason alumna Shaun Boyle D’Arcy, MFA Dance '21, who helped bring the program to George Mason.

Simons and Moore graduated from George Mason in May with BFAs in dance and look forward to building on their experiences with Dance for PD. They both plan to perform professionally and are looking for companies that value community engagement and service.

Spatz said these internships can lead to jobs. “One of our former interns was hired by a company that was impressed with her [Dance for PD] experience,” said Spatz. “It’s so valuable for our students to see the different ways dance applies to people’s lives.”

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of improving human health, well-being, and preparedness.

Discover more GCI human health, wellness, and preparedness research >>

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Vanessa Blair-Lewis’s contract extended through 2031-32

ckearney — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:27:23 +0000

Vanessa Blair-Lewis’s contract extended through 2031-32 ckearney Mon, 06/15/2026 - 12:27

91�� Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Marvin Lewis has announced a contract extension for women’s basketball head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis, securing her leadership of the Patriots through the 2031-32 season.

Vanessa Blair-Lewis. Photo by George Mason Athletics

Blair-Lewis has elevated the George Mason women’s basketball program into one of the premier programs in the Atlantic 10 during her five-year tenure, highlighted by the program’s first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship, NCAA Tournament appearance, and regular-season conference title.

“Vanessa Blair-Lewis has delivered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college basketball, while building a culture rooted in purpose, passion, and the development of young women on and off the court,” said Lewis. “Her impact goes far beyond wins and championships—she has united our community and redefined what’s possible at George Mason, and we’re proud to extend her leadership into the future.”

In 2025-26, Blair-Lewis guided the Patriots to another historic campaign, leading George Mason to its first regular-season championship in program history and a program-record 16 conference victories. The Patriots also hosted a postseason game for just the third time ever, while Blair-Lewis also earned the 400th victory of her head coaching career. George Mason women’s basketball also saw its highest attended home game ever, packing EagleBank Arena with 4,123 fans vs. Dayton on December 31, 2025.

“I am incredibly grateful to President Gregory Washington and Athletic Director Marvin Lewis for their trust and belief in our vision,” said Blair-Lewis. “This extension is not just about me—it reflects the hard work, dedication, and culture we have built together. We have achieved historic milestones, but I truly believe our best days are still ahead. We are redefining what's possible at the mid-major level, here at George Mason.”

The 2024-25 season marked a breakthrough year for the Patriots under Blair-Lewis, as George Mason captured its first Atlantic 10 Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in program history. The team finished with a school-record 27 victories, including the program’s first-ever 11-1 start and back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time. George Mason also achieved its highest-ever NET ranking at No. 40.

Blair-Lewis has engineered one of the nation’s most impressive program turnarounds since arriving in Fairfax in 2021. After inheriting a team that won just three games in 2020-21, she tripled the Patriots’ win total in her first season and snapped a 24-game conference losing streak. In 2022-23, George Mason recorded its first winning season since 2017-18 and advanced to the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals. The following season, the Patriots posted 23 wins and earned a postseason berth to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament before breaking through with a championship campaign in 2024-25.

During her tenure at George Mason, Blair-Lewis has coached numerous Atlantic 10 award winners and all-conference selections, including back-to-back Most Improved Players, the league’s Rookie of the Year, multiple All-Conference performers, and All-Defensive Team honorees.

She has also earned national recognition, including consecutive selections as a finalist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year award by Her Hoop Stats and recognition as the 2024-25 VaSID Coach of the Year.

Prior to George Mason, Blair-Lewis spent 13 seasons at Bethune-Cookman, where she led the Wildcats to four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season titles, a MEAC Tournament championship, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. She is a four-time MEAC Coach of the Year and has more than 400 career victories across 27 seasons as a head coach.

“I am excited to continue leading this program, developing exceptional young women and making the George Mason community proud,” said Blair-Lewis. “The future is bright, and we're just getting started.”

With this extension, George Mason reaffirms its commitment to the continued growth and national prominence of the women’s basketball program under Blair-Lewis’ leadership.

Jump into George Mason Athletics

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