Isela Caballero

From capstone to clinical operations: MHA alumna builds a career in health care operations

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 29 May 2026 15:02:04 +0000

From capstone to clinical operations: MHA alumna builds a career in health care operations Mary Cunningham Fri, 05/29/2026 - 11:02

Key Takeaways

Translating Theory into Practice: Core MHA coursework, such as quality measurement, healthcare data analytics, and health law, directly translates into real-world administrative success within major health systems.
The Power of an Impactful Capstone: 911��'s capstone projects allow students to solve real-world operational challenges, such as telehealth resiliency for community clinics, creating a powerful portfolio piece that bridges the gap between graduate school and career entry.
Building a Foundation for Leadership: 911��'s MHA program provides graduates with the technical foundation, compliance knowledge, and data-driven decision-making skills required to confidently step into critical healthcare operations and patient access roles upon graduation.

Topics

CPH students

Master of Health Administration

College of Public Health

Students

Alumni

Poojya Bommannan, MHA ’25, is applying the operational and analytical skills she developed in the Master of Health Administration program at 911�� in her current role as a Patient Services Coordinator at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Texas.

Poojya Bommannan, MHA ’25. Photo provided.

In her role, Bommannan manages front-end operations and revenue cycle workflows in a high-volume rehabilitation setting. Her responsibilities include coordinating patient access processes, managing insurance authorizations and documentation workflows, and supporting communication between clinicians and patients to help ensure seamless care transitions.

“I act as the operational hub,” Bommannan said. “I make sure the administrative side of healthcare never hinders the patient’s recovery journey.”

Bommannan pursued a degree in healthcare administration to better understand how healthcare systems operate behind the scenes.

“I realized early on that while clinicians save lives, administrators save the systems that allow clinicians to do their work,” she said.

Why 911��’s MHA was the right program

She chose 911��’s MHA program because of its proximity to Washington, D.C., and its strong reputation for combining healthcare management, health informatics, finance, and policy into a well-rounded curriculum. Throughout the program, Bommannan said the coursework challenged her to think critically about health care systems, leadership, and data-driven decision-making.

Several courses and faculty mentors helped shape her professional perspective. She credits HAP 750 Legal Issues, taught by Adjunct Professor Brian Santo, with strengthening her understanding of ethical decision-making and risk mitigation. She also noted that HAP 698 Quality Measurement, taught by Adjunct Professor Keri Christensen, changed the way she approaches healthcare data and process improvement.

One of the most impactful experiences during her time in the program was completing her capstone project on telehealth and patient-access innovation. Her project developed a telehealth policy and workflow for College of Public Health’s MAP Clinics to help ensure continuity of care during weather-related clinic closures. Her work on the project earned her the department’s Innovation in Patient Access Award in May 2025, in recognition of her capstone executive brief and presentation.

“The inspiration came from a need for operational resiliency,” Bommannan said.

Her capstone introduced a virtual workflow model using Zoom breakout rooms, interpreter integration for bilingual accessibility, nursing student intake support, and standardized patient coordination procedures. Bommannan also collaborated with clinical leadership to identify operational barriers and develop recommendations for integrating telehealth processes into existing clinic workflows.

Prepared for the health care workforce

Through capstone work, applied coursework, and real-world problem solving, the program prepared Bommannan to navigate the operational realities of modern healthcare systems. She said the experience taught her how to identify operational bottlenecks and anticipate challenges before they affect patient care.

“The biggest takeaway was understanding patient coordination and waiting room management logic,” Bommannan said. “I still apply those principles every day.”

Since graduating in May 2025, Bommannan said she is most proud of successfully transitioning from graduate school into a major health system environment while maintaining the professional standards emphasized throughout the program.

“I’ve taken pride in being a guardian of compliance within my clinic,” Bommannan said. “The MHA program gave me the confidence and technical foundation to advocate for operational excellence.”

As she continues to build her career, Bommannan hopes to move into healthcare consulting or leadership roles in health system operations focused on improving patient access and operational efficiency, while remaining connected to the 911�� community through alumni engagement and student mentorship.

Advice for MHA students

For current or prospective MHA students, she encourages them to approach internships, capstones, and early career opportunities with professionalism and integrity.

“Pick a capstone topic that solves a real problem,” Bommannan said. “It becomes one of the strongest portfolio pieces you’ll have.”

911��’s Health Services Research PhD students and faculty share policy research at AcademyHealth 2025

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:46:55 +0000

911��’s Health Services Research PhD students and faculty share policy research at AcademyHealth 2025 Mary Cunningham Wed, 06/18/2025 - 10:46

In This Story

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA

Gilbert Gimm, PhD, FGSA

Y. Alicia Hong, PhD

Jeah Jung, PhD, MPH

Health Services Research PhD students and faculty from the Department of Health Administration and Policy (HAP) in 911��’s College of Public Health presented their research at the 2025 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM), held June 7 to 10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

As the nation’s premier forum for health services research, AcademyHealth’s Annual Research Meeting brings researchers and health system leaders together to examine how policy, payment, and technology affect cost, access, and quality of care.

HAP PhD students and faculty delivered a range of presentations, covering healthcare worker burnout, digital health interventions, and Medicare policy. Their participation underscores HAP's commitment to applied research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact.

PhD student presenter, Ge Song, reflected on her experience at the conference, where she presented her recent research on using circadian patterns in vital signs to improve hospital mortality prediction:

“Presenting my findings at the 2025 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting was a rewarding experience. I had the opportunity to connect with clinical researchers who offered thoughtful suggestions, particularly around clinical interpretation and modeling, that will shape the next phase of my analysis.”

Yiwen Li shared her perspective as a first-year doctoral student:

“Attending AcademyHealth ARM 2025 has been a wonderful experience. In my session, I was honored to present our WeCare 2.0 outcome evaluation and share how culturally tailored digital health interventions can support underserved family dementia caregivers. Beyond my own session, I also learned a lot from other presentations focusing on innovative care models and methods addressing health disparities, especially among aging, minority, and high-need populations.”

Why It Matters

Presenting at AcademyHealth is a vital part of advancing the field of health services research. It reflects the mission of Mason’s Health Services Research PhD program to train future scholars who can generate evidence and effectively communicate findings to improve healthcare delivery and policy. By presenting research in person, HAP students, faculty, and alumni engage with national thought leaders, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, and shape healthcare systems.

“By showing up in person to share our work, the HAP department is contributing to a growing field that aims to improve access to health care services and, in turn, the well-being of families and individuals,” said Gilbert Gimm, director of the Health Services Research PhD program. “It’s also a fun way to build new connections and potential collaborations.”

911�� faculty and PhD student presenters at the 2025 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting

Alison Cuellar, PhD, 911��
Panel Speaker: Opportunities for Improving and Learning from Transparency in Coverage Data
Gilbert Gimm, PhD, 911��
Poster Presentation: Assessing Cannabis Smoking, Vaping, and Edible Use Among U.S. Adults by Disability Status in 2022
Debora Goldberg, PhD, MHA, MBA, 911��
Poster Presentation: Exploring Job Satisfaction and Burnout Among Healthcare Workers Using the Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being
Session Chair: From Burnout to Retention: Bridging Individual Struggles and Systemic Solutions
Y. Alicia Hong, PhD, 911��
Podium Presentation: Evaluation of Stronger2 Project: A Community-Government-Academic Partnership to Enhance Resilience and Reduce Health Disparities
Jeah Jung, PhD, 911��
Poster Presentation: Use of Low-Value Cancer Treatments in Medicare Advantage Versus Traditional Medicare
Yiwen Li, MPH, PhD student, 911��
Podium Presentation: Evaluation of WeCare 2.0: A Digital Health Intervention for Chinese American Dementia Caregivers
Ge Song, PhD student, 911��
Poster Presentation: Integrating Circadian Rhythms of Vital Signs into In-Hospital Mortality Prediction Models

Beyond the Conference

Mason’s engagement with AcademyHealth extends beyond the ARM. The university is home to an official AcademyHealth Student Chapter, offering students year-round access to leadership opportunities, national events, and professional development in health services research.

Looking Ahead

Involvement in national conferences such as AcademyHealth, the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and the American Public Health Association (APHA) affirms Mason’s growing presence in research on health policy, informatics, and public health. With each presentation, the HAP department is preparing the next generation of leaders in health services research.

Topics

PhD in Health Services Research

Determining quality in forensic injury imaging - 911�� secures NIH AIM-AHEAD funding to advance equity in AI-driven injury detection

dhawkin — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:21:21 +0000

Determining quality in forensic injury imaging - 911�� secures NIH AIM-AHEAD funding to advance equity in AI-driven injury detection dhawkin Fri, 11/22/2024 - 13:21

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAFS

David Lattanzi

911�� has been awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD) program.

This initiative encourages more people from historically underrepresented groups in researching and developing of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models. AIM-AHEAD aims to leverage the growing volume of data generated through electronic health records (EHR) and other biomedical research to address health disparities and inequities.

Janusz Wojtusiak. Photo by the Office of University Branding

The newly funded project, led by Janusz Wojtusiak, builds upon the Equitable and Accessible Software for Injury Detection (EAS-ID) initiative aimed at building artificial intelligence tools for collecting, assessing and analyzing injury data. The new funding specifically addresses the problem of measuring equity and quality of imaging documentation.

In addition to Wojtusiak, an interdisciplinary research team comprising Katherine Scafide and David Lattanzi is joined by Health Informatics Assistant Professor Eman Elashkar, Research Assistant Professor Jesse Kirkpatrick, who is also the acting director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, and Amin Nayebi Nodoushan, a postdoctoral researcher at Mason.

Their research focuses on using AI methods combined with Alternate Light Sources (ALS) to improve bruise detection, addressing visibility issues for individuals with darker skin tones who often encounter challenges in accurately assessing injuries sustained from violence.

Current literature highlights that skin color significantly influences the accuracy of AI-based tools in healthcare. Studies have documented disparities in the performance of medical devices, such as pulse oximeters and smartwatches, which frequently yield inaccurate readings for individuals with darker skin. These discrepancies can lead to delays in critical medical interventions, exacerbating existing health disparities.

The proposed research will focus specifically on bruises, the most common type of soft tissue injury experienced by victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Statistics indicate that approximately one in three people in the U.S. have experienced IPV, with racial minorities reporting disproportionately higher rates. Survivors with darker skin tones have noted that their bruises are often invisible, resulting in significant delays in seeking necessary medical care.

Katherine Scafide is part of the multidisciplinary team working to advance equity in AI-driven injury detection. Photo by Emma Anderson.

Leveraging the innovative use of ALS, the 911�� research team has demonstrated marked improvement in bruise visibility across diverse skin tones. The team aims to develop methods that ensure that AI-based tools provide equitable and unbiased detection and characterization of injuries. This will involve creating combined technical-ethical metrics to assess the performance of these tools across different skin tones. Engaging diverse stakeholders, including clinicians, forensic nurses, and community representatives, will be essential in the development process to align with ethical practices in AI.

The research team’s two primary aims are to develop metrics that assess equity in AI tools and apply these metrics to improve bruise detection models. They have already collected a substantial dataset of bruise images taken under various lighting conditions, which will be utilized to enhance the AI models’ performance. The interdisciplinary nature of the research team, comprising informaticians, engineers, clinicians, and ethicists, ensures a comprehensive approach to tackling these complex issues.

In alignment with AIM-AHEAD’s goals, this research initiative promises to contribute significantly to addressing health inequities and enhancing the capabilities of AI in healthcare. By focusing on the specific needs of underrepresented communities, the 911�� research team is paving the way for more equitable health care solutions, ultimately aiming to improve the accuracy and efficacy of injury assessments across diverse populations.

This project is led by 911��’s College of Public Health in collaboration with the College of Engineering and Computing. More information on the project can be found at bruise.gmu.edu.

Topics

Bruise Visibility

Machine Learning

Machine Learning in Health Care

Research

Artificial Intelligence

New research utilizes machine learning to address social isolation among alzheimer’s caregivers

mthomp7 — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 17:22:37 +0000

New research utilizes machine learning to address social isolation among alzheimer’s caregivers mthomp7 Thu, 10/10/2024 - 13:22

A new study from the College of Public Health at 911��, led by Professor Janusz Wojtusiak and Health Services Research doctoral candidate Ghaida Alsadah, explores the use of machine learning to predict social isolation among caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

This research, which has been selected for funding by the Commonwealth of Virginia's Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF), marks a significant advance in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to address a critical public health issue.

Professor Janusz Wojtusiak uses machine learning to predict social isolation among caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Alsadah has played a pivotal role in this study, contributing her expertise as a doctoral candidate to develop and refine machine learning models. These models analyze data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to identify and predict social isolation trajectories among caregivers. The study’s key finding is that AI-driven methods offer a novel approach to detecting social isolation, potentially leading to targeted interventions.

“This research is groundbreaking in its application of machine learning to predict social isolation among caregivers, an area previously underexplored,” said Wojtusiak. “The potential to develop AI-based interventions could significantly enhance the well-being of caregivers who often face profound social and emotional challenges.”

The study aims to construct predictive models for social isolation, adapt them for Medicare claims data, and simulate their application across large populations. The goal is to create a framework for AI-based interventions to address loneliness among caregivers effectively.

The innovation of this work lies in its use of machine learning to analyze and predict social isolation—a new approach with the potential to transform current understanding and interventions. Wojtusiak and Alsadah’s research is set to significantly impact health informatics and caregiver support. “Predicting Social Isolation Among Alzheimer’s Caregivers Using Machine Learning” will be published in an upcoming issue of a leading health informatics journal, emphasizing the importance of innovative approaches to complex public health challenges.

Additional contributors include College of Public Health alumna Mary Louise Pomeroy, a postdoctoral research fellow at Johns Hopkins University, who provided valuable expertise on social isolation and relevant datasets.

Learn more about the College of Public Health

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

Topics

Artificial Intelligence

College of Public Health

Strategic Direction

MSHI Student Profile

Isela Caballero

From capstone to clinical operations: MHA alumna builds a career in health care operations

Key Takeaways

Topics

Why 911����’s MHA was the right program

Prepared for the health care workforce

Advice for MHA students

911����’s Health Services Research PhD students and faculty share policy research at AcademyHealth 2025

In This Story

Topics

Determining quality in forensic injury imaging - 911���� secures NIH AIM-AHEAD funding to advance equity in AI-driven injury detection

In This Story

Topics

New research utilizes machine learning to address social isolation among alzheimer’s caregivers

In This Story

Related News

Topics

Why 911��’s MHA was the right program

911��’s Health Services Research PhD students and faculty share policy research at AcademyHealth 2025

Determining quality in forensic injury imaging - 911�� secures NIH AIM-AHEAD funding to advance equity in AI-driven injury detection