College of Humanities and Social Sciences

GCI Catalyst Project aims to tackle human rights issues with help of AI

Katarina Benson — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:45:10 +0000

GCI Catalyst Project aims to tackle human rights issues with help of AI Katarina Benson Thu, 09/10/2026 - 13:45

Cher Weixia Chen hopes being mindful of human rights will one day be just as automatic as looking both ways before crossing the street.

The 91�� professor is spearheading an innovative project she hopes will give educators and students, along with NGOs, government, technological, and business leaders, the tools to better approach human rights issues.

Cher Weixia Chen. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Chen, a professor in the School of Integrative Studies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, serves as the principal investigator of one of seven George Mason Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI) catalyst research projects: “AI-Powered Human Rights Education for All: Toward a Better World.” Collaborating with faculty from the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and the Costello College of Business, her team is creating an AI‑driven virtual human rights classroom prototype that will provide access to practical, personalized tools to learn and apply human rights principles in daily life.

“If someday this concept could be so with us, that whenever we make a decision that affects another person, our first instinct is to ask, ‘Is this respectful of their dignity and rights?’ Then we could at least inch closer to a better world,” said Chen, who is the founder of the George Mason Human Rights and Global Justice Initiative and was recently named the 2026 Faculty Member of the Year by the 91�� Alumni Association. “So that is the idea, and I feel like the emergence of AI makes this possible.”

The 18-month project began this summer with the team recruiting a graduate student and two undergraduate students through the Office of Creative Student Activities and Research (OSCAR).

Using a built-in Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) toolkit, users of the classroom will explore interactive scenarios and receive personalized guidance to help them navigate real‑world dilemmas and assess the impact of human rights decisions, policies, and technologies.

Helping with the project’s design is a trio of professors from CEC: Ziwei Zhu and Antonios Anastasopoulos from the Department of Computer Science and Sungsoo Ray Hong in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology. CEC faculty will provide expertise in artificial intelligence, natural language processing, trustworthy AI, and human-AI interaction.

“Together, we will help develop a platform that is technically robust, reliable, culturally responsive, and easy for both students and educators to use,” Zhu said. “The project could make high-quality human rights education more accessible, personalized, and engaging for learners well beyond a traditional classroom. Over time, it can help people better understand how decisions in technology, business, government, and other sectors affect human rights, supporting more informed and responsible decision-making.”

Lei Gao, an associate professor of finance in Costello, believes human rights are impacted just as much by the decisions made in boardrooms and financial markets—through supply chains, investment choices, labor practices, and the design of new technologies.

Gao will pilot the HRIA toolkit prototype with students in his finance courses, FNAN 444 Socially Responsible Finance and FNAN 483/MSF 683 Ethical and Professional Standards in Finance. He said targeting students is key as they represent “future analysts, managers, and entrepreneurs who will actually be making these decisions.

“Some of the most consequential decisions affecting human rights are made in boardrooms and financial markets,” Gao said. “This project helps the next generation of business leaders treat human rights as part of sound decision-making, not an afterthought—and gives them a practical tool to do it.”

Also contributing input in a consulting role will be renowned human rights educator Felisa Tibbitts, who served as co-editor with Chen on the book, Disciplinary Frontier of Human Rights in Higher Education. Tibbitts is currently the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and will serve as consultant on the project.

In addition to reaching higher education audiences, the toolkit can also apply to educators and students at the K-12 school levels. Chen said she aspires to work with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages in CHSS to translate the toolkit for other languages. The team is looking beyond the business and technological industries, hoping to later reach international organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, and government and private sectors.

“Using human rights education as a tool, and now with the help of this, new technology—AI—it seems possible and plausible to make human rights reach as wide an audience as possible around the world,” Chen said. “This project essentially highlights the transformative power of these three factors: human rights, education, and AI. For all of us, this is something new and I think it’s worth trying. And for me, the most exciting part of this is it’s doable, it’s scalable, and it’s adaptable.”

This initiative supports the Advancing 21st-Century Education for All solution of George Mason's Grand Challenge Initiative

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Research

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

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School of Integrative Studies

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Costello College of Business

College of Engineering and Computing

Students examine the global impact of the 9/11 attacks in George Mason course

sbrown79 — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:11:49 +0000

Students examine the global impact of the 9/11 attacks in George Mason course sbrown79 Thu, 09/10/2026 - 10:11

On the first day of class, 91�� history professor Meredith Lair asked her students a simple question: Where were you on 9/11?

As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Lair is providing students with a chance to examine the event, not just as a turning point in U.S. history, but through the lenses of public memory, media literacy, commemoration, and civic responsibility.

For most of Lair’s students, the answer to her question is not a memory, but an act of historical reconstruction. Only five students in the history special topics class are old enough to remember the attacks. The rest were born later and only know the event through archives and public memory.

Meredith Lair, associate professor in the Department of History and Art History in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, teaches a course on the history and memory of the Sept. 11 attacks. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

History major Peter Fadel came into the course knowing about 9/11 mostly through family stories, including those of an uncle who went into the city to help with cleanup efforts.

“I was hoping to learn more about the events and how the world was before 9/11,” said Fadel, a Lebanese American who grew up in Ohio. “I also wanted to learn about the circumstances that led to this tragedy, as well as hear the stories and perspectives of my older classmates. I’m lucky to be at George Mason having these conversations and learning about the “why,” which I think is very important going into this course.”

Barbara Kyriakakis, a retired George Mason staff member, was working on campus that day and remembers the attacks vividly. She lost a neighbor who has aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

In an ABC News interview, Kyriakakis said, “We watched a little girl grow up without her father.” But what she also remembers is that “the whole United States came together.”

Now 83, Kyriakakis is one of the older students taking Lair’s course, and that generational range is part of the reason Lair teaches the course and hopes to continue doing so every five years—coinciding with the five-year anniversaries.

"I wanted to create a space that would be a kind of bulwark against forgetting,” said Lair, an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The course, cross-listed HIST 389 Topics in U.S. History and HIST 387 Topics in Global History, examines the attacks themselves, as well as their long aftermath: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the expansion of the national security state, anti-Muslim sentiment, memorialization, and the persistence of misinformation and conspiracy theories.

“What historians do is teach skills about information handling—collecting, processing, and sharing data. I think that serves democracy, because we want educated citizenry,” Lair said. “I want students to learn how to ask good questions and to get used to doing real research, not doomscrolling on YouTube as research.”

This emphasis aligns with George Mason’s commitment to strengthening trust and engagement in democracy by preparing students to weigh evidence, evaluate sources, and think critically about how knowledge is produced.

Lair said she wants students to leave the course with more than a set of facts.

“I want them to appreciate, understand, and remember,” she said. “I’m hoping to connect them to what happened, so they see how much it impacted people who still walk amongst them, and the changes that the event made on the world.”

The course also highlights George Mason’s own contributions to preserving the history of 9/11. Lair is incorporating materials from the September 11 Digital Archives, created by the university’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, one of the earliest large-scale efforts in the country to collect personal stories, images, and reflections from the attacks and their aftermath.

“[The center] has always been ahead of the curve in terms of digital history internationally,” said Lair. “They wanted to seize on the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and allowed people to record their experiences.”

Students will use the archive for their final project, “A Legacy of 9/11,” which asks them to research one of the event’s enduring effects.

Lair’s commitment to remembrance goes beyond the classroom: Each year, she marks the anniversary by releasing monarch butterflies from a conservation project she maintains as a symbol of hope.

Lair, the daughter of a career Army veteran, said she considers this course as her way of “cleaning up my little corner of the world,” and hopes the course gives students historical perspectives, but also something more personal: a deeper understanding of resilience, community, and what people owe one another in times of crisis.

“The American people really showed up for each other that day and I find that very inspiring and steadying,” Lair said. “That’s a lesson young people really need today.”

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of Strengthening Peace, Trust, and Engagement in Democracy

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History and Art History

9/11 anniversary

GCI-Democracy

Students

MPH student builds communications skills through patient outreach

Heather Carroll — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:05:25 +0000

MPH student builds communications skills through patient outreach   Heather Carroll Mon, 08/31/2026 - 15:05

Communication and trust are key to public health. In situations involving sensitive health topics, effective communication and trust can make the difference between a patient feeling supported and a patient choosing not to engage. For 91�� graduate student Ryen Middleton, his practicum showed him firsthand how important it is to meet patients where they are.

Ryen Middleton, MPH '26. Photo Provided

Middleton recently earned his master's in public health with a concentration in community health promotion, after completing his practicum with Maryland’s Frederick County Health Department as a certified HIV counselor. During the practicum, he developed skills in patient communication, outreach strategies, and health education, which are essential for public health professionals working in community settings.

As an HIV counselor, Middleton managed patients' health histories and helped them navigate their diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of communication skills in patient care and public health.

“What I have learned most is, when discussing sensitive topics with individuals, everybody's process and journey is different,” Middleton said. “Just because we are all on the same page does not mean communication will look the same.”

Middleton discovered that difficult topics such as HIV status can make a patient reluctant and unwilling to answer questions or participate in treatment. “There is still a lot of reluctance with engaging clients. When the sole purpose is to support a person's needs, people still find it really hard to engage.” Middleton said.

Applying Classroom Lessons in Practice

“I loved the community I made at George Mason,” said Middleton, who earned a bachelor of arts in global affairs from George Mason in 2022. “Whenever I started to doubt myself or my ability, there was always someone there to remind me of what I am capable of.”

Middleton cited his professor, Sara Pappa, as a main source of support and mentorship during his education, teaching him new ways to combat patients' reluctance.

“Community Assessments and Partnerships with Dr. Pappa definitely taught me how to ask questions to get the answers I needed,” said Middleton. “Thinking about her lectures also reminded me that some people are not going to engage, and I just need to be okay with that. I thought about her advice a lot while completing my practicum.”

Middleton claimed a highlight of the program was the support and flexibility of his professors, especially Dr. Megan Dubois and Dr. René Najera, saying, “What I liked most about the program was the professors’ willingness to incorporate student feedback. It was not always possible, but for classes that were smaller in size, it always felt more like a conversation rather than a lecture.”

Prepared for the Workforce

His practicum, applied coursework, and internship opportunities built his hands-on skills in a modern medical environment and helped him feel prepared and motivated to handle professional situations confidently.

Middleton plans on becoming a program evaluator, working with different public health systems to help them best support their community. His diverse experiences, including his practicum and internships, have prepared him for various roles in public health, such as program evaluation, community outreach, and health policy development; illustrating potential career pathways for MPH graduates.

Learn more about the MPH program at George Mason.

Key Takeaways

As a certified HIV counselor with the Frederick County Health Department in Maryland, Ryen Middleton gained firsthand experience helping patients navigate sensitive health conversations with empathy and trust.
Drawing lessons from his George Mason MPH coursework, Middleton strengthened his skills in patient communication, community outreach, and health education during his practicum.
Faculty mentorship, hands-on learning, and real-world public health experience helped prepare Middleton for a career supporting communities through program evaluation and outreach.

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MPH

Master of Public Health

CPH Student Research

CPH students

College of Public Health

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Alumni

Students

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

Fall for the Book’s Writers in the Schools reaches more than 1,000 students

Katarina Benson — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:45:43 +0000

Fall for the Book’s Writers in the Schools reaches more than 1,000 students Katarina Benson Wed, 08/12/2026 - 08:45

Last year, Fall for the Book’s annual Writers in the School series reached nearly 1,200 K-12 students in the Fairfax County Public Schools with their Writers in the School series. The program, organized by the 91��-based festival, is designed to introduce students to authors and encourage interest in reading and writing.

Misako Rocks! taught students how to draw manga. Photo provided.

Last fall Japanese writer and artist Misako Rocks! visited Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax to show students how to draw manga. Misako Rocks! has published many graphic novels including Bounce Back, winner of the American Library Association’s 2021 Best Graphic Novels for Children. She also conducted a manga drawing workshop and signed books during 2025 Fall for the Book Festival.

"Having Misako visit was such a joy for the Robinson community. It can be difficult to secure school funding for author talks, and we were so fortunate to receive this opportunity through Fall for the Book. It was really a special day and truly enriched the learning of the 250 students who were able to participate,” said Michael Van Wambeke, Robinson Secondary School Library.

Local author Ann McCallum Staats visited Mosaic Elementary School, also in Fairfax, to teach students about botany with the help of her book Fantastic Flora: The World’s Biggest, Baddest, and Smelliest Plants.

Award-winning writer and professor of English at William Paterson University Marina Budhos visited Manassas Park High School to discuss teenage life and immigrant families. Her recent book, Tell Us We're Home, follows three eighth-grade girls in Massachusetts.

Author Ann McCallum Staats at Mosaic Elementary School. Photo provided

“We worked with the schools to create meaningful, immersive activities to connect the featured books with their current schoolwork,” said Kara Oakleaf, director of Fall for the Book and a faculty member in George Mason’s English Department. “For many of these children and teens, it was their first time seeing an author speak in person.”

Engaging with authors allows students to learn more about the writing process, increases interest in reading, and improves literacy outcomes.

At this year's festival, which runs October 6-10, authors will again visit schools.

Cassandra James, international bestselling author of fantasy epics for teens, will visit Chantilly High School. Her debut duology, Capitana and Libertad, has been translated into multiple languages and was chosen for the Junior Library Guild Gold Selection.

Marcie Flinchum Atkins is a teacher-librarian and the author of When Twilight Comes. The author of several nonfiction books for children, she will speak to Mosaic Elementary students about crepuscular plants and animals active in summer in Virginia. Atkins’s debut historical YA novel, One Step Forward, is about the youngest suffragist imprisoned at Occoquan Workhouse.

Based at George Mason, Fall for the Book is an independent nonprofit literary arts organization that promotes reading by sponsoring a variety of year-round events and activities on the George Mason’s Fairfax Campus and throughout Northern Virginia.

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College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Rebuilding after trauma: George Mason psychologist hopes to improve early care for survivors of violently acquired spinal cord injuries

sholla4 — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:52:46 +0000

Rebuilding after trauma: George Mason psychologist hopes to improve early care for survivors of violently acquired spinal cord injuries sholla4 Mon, 08/10/2026 - 09:52

A fall from a ladder, a car crash, a gunshot: In the blink of an eye, a spinal cord injury can change someone’s life forever. Adapting to these new circumstances can take some patients years. Leah M. Adams, associate professor of clinical psychology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is hoping to discover what might make that process easier.

Leah Adams. Photo provided.

Alongside colleagues Renee Madathil from University of Rochester and Chris Hilderbrant of the Rochester Spinal Association, Adams, a clinical rehabilitation psychologist, is researching early psychosocial adaptation in survivors of violently acquired spinal cord injuries to determine what and when interventions are most beneficial. This spring, they received $285,000 from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation to support their research.

Violently acquired spinal cord injuries refer to a subset of spinal cord injuries that are caused by interpersonal violence, such as gunshot wounds, stabbing, or other person-to-person contact. These injuries commonly affect a different demographic than nonviolently acquired spinal cord injuries.

“Violence is the second leading cause for Latinx folks and one of the top two causes for Black folks. Long-term trends suggest that young Black men make up nearly half of all people with violently acquired spinal cord injuries,” said Adams. “They’re also younger, on average, and may be less traditionally established than their counterparts without violently acquired injuries.” Adams also noted that people with violently acquired injuries are more likely to have greater social vulnerabilities due to systemic factors like poverty and the criminal/legal system.

Adams describes that, with violently acquired injuries, "there's a different buzzing in the atmosphere of the care team." There can be increased safety risks to the patient and the healthcare team even while in the hospital, as well as additional risks to the patient once discharged, that can impact how a patient receives care.

"Our hope is to narrow down what's helpful and what's not for these patients, so providers can offer optimal care at the right time," said Adams.

Using the National Spinal Cord Injury Database, Adams, her doctoral students, and collaborators will look at patients from 2016 to present with violently acquired spinal cord injuries and their progression over the first five years living with the injury.

"We're looking at difference trajectories of adaptation and seeing if we can identify which kinds of factors put people in positions to have better outcomes or potentially worse outcomes," she said. "With that baseline, we can start identifying risk factors and create pathways for earlier and more effective interventions."

This quantitative data will be combined with qualitative data from patient and spinal cord injury specialist mental health provider interviews, the latter of which is a unique addition to the project. Their direct experience in caring for patients over multiple sessions and years means they understand what works well, what kinds of gaps exist, and how health care delivery could be improved.

"We wanted to make sure we got multiple perspectives on the project, which is why we have multiple collaborators," said Adams, “including folks with lived experience with spinal cord injuries as part of the study team.”

This multi-method approach is one that Adams sees as essential. For individuals who have undergone a traumatic and life-altering injury, these varied perspectives help paint a fuller, more vibrant picture of the varied pathways patients might take in their healing journey, she said.

"This population is so important. They face unique stressors and barriers, and they’re deserving of focused attention and support," said Adams. “I'm really hopeful that our work can spotlight some of the strengths and resources and ideas that they have, as well as help medical teams make decisions about where to put their valuable resources.”

This intersectionality is part of Adams' overall research philosophy, reflected in her role as core faculty for the Women and Gender Studies Program. And as a two-time George Mason alum—MA Psychology ’10, PhD Psychology ’14—it's a methodology she's refined through her time at George Mason as both student and faculty in the Department of Psychology.

"Both the tangible and intangible resources have made George Mason a really phenomenal place to study and work," said Adams. "This community respects and invests in research all across the continuum, from basic science to translational."

Learn more about the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

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Research

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Psychology

GCI-Health

Celeste Ng and Stephen Graham Jones headline the 2026 Fall for the Book Festival

Katarina Benson — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:22:19 +0000

Celeste Ng and Stephen Graham Jones headline the 2026 Fall for the Book Festival Katarina Benson Mon, 08/03/2026 - 14:22

Fall for the Book, Northern Virginia’s largest literary festival, returns for the 28th year this October with bestselling authors Celeste Ng and Stephen Graham Jones as headliners. Taking place from October 6-10, the festival includes talks from local and national authors as well as events across the 91�� campus and the Fairfax area.

On Thursday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m., horror icon and author of more than 30 novels and collections, Stephen Graham Jones will discuss body of work including his historical vampiric novel, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

Celeste Ng and Stephen Graham Jones headline the 2026 Fall for the Book festival.

Jones will appear at Harris Theatre on George Mason’s Fairfax Campus thanks to the sponsorship of the George Mason Friends.

On Friday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m., Celeste Ng will discuss her bestselling novels, Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You, and most recently, Our Missing Hearts.

She will appear at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center in Fairfax thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Reston Regional Library and the Friends of City of Fairfax Regional Library.

A variety of author events will be held across the George Mason Fairfax Campus during the run of the festival. The full schedule will be available on August 13.

All festival events are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of sponsors like the City of Fairfax, the George Mason Friends, ArtsFairfax, and Virginia Commission for the Arts. Free tickets are required for both headline events and will be available from September 10 on Fall for the Book’s Eventbrite page.

Based at George Mason, Fall for the Book is an independent nonprofit literary arts organization that promotes reading by sponsoring a variety of year-round events and activities.

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Campus News

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Fall for the Book

George Mason alumna turns a passion for sustainability into a career of service

Katarina Benson — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:22:13 +0000

George Mason alumna turns a passion for sustainability into a career of service Katarina Benson Thu, 07/23/2026 - 15:22

When Hannah Dabney, BA Environmental and Sustainability Studies ’23, arrived at 91��, she planned a career in business. This summer, she has just returned from Samoa where she served as a Peace Corps Ridge to Reef Resilience Promoter Volunteer, helping communities balance environmental protection with local development needs. The path between those two points wasn't linear, and Dabney couldn’t be happier about that.

Dabney is a big believer in taking risks. "Taking risks and doing what scares you can lead you down amazing paths you may have never considered."

Dabney in Samoa. Photo provided

In Samoa, Dabney worked alongside village leaders to develop projects that improve community well-being while protecting natural resources. Sometimes that meant helping secure funding for community initiatives. Other times, Dabney worked to find nature-based solutions to environmental challenges, such as recommending coastal tree plantings as an alternative to seawalls to reduce erosion.

While the work was meaningful, the challenges of the cultural immersion surprised her. "I spent the two years exploring the United States and thought I had an open mind and knew all there was to know about people and how they operate," she said. "I was so wrong."

Living and working within a Samoan village gave her a perspective few visitors ever experience. Through village meetings, community gatherings, and daily life, she gained a deeper appreciation for the richness of another culture and the value of listening before leading. That openness to new experiences has defined Dabney's journey since her days at George Mason.

When she realized her passions lie in sustainability and conservation, she decided to major in environmental and sustainability studies, an interdisciplinary program in the School of Integrative Studies that combines scientific knowledge with policy and ethics, and she headed off to the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation for a semester in Front Royal, Virginia, working alongside Smithsonian scientists.

Those lessons continue to guide her today. “Nearly every class related to my major has helped to prepare me for what I encountered in the field, office, and lab,” she said. “Policy writing and the practical field skills have been a constant across all of my jobs. Skills I learned in my lab classes have been beneficial for the occasional field lab work I have done.”

She said her overarching takeaway from her education is that research is a tool used to help influence decisions and policy. “Each side can exist without the other, but to be effective, there must be cohesion and collaboration.”

Dabney’s George Mason experience was defined as much by what happened outside the classroom as inside it. She completed three internships that exposed her to vastly different aspects of sustainability work. One involved corporate sustainability planning at a mid-sized multinational company. “The internship had a massive learning curve, but I managed to write more than 15 new sustainability plans based on the United Nations Sustainability Goals, as well as help program a tracking system.”

Another had her climbing a 200-foot atmospheric monitoring tower every Monday. A third took her to New Mexico with a Bureau of Land Management assessment and monitoring crew.

That final internship almost didn't happen. Needing one last internship credit to graduate, Dabney decided that if she had to take on another position, she might as well go somewhere completely new.

The decision proved transformative.

The New Mexico experience led to a position with the U.S. Forest Service in Washington state, which in turn helped prepare her for the Peace Corps. Looking back, Dabney sees a clear pattern: Every major opportunity in her career emerged from a willingness to step into uncertainty.

Even joining George Mason's rowing team as a freshman required a leap of faith. Walking onto a Division I team was intimidating, but it led to lifelong friendships, professional connections, and opportunities she never could have predicted. "Having a little wanderlust and spirit of adventure can lead to incredible opportunities with fantastic people," she said.

As she moves forward in her career, Dabney continues to follow the philosophy that has shaped her from the beginning: Growth rarely happens inside your comfort zone.

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Institute for Immigration Research launches interactive immigration timeline

Katarina Benson — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:18:49 +0000

Institute for Immigration Research launches interactive immigration timeline Katarina Benson Thu, 07/16/2026 - 20:18

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at 91�� has unveiled "Immigrants & America 250: Data, Stories, and Policy Across United States History," a first-of-its-kind interactive digital timeline that explores how immigration has shaped the United States from its earliest years to present day.

The new online experience combines historical population data, landmark immigration policies, notable immigrant contributions, and archival cultural collections into a single educational resource designed for educators, researchers, policymakers, students, journalists, and the general public.

"Understanding immigration requires more than statistics or policy debates alone," IIR assistant director Marissa Kiss said. "By bringing together historical data, public policy, and personal stories, this project helps reveal the human experience behind the numbers while providing trusted information that places immigration within the broader story of America.”

The interactive experience includes:

U.S. population data beginning in 1770, with detailed immigration statistics by decade from 1840 through 2024;
Changes in immigrant populations by country and world region of birth
Eighty-three landmark immigration laws and historical events
Profiles of 80 notable immigrants whose contributions have shaped American society across science, business, sports, arts, government, education, and culture
Eleven curated collections from the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center featuring interviews, photographs, songs, music, dance, and oral histories that illustrate the lived experiences of immigrants across generations

By pairing rigorous research with historical storytelling, the timeline offers a multidimensional look at one of the defining forces in American history.

The project, developed in collaboration with the Immigrant Learning Center, the CHSSWeb team, and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, reflects the institute's broader mission to generate and amplify nonpartisan research on immigration through data, arts, and public engagement. As conversations surrounding immigration continue to evolve, the institute hopes resources like the timeline will foster more informed public dialogue by providing accessible, evidence-based information grounded in historical context.

"This timeline demonstrates that immigration is not simply a contemporary issue—it is woven throughout the American story," Kiss said. "Understanding that history helps us better understand who we are as a nation today."

The release comes as communities across the country commemorate the nation's semiquincentennial, providing educators and organizations with a timely resource for exploring the role immigrants have played in shaping the United States over the past two and a half centuries.

View the interactive timeline

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Center for Mason Legacies scholars discuss ‘Revolutionary Ideas’ at Fairfax event

ckearney — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:28:09 +0000

Center for Mason Legacies scholars discuss ‘Revolutionary Ideas’ at Fairfax event ckearney Wed, 07/01/2026 - 10:28

91�� faculty members and graduate students from the Department of History and Art History and the Center for Mason Legacies (CML) shared their expertise as speakers at the Fairfax 250 history day, a county event held as part of the statewide commemoration of the nation's semiquincentennial.

Distinguished University Professor Rosemarie Zagarri talked about politics in Revolutionary era Fairfax County. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County

Sponsored by the Fairfax History Commission with help from the Historical Society of Fairfax County, the daylong “Revolutionary Ideas—Fairfax County’s American Revolution” conference was co-chaired by CML director and history professor George Oberle and community historian Sue Kovach Shuman and presented at the Fairfax County Government Center in April with programming for all ages.

In a day full of guest lectures, hands-on activities, and research workshops, George Mason history professors Rosemarie Zagarri, Cynthia Kierner, and Oberle presented on “The Big Picture,” addressing the American Revolution's effects on political expectations and shaping the right to vote. Zagarri talked about “Politics in Revolutionary Fairfax,” Kierner discussed “Living the Revolution,” and Oberle presented on “Slavery in Fairfax County in the Revolutionary Era.”

Watch their presentations.

George Mason doctoral history students David G. Armstrong, Anne Champlin, and Allessandra DelDonna gave presentations in a session titled “Impacts of the Revolution.”

Armstrong, whose dissertation explores how generations of George Mason’s family kept a grasp on political power as the United States expanded, spoke about a Mason family daughter-in-law’s assertion of her property rights.
Champlin, who studies colonial Caribbean, Danish, and American ties, presented insights on “revolutionary” tenant-landlord relations that can be traced between the lines of the Mason Family.
DelDonna, a material culture specialist who entered the doctoral program straight from undergraduate studies, presented on what Mason household objects at Gunston Hall can tell us about the constructed role of the iconic “planter’s wife.”

Watch their presentations.

In the event's demonstration and tabling area, George Mason graduate student Andrew Snowman introduced participants to the Fairfax County Circuit Court Historic Records Center, where through CML, he has interned and conducted extensive research. Snowman, whose focus area is history of racial policing, works closely with archivist and George Mason alumna Georgia Brown, a longtime CML collaborator and current PhD student.

Hands-on exhibits were designed to engage all ages throughout the day. Photo by April Greer/Historical Society of Fairfax County

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