Department of Prevention and Community Health
2175 K Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20037
202-994-3570
www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/pch/

Who We Are

The Department of Prevention and Community Health educates students in four inter-related areas - health promotion; maternal and child health; public health communication and marketing; and community-oriented primary care - and conducts research and scholarly activities in these disciplines. In collaboration with other departments at SPHHS, other Schools at The George Washington University and the broader public health community, the Department strives to: produce and share knowledge; develop, implement and evaluate state-of-the-art community health programs; communicate health information to the public; and, integrate research findings into public health education and practice.

In addition to its educational activities, the Department pursues these objectives by: establishing practice-academic partnerships; conducting peer-reviewed evaluation and policy research; and making significant scholarly contributions to the evidence base of public health.

Academic Programs

The Department offers rigorous and comprehensive capacity building programs training that prepares students for careers in multiple public health arenas. The degrees and programs offered include:

• Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) - Health Behavior
• Master of Public Health (MPH) - Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC); Maternal and Child Health; Health Promotion; Public Health Communication and Marketing
• Graduate Certificate - Maternal and Child Health; Health Promotion; Public Health Communication and Marketing
• Joint degree programs with the School of Law (JD/MPH) and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (PA/MPH and MD/MPH)

Culminating Experience

• CE Syllabus and Guidelines

Faculty Research Expertise

Areas of expertise include:

• Health Disparities
• Smoking Cessation
• Gender Based Violence
• Adolescent Pregnancy
• Health Communication
• Injury Prevention

Selected Research Programs and Community Activities

Research and service activities are carried out within three institutions affiliated with the Department of Prevention and Community Health:

• The Prevention Research Center conducts research designed to create, synthesize and apply knowledge related to behavior change and risk reduction through culturally informed community-based programs. This mission is accomplished by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and fostering dynamic community partnerships. Areas of special expertise include: minority health; tobacco use; adolescent sexuality; youth violence prevention; gender based violence, HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, culturally integrative intervention development and implementation, early intervention; and evaluation studies.
• The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research is an independent public-private partnership that facilitates discussion on emerging issues in HIV clinical research and works to translate research results into patient care. Participants include government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, HIV researchers and clinicians and the HIV patient advocacy community.
• The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools is a policy and program resource center for school health co-sponsored by the SPHHS and GW's Graduate School of Education and Human Development. The Center has two priorities: 1) directing a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national grant initiative to expand access to mental health and dental services for school-age children; and 2) providing technical assistance and other analytical services to support continued development of school-based health programs across the nation.

Community engagement is a Department priority. In addition to the service activities associated with these centers, the Department trains community-based health advocacy groups and health care centers in health informatics and the dissemination of actionable, easy-to-understand health messages. Faculty members also provide expertise in evaluating public heath interventions.

Faculty

• Lorien Abroms, ScD, MA
  Assistant Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Renaisa Anthony, MD, MPH
  Assistant Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Constance Battle, MD
  Adjunct Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Jeffrey Bart Bingenheimer, PhD, MPH
  Assistant Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Susan Blake, PhD, MA
  Associate Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• James Cawley, MPH, PA-C
  Professor of Prevention and Community Health and of Health Care Sciences
• Mark Edberg, PhD, MA
  Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• W. Douglas Evans, PhD
  Professor of Prevention and Community Health and of Global Health
  Director, Public Health Communication and Marketing Program
• Jaime Gofin, MD, MPH
  Visiting Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Interim Director, Community Oriented Primary Care Program
• John Grossman, III, MD, PhD, MPH
  Professor of Prevention and Community Health, of Health Services Management and Leadership, and of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Julia Lear, PhD, MA
  Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Director, Center for Health and Health Care in Schools.
• Karen A. McDonnell, PhD
  Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Director, Doctor of Public Health in Health Behavior Program
• Veronica Miller, PhD
  Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health, of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and of Health Policy
  Director, Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
• Karyn Pomerantz, MLS, MPH
  Research Scientist and Adjunct Instructor of Prevention and Community Health
• Olga Acosta Price, PhD
  Associate Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Deputy Director, Center for Health and Health Care in Schools.
• Elizabeth Reed, ScD
  Assistant Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Monica Ruiz, PhD, MPH
  Assistant Research Professor of Prevention and Community Health
• Caroline Sparks, PhD, MA
  Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Director, Health Promotion Program
• Amita N. Vyas, PhD, MS
  Assistant Professor of Prevention and Community Health
  Director, Maternal and Child Health Program
• Richard Windsor, PhD, MS, MPH
  Professor of Prevention and Community Health

Contact Us

Department of Prevention and Community Health
2175 K St., NW, Suite 700
School of Public Health and Health Services
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20037
Phone: 202-994-3570
Fax: 202-994-3601
Email: pch@gwumc.edu
Web site: www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/pch/

Department Chair: Ayman El-Mohandes, MBBCh, MD, MPH

Research Activities

• Alcohol in Pregnancy Among Minority Women
• Arts-Based Initiative for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls
• Clinical Relevance of Drug Resistance
• Concept Mapping
• Evaluating a School-Based Curriculum
• Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
• Geriatric Education
• Health Information Partners (HIPS)
• NIH/DC Initiative to Reduce Infant Mortality
• Optimization of a Scoring System for Near-Miss Morbidity
• Point-of-Care Monitoring for HIV: Moving the Field Forward
• School-Based Violence Prevention
• Surveillance of HIV-1 Drug Resistance in North America
• The X-Pack: Smoking Cessation for Youth Study

Community Activities

• Alcohol in Pregnancy Among Minority Women
• Arts-Based Initiative for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls
• Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
• Children's Vision Initiative
• Community Healthlink Information Resources Program
• Concept Mapping
• Evaluating a School-Based Curriculum
• Geriatric Education
• Health Information Partners (HIPS)
• Improving Quality Medication Management at School
• NIH/DC Initiative to Reduce Infant Mortality
• School-Based Violence Prevention
• Strengthening the Public Health Workforce
• Victims of Exploitation and Trafficking Assistance -DC Partnership Program