CPH - Health Administration and Policy

Transforming learning into practice during Inova Fairfax Trauma Center visit

Heather Carroll — Fri, 09 May 2025 16:55:12 +0000

Transforming learning into practice during Inova Fairfax Trauma Center visit Heather Carroll Fri, 05/09/2025 - 12:55

Aspiring health care leaders get vivid lesson on the role of leadership in trauma care

Students in 91��’s Master of Health Administration (MHA) program recently had an unforgettable opportunity to step into the heart of one of Northern Virginia’s premier emergency care facilities. MHA students from change management and strategic planning classes class visited Inova Fairfax Hospital’s state-of-the-art trauma center, gaining firsthand insight into how top-tier health care organizations operate at the intersection of clinical urgency and administrative excellence.

College of Public Health students learn at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Photo by Michelle Thompson/College of Public Health

This visit was much more than a tour—it was a vivid demonstration of how George Mason’s MHA program prepares future leaders for complex, high-stakes environments. The experience underscored three key themes: the transformative education George Mason provides, the powerful partnership with Inova Health System, and the inspiring potential of George Mason’s future health care leaders.

Translating classroom learning to real-world practice

For Vinay Bhakthan, who will graduate in spring 2026 from the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s program, the visit was eye-opening. “From coordinating nurse staffing levels and ensuring patient bed availability, to triaging critical cases to trauma rooms and overseeing room turnover after discharges, all while making sure the emergency department is following all regulations and organization policies is an immense task. Seeing these things in person gave me a clear perspective about the realities of the job,” said Bhakthan.

Similarly, Pratyusha Satpathy, who will graduate in December 2026, found herself connecting academic concepts to operational excellence. “This visit brought many classroom concepts to life,” she said. “It also reminded me how essential leadership is in shaping an environment where clinicians can focus on patients while everything else runs smoothly in the background. Everything was thoughtfully planned out—from how easily accessible supplies were, to how rooms could transition into emergency pods instantly with oxygen and suction systems already in place. It really showed how administrators are not only managing systems but enabling life-saving care through intentional design and coordination.”

For Taveion Mickens, the visit bridged his growing academic knowledge with the emotional reality of health care leadership. Mickens, a United States Marine, will graduate from the Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s program in December 2026. “Seeing administrators lead with both precision and empathy reinforced how indispensable they are in creating an environment where health care professionals can thrive and patients can receive timely, quality care. Emergencies don’t follow a script leaders must be able to pivot quickly and make informed decisions under pressure. Communication becomes a lifeline, not just between staff, but also with patients and families who may be in crisis. Most importantly, empathy must guide every decision. When administrators lead with compassion, they uplift both their teams and the patients they serve,” said Mickens.

A strong partnership with Inova Health System

MHA students tour Inova Fairfax's trauma center
Photo by Michelle Thompson/College of Public Health

The tour also spotlights George Mason’s longstanding relationship with Inova. Through access to real-world settings like Inova Fairfax’s trauma center, George Mason students experience how leading health care organizations integrate systems thinking, workforce management, quality assurance, and emergency preparedness into seamless patient care.

“As a former trauma nurse, I know the value of exposing graduate students to the world of health care beyond the walls of a classroom and textbooks. My hope is that students who seek an MHA degree will become leaders that are consistently engaged with clinicians and staff as patient care partners, rather than detached bystanders. There is simply no substitute for being present,” said Professor Brenda Helen Sheingold, PhD, RN, FNAP said division director of Health Administration Programs and an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy.

The Inova trauma center’s forward-thinking infrastructure—emergency pods, integrated technology systems, and strategically organized resources—left a lasting impression on the students. It demonstrated how thoughtful administrative planning directly enhances clinical outcomes and staff resilience, particularly in high-pressure emergency environments.

Inspiring the next generation of health care leaders

Each of the three students came away with renewed passion and clarity for their future careers. Bhakthan, who is motivated by the desire to solve health care’s systemic challenges, affirmed that the visit “strengthened [his] commitment to being part of the solutions” in health care administration.

Satpathy, who blends a clinical background as a doctor with administrative aspirations, left the visit feeling more empowered: “As someone who trained in medicine before coming to the U.S... I want to build environments that make health care safer, smoother, and more responsive.”

For Mickens, whose goal is to lead change in underserved communities, the experience provided both affirmation and inspiration. “This visit didn’t just confirm my career goals; it gave them new direction and deeper purpose,” he said.

Thanks to the immersive experiences provided through the College of Public Health’s MHA program—and strong partners like Inova Health System—students are graduating ready to lead the future of health care, not just react to it. For these aspiring health care leaders, the trauma center visit wasn’t just an assignment. It was a vivid reminder of the critical role administrators play in ensuring every life-saving second counts.

From left, MHA students Vinay Bhakthan, Pratyusha Satpathy, Taveion Mickens

Learn More About Our Health Administrations Programs

Students Experience the Pitt—A Real-World Trauma Center

For fans of the hit medical drama The Pitt on Max, the high-stakes, fast-paced world of trauma care is both riveting and emotionally charged. But for three 91�� Master of Health Administration (MHA) students, a recent visit to Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Trauma Center offered a firsthand look at the real-life complexities behind the scenes—where administrators play a crucial role in orchestrating life-saving care.

Inova Fairfax Hospital houses Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, a designation it has held since 1983. This elite status signifies the hospital's ability to provide the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients, with a multidisciplinary team available 24/7. The center treats a wide range of critical injuries, from car crashes and falls to industrial incidents and acts of violence.

For MHA students Vinay Bhakthan, Pratyusha Satpathy, and Taveion Mickens, the visit to Inova's Trauma Center was more than an educational tour—it was a transformative experience that bridged classroom learning with real-world application.

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In the George

Health administration major navigates the intersection of business and health

Taylor Thomas — Thu, 01 May 2025 15:13:54 +0000

Health administration major navigates the intersection of business and health Taylor Thomas Thu, 05/01/2025 - 11:13

Growing up, Claire Leonard got a glimpse of what health care could look like beyond hospital walls. Her aunt, a former nurse, had risen to a leadership role at UNC Health, managing systems and people instead of patients.

Claire Leonard. Photo provided.

“It showed me there are ways to make a difference without being on the clinical side,” says Leonard, now a senior at 91��’s College of Public Health.

Leonard describes her Bachelor of Science in Health Administration major as “kind of a business degree, but with a health focus,” with coursework spanning finance, strategic planning, and leadership, alongside a deep dive into U.S. health care systems. Through her studies—and electives in statistical tools R and SAS—she’s discovered a knack for working with health data.

“I realized I’m good on the data side, and working with coding tools,” she says. “It made me see that’s the direction I want to go next.”

Raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Leonard chose George Mason for the strength of its health programs as well as its proximity to Washington, D.C. “I wanted to spread my wings and exist outside of where I grew up,” she says.

After graduating in December 2025, she plans to pursue a master’s in health informatics. “It’s about making sure technology like electronic health records systems work smoothly—and using their information to actually improve patient care,” she says.

Currently Leonard serves as a research assistant on two research projects focused on aging populations, helping College of Public Health faculty draft literature reviews and discussion sections. “Working on new research has only deepened my interest in pursuing graduate education and learning as much as I can to add value to health care systems and add perspective to areas of health care where change is needed,” she says.

Leonard also works for the Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), filming and editing videos that celebrate student research across campus. The experience helped her land an internship last summer with Riverside Health System’s philanthropic foundation, where she worked on social media strategy. Leonard also currently works part-time at a chiropractic office handling insurance and patient records.

“The jobs I’ve had, and the people I’ve met through them, have helped shape my experience,” Leonard says. “Each one has helped me understand another layer of how health care works.”

Learn more about George Mason’s BS in Health Administration program.

Learn more about George Mason’s MS in Health Informatics program.

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Master of Health Administration program wins award for excellence in innovative education from CAHME

Taylor Thomas — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 14:45:12 +0000

Master of Health Administration program wins award for excellence in innovative education from CAHME Taylor Thomas Mon, 01/27/2025 - 09:45

Explore the Award-Winning MHA Program

In This Story

Brenda Helen Sheingold, PhD, RN, FNAP

91��’s Master of Health Administration program has been honored for pioneering innovative education and instruction.

The Master of Health Administration (MHA), Health Systems Management program won the prestigious Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) award for innovative health care education.

Each year, the CAHME/George and Regi Herzlinger Innovation Education Award for the Development of Educational Skills Focusing on Invention, Evaluation, and Adoption of Innovation in Healthcare honors a CAHME-accredited program that has set the standard for inventive academic rigor and preparation of the next generation of health care administration professionals.

Graduate students enrolled in HAP 704 Contemporary Issues in Healthcare visit Capitol Hill. Read more.

“Our Master’s in Health Systems Management (MHA) program empowers students with the real-world skills and insights needed to excel in the competitive health care industry,” said Brenda Helen Sheingold, associate professor and division director of health administration and policy. "By graduation, our students possess hands-on experience that directly aligns with employers' needs and positions them as leaders in the field. This award recognizes how evolving innovative education with faculty colleagues, community partners and alumni contribute to successful and productive graduates. We are committed to a trajectory of success for the next generation by continually originating new education models and techniques."

This accolade includes a $10,000 grant to further innovation efforts in health systems education. The award will be presented March 23, 2025, at the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress in Chicago.

CAHME is the only organization formally recognized as the accrediting body for master's level health care management programs in the United States and Canada. The MHA prepares students to become leaders in evolving health systems and health-related organizations by guiding them to develop strategic, business, analytic, and decision-making skills needed to navigate the rapidly changing health care industry successfully. The program is ranked at #32 by U.S. News and World Report.

Read more about George Mason and College of Public Health program rankings.

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Student unlocks hot spots for COVID cases using data analysis

ckearney — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 12:47:08 +0000

Student unlocks hot spots for COVID cases using data analysis ckearney Fri, 04/23/2021 - 08:47

Elizabeth Cheang

This spring, 91�� senior Elizabeth Cheang landed an internship that provided her with a unique opportunity to research COVID-19 cases and use public data sets to discover virus hot spots in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

The health informatics major started in January as an intern with Lluvia Health, a start-up company that focuses on the accessibility and transparency of health care. She worked remotely on a weekly basis and plans to complete her internship on April 27.

“Throughout her internship, Elizabeth was very much a self-reliant intern who was intrigued with learning everything about start-up companies,” said Katherine Westpheling, adjunct faculty and course instructor for HAP 498 in the Department of Health Administration and Policy in the College of Health and Human Services. “She joined a small start-up team of engineers and learned quickly how to be integrated into that culture.”

“For the main project for my internship, I had collected COVID-19 cases by ZIP code specifically within the DMV area,” said Cheang. She used that data to find relationships within the certain sample populations. The result of this project was an interactive map that would show which areas were hot spots or had the most cases.

Cheang gathered data by diligently checking public data portals where data is released by Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Once she got the data, she organized and imported the information into Lluvia Health's database.

“I highly recommend working with a start-up business,” said Cheang. “There’s comfortability, room to expand, and it’s an open-minded environment.”

Cheang’s mentor, Ricardo Rodriguez, founder of Lluvia Health, emphasized the need to make health care more “shoppable” so that consumers can make informed decisions about products and services.

Cheang found improving the user experience, or UX design, to be the one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

“User Experience Design is something I did not know anything about going into this internship,” said Cheang, whose degree concentration is in health informatics with a minor in information technology. As a result of her recent exploration of data visualization, she’s sold on UX design and plans to consider the career path post-graduation.

Cheang said the learning environment at Mason gave her the ability to make connections with peers within her area of study. She also learned the importance of collaborating efficiently and building meaningful relationships, “because that dynamic can help bridge a potential opportunity in the future,” she added.

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