Centers and Institutes
The Milken Institute SPH hosts 29 centers and institutes whose research advances solutions to urgent public health challenges—locally and internationally. Below are selected highlights from FY 2025.
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The Antibiotic Resistance Action Center team uncovered a possible link between the kinds of bacteria in a person’s nose and their risk of getting COVID-19. In a study involving over 450 people, those who carried higher levels of certain “gateway” proteins—used by the virus to enter cells—were more than three times as likely to test positive for COVID-19. The researchers found that three common nasal bacteria—Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella species—were associated with higher levels of these gateway proteins and a greater chance of infection. In contrast, another common nasal bacterium called Dolosigranulum pigrum was linked to lower levels of these proteins and may help reduce infection risk. These findings point to new ways we might predict and possibly prevent COVID-19 in the future.
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The Biostatistics Center collaborated on impactful clinical trials, observational studies, and diagnostic accuracy studies in maternal-fetal medicine, diabetes, neonatal medicine, cardiovascular disease, oncology, and antibiotic resistance. Approximately $48 million in funding from more than 50 grant awards supported 130 faculty/staff, including approximately 30 students. Notable achievements included the: (1) Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study entering its 42nd year with 87% of surviving participants remaining in follow-up; (2) DISCOVERY of Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in Youth, a multi-center cohort of children 9-14 years who are at risk for T2D, aiming to identify prognostic factors for development of T2D, initiating enrollment; (3) Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Outcomes Study celebrating its 30th year of follow-up with a special collection of articles in Diabetes Care and launching DPP Stories, a series of testimonials from DPP participants, family members, investigators, and clinic staff; (4) Launch of two new Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network studies, the first evaluating the addition of azithromycin to standard antibiotics prior to cesarean delivery to prevent infections among women not in labor, and the second evaluating a higher dose of aspirin to prevent preterm birth among women with a history of preterm birth; (5) Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study establishing a Precision Medicine Working Group to better predict treatment response and outcomes; and (6) Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) completing six studies including: a randomized trial evaluating dalbavancin for complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia published in JAMA, a randomized trial of phage therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in cystic fibrosis; a master protocol evaluating multiple diagnostics for Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae; and a study of pathogen- and host-directed testing for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Statistical methodologies developed by the ARLG were recommended in the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences guidelines for benefit-risk assessment.
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The BRIGHT Institute continues to develop and expand its work on digital media for behavior change. The institute is now part of the GW Trustworthy AI (TAI) initiative, and actively participates in the council of center/institute directors, including the inaugural TAI Oxbridge lunch discussion on October 6, 2024. Its webinar series continues and has featured sessions on the use of AI to promote vaccine acceptance and on the use of chatbots as health coaches.
The Institute is actively conducting research on multiple topics, including Professor Lorien Abroms’ recent award on developing AI-enabled chatbots to help people quit smoking, funded by the GW Cancer Center, and her ongoing analysis of social media and mental health outcomes in teens in a national sample of US teens.
Additionally, Professor Doug Evans is working on using chatbots to conduct social media-based randomized controlled trials and on using large language models to counter harmful online content exposure among adolescents and young adults. The center has established a substantial presence on LinkedIn and created a “BRIGHT partners” series that highlights the work of its colleagues worldwide on the use of digital media for behavior change interventions.
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The Center on Commercial Determinants of Health (CCDH) continues to advance its research, capacity-building, and advocacy work on how commercial actors—such as the tobacco and alcohol industries—affect population health. This year, CCDH expanded its research portfolio with funding from the Milken Institute SPH’s Research Innovation Award to develop a tool that fosters ethically sound partnerships between universities and industry.
CCDH also continued its support of NIH-funded projects focused on ethics, trauma and injury, and non-communicable diseases across Armenia, Mali, Pakistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Team members visited these sites throughout the year to collaborate directly with local partners. In addition, CCDH hosted its annual Global Health Summer Training Program, welcoming four trainees from Mali for a comprehensive development experience that included workshops and interactive sessions.
The Center remained highly active in academic publishing, releasing articles on topics ranging from road traffic injuries to the ethics of genomics. As part of its advocacy efforts, CCDH delivered a webinar series on global gun violence and health, now available on its YouTube channel.
Finally, the Center supported two PhD students and several graduate research assistants this year, providing them with meaningful professional development opportunities while they contributed essential support to CCDH’s mission.
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The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) advances equitable, school-based approaches to behavioral health through collaboration, applied research, systems change, and by partnering with community leaders, parents, students, schools, providers, and agency directors.
One project, funded by the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, established the DC Consortium for Mental Wellness and Behavioral Health in Schools (DC COMBS) to co-create practical, meaningful improvements in school behavioral health and promote comprehensive school behavioral health systems for all students.
From July 2024 to June 2025, DC COMBS:
- Convened 20 DC organizations and 26 individual leaders representing research, policy, and practice.
- Facilitated 289 meetings and launched three pilot projects to test the implementation of best practices.
- Conducted an independent social network analysis of DC COMBS members that found strong engagement and collaboration:
- 97% of members formed new professional relationships to advance their respective missions.
- 85% identified immediate and potential value from participation.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funded CHHCS to deliver an evidence-based curriculum (Youth Mental Health First Aid) to improve school staff's capacity to identify students in need of behavioral health support.
From July 2024 to June 2025, CHHCS:
- Hosted 17 training sessions.
- Certified a total of 44 instructors.
- Trained 2 cohorts of 30 instructors (total) across DC public and public charter schools.
In 2025 alone, CHHCS hosted 12 full-day sessions, certified 14 new instructors, and trained 250 new participants. These outcomes highlight CHHCS’s role as a trusted leader in facilitating cross-sector partnerships to better serve DC’s children and families.
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The Center for Social Well Being and Development (CSWD) is expanding its portfolio to include both global and domestic activities. On the global front, CSWD currently holds a standing contract with the World Food Programme for social/behavior change communications work. Domestically, CSWD is incorporating the formerly free-standing Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health. Currently, the Avance Center is part of a team with Johns Hopkins University on an NIH-funded project called the Community Engagement Alliance, intended to develop and test community engagement strategies to prevent chronic disease and COVID-19 in underserved communities in the DC-Baltimore area. The Avance Center's specific focus is on the Latino immigrant community (Dr. Elizabeth Andrade, PI). Two other NIH-funded domestic projects (Dr. Mark Edberg, PI) will be accessible through the CSWD website as well -- a community-collaborative youth firearms violence prevention initiative in DC, and a collaboration with an urban Native American health and social services provider to conduct research, develop, and test a scale for assessing indigenous historical trauma and its impact on health risk and outcomes.
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The DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR) is one of 20 NIH-supported HIV research centers located at academic institutions throughout the United States. The mission of the DC CFAR is to "advance our multi-institutional research effort to contribute to ending the HIV epidemic and improving the health and quality of life of persons with HIV in Washington, DC, and beyond in partnership with community and government." The major activities of the DC CFAR include a robust pilot awards developmental program for early-stage and new investigators, the provision of laboratory, clinical, and socio-behavioral core services, and a vibrant multidisciplinary seminar program. Currently, the DC CFAR supports 247 investigator members at nine DC-based partner institutions, and is led by Alan Greenberg, Manya Magnus, Amanda Castel, and Brandi Robinson in the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. Founded in 2010, the DC CFAR was recently renewed for a fourth five-year project period from 2025-2030.
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The Mullan Institute hosted the 3rd Health Workforce Equity Summit in person in April 2025, co-sponsored by ABIM Foundation and The Hastings Center for Bioethics. The focus for this summit was Rebuilding Health Workers’ Trust in Healthcare Organizations, with panel discussions on evidence regarding declining health workers' trust and a related series of case studies that may hold promise for rebuilding health workers' trust and patient trust.
Anushree Vichare, Mandar Bodas, Eric Luo, and others authored "A Few Doctors Will See Some of You: The Critical Role of Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) Family Physicians in the Care of Medicaid Beneficiaries," published in the Annals of Family Medicine. The article shows that Latino and Black family medicine doctors are significantly more likely to care for higher numbers of Medicaid patients compared to their White and Asian peers.
The Mullan Institute hosted six students for the 2024-25 cohort of the Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative Fellowship, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Minority Health, aimed to develop and support future federal leaders in public health and health equity.
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity
The 2025 cohort — 15 Fellows from 10 countries participated in the program, traveling to Washington, D.C., and Rwanda to learn about health equity in different global contexts. They will travel to the Philippines for their Final Convening, where they will graduate and become Senior Fellows, joining a lifelong global network.
In April, fellows participated in all aspects of the AFHE Senior Fellow Ethiopia Convening, from planning to presenting to emceeing. Fellows engaged in community site visits and networking with local leaders, exploring topics such as maternal and child health, digital health and social enterprise.
In addition to the impact of countless community events, policies created and lives touched, the fellows received 71 honors, grants, or other awards, delivered 139 presentations, have been mentioned in the media 191 times, and published 145 works of research, opinion, and creative pieces.
The Social Mission Alliance hosted its 7th national conference in 2024. This conference was co-hosted by the Duke University School of Nursing and welcomed more than 350 people from around the world, brought together by a common passion to transform health professions education in pursuit of a social mission.
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The Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health (GGP) aims to deepen understanding of how policies can advance health care justice and health equity. Its chief focus is on community health centers (CHCs), and their essential role in serving America’s most medically underserved communities and populations. In 2024-25, as the health center program celebrates its 60th anniversary, GGP has undertaken deep work to provide legal and policy analysis on the impact of pending Medicaid cuts and develop resources in support of the health center community, while underscoring the successes of health centers in advancing access to comprehensive, high-quality primary and preventive care. Propelled by Medicaid, and especially the ACA Medicaid expansions, CHCs have grown impressively and today serve more than thirty-two million people across the nation’s urban, rural and frontier communities. In a blog for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point, GGP estimates that 5.6 million CHC patients will lose Medicaid coverage under new work requirements, not only restricting their access to essential health care but also resulting in revenue losses to CHCs of up to $32 billion. Funding losses of this magnitude would severely affect CHCs’ operational capacity. They could lead many to eliminate services, shutter programs, or close, since, on average, Medicaid accounts for nearly 50% of health center revenue. These losses threaten the sustainability of the very organizations on which underserved communities rely, with severe consequences for health care and health outcomes.
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Under the leadership of Center Director Professor Wolfgang Munar, the Gill‑Lebovic Center for Community Health in the Caribbean and Latin America (GLC) continued strengthening its regional influence in 2024-2025 through collaborative research partnerships and student‑led inquiry.
The year’s main achievement was the expansion of collaborative research initiatives, first with the Inter‑American Development Bank to co‑finance ongoing realist evaluations of performance‑management strategies in the primary care systems of El Salvador and Honduras. These studies examine how such strategies work — or do not— and why. A second, emergent partnership with the Universidad de Costa Rica School of Public Health and Colombia’s Universidad del Norte’s Division of Health Sciences is a multi‑year collaborative research program on adolescent health, integrating policy analysis with applied community studies across Central and South America.
Doctoral and master’s students remained central to this research agenda. Elise Lankiewicz (PhD candidate) and Tariro Peidzi (MPH) are mapping evidence on transparency and accountability interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean. Natalia Houghton (DrPH candidate), working with MPH student Michael Hariman, leads a systematic review of governance interventions in health‑system reforms across the region. Molly Lauria (PhD student) continues a mixed‑methods evaluation of practice coaching to improve primary care quality in Honduras. Additional ongoing projects include a systematic review of adolescent pregnancy‑prevention policies (PhD student Lina Rodriguez and master’s student Bryden Sandifer) and a scoping review of donor aid transitions (DrPH student Katelyn Morgan with PhD candidate Molly Lauria).
In May 2025, GLC inaugurated its first Gill‑Lebovic Research Seminar, bringing together speakers from the George Washington University, the Inter‑American Development Bank, Yale University, and the University ofChicago to discuss lessons from systemic health reform in Central American countries. The Center also demonstrated its commitment to student development by supporting the GWSPH Research Day, providing 10 APHA annual memberships and conference registrations to student presenters. These collective efforts reflect GLC’s growing role as a regional hub for evidence‑driven, partner‑engaged research advancing the resilience of primary health care systems throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
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The Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security (IFSAN) advances equitable food systems that promote public health and prevent foodborne illness through education, research, outreach, policy, and advocacy. Our vision is food systems that equitably deliver safe, accessible, and nutritious food to all.
Education and Research
IFSAN launched two graduate-level courses addressing critical gaps in food safety education. PUBH6640 (Current Issues in Food Safety Seminar) engaged 23 students and 34 professionals during its two-semester pilot. PUBH6699.11 (Outbreak: Theory and Practice) trained 14 students in outbreak investigation and response. The Student Research Experience in Food Safety and Nutrition Security (SEEDS) program launched in Spring 2025 with four undergraduate students in its inaugural cohort.Outreach
IFSAN's outreach programming reached diverse audiences, including industry professionals, government officials, and community members. Strategic initiatives included National Nutrition Month (124 attendees), World Food Safety Day webinar (67 attendees), and the symposium Fresh Perspectives on Advancing Food Safety and Nutrition Security (104 attendees). IFSAN's monthly newsletter disseminates evidence-based information to more than 3,000 subscribers across academic, industry, and government sectors.Policy and Advocacy
IFSAN participated in four policy coalitions, submitting three Federal Register comments and five stakeholder letters on critical food safety and nutrition security regulations. The institute also organized two stakeholder workshops (30 participants each) to identify points of consensus around a new framework proposed by USDA to reduce Salmonella in raw poultry products. Following these workshops, participants requested IFSAN lead a new Food Safety Dialogue group to continue collaborative policy work. IFSAN researchers contributed to public discourse through original research publications and opinion pieces, generating 370 unique articles and 2,556 media mentions.Key Highlights:
- 37 graduate students engaged in new food safety courses
- 295 participants attended three major outreach events
- 3,000+ monthly newsletter subscribers
- Four undergraduate students engaged in research through the inaugural SEEDS cohort
- Three Federal Register comments submitted
- Five stakeholder letters submitted
- 370 original articles with 2,556 media mentions
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The Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health works to improve women’s health through research, dialogue, teaching, and information dissemination. Its peer-reviewed journal, Women’s Health Issues, highlighted articles on paid parental leave, self-collected HPV tests, health care use of American Indian/Alaska Native women veterans, a maternal health toolkit for emergency department education, contraception and pregnancy counseling for people with congenital heart defects, and the relationship between out-of-pocket costs and utilization of perinatal psychotherapy. The journal’s editorial board awarded the annual Gibbs Prize for best article to a study on social determinants of health and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Jacobs Institute researchers examined tubal sterilization and vasectomy among young adults after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, Medicaid coverage for maternal health services, and scientific integrity policies at federal agencies. In early 2025, the Jacobs Institute mourned the loss and celebrated the legacy of former Executive Director Susan F. Wood, PhD, a beloved teacher, mentor, and friend.
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The Research and Engagement for Action on Climate and Health (REACH) Center is a newly awarded multi-institutional exploratory center funded by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, led in partnership by the George Washington University, Howard University, George Mason University, and the Environmental Defense Fund. The Center aims to bridge big data to health-protective solutions for climate-sensitive risk factors by cultivating a multidisciplinary research enterprise that generates new knowledge and accelerates research translation at the intersection of climate and health.
Highlights of REACH’s first year impact include:
- Awarded $80,000 in pilot funds.
- Facilitated the submission of 22 research proposals, totaling more than $24 million.
- Established a student fellowship program that engages a cohort of students across the George Washington, George Mason, and Howard Universities in collaborative work with the DC Health Office of Environmental Protection.
- Assisted dozens of research projects to create teams that bridge researchers and end-users, and apply novel, big geospatial environmental datasets to their work.
- Offered cross-cutting initiatives, including eight events and three workshops that had more than 750 attendees.
- Launched a new website and monthly newsletter that reaches 600 people.
The REACH Center awarded three pilot grants to 12 total investigators who proposed innovative projects that have the potential to make a significant impact in climate and health research. Pilot awards included projects that use data-driven approaches to minimize the impacts of hurricanes on private well drinking quality and human health; assess how extreme heat and air pollution intersect with housing insecurity; and evaluate how urban heat islands affect public health in Fairbanks, Alaska.
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The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance is an alliance composed of business, consumer, government, advocacy, and health organizations dedicated to reversing the obesity epidemic in the United States. In FY 2025, the STOP Obesity Alliance continued to conduct and publish research to guide healthcare providers, policymakers, payers, and healthcare experts toward effective treatment and access to obesity care. Highlights included:
- Continuing STOP’s focus on developing quality measures for obesity, STOP held a successful roundtable with stakeholders on obesity diagnosis. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Measures Management System invited STOP to present a public webinar on our quality measurement work in June 2025. The webinar on Quality Measurement and Obesity, featuring Professor William Dietz, had more than 1,000 attendees.
- STOP’s state map of Medicaid coverage of obesity treatments was updated with new data, which was shared at a session at The Obesity Society's Obesity Week meeting in November 2024 and a poster presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s annual meeting in June 2025.
- STOP’s work with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for Health Statistics led to new ICD-10 obesity codes for adult and pediatric obesity, which were rolled out at an Obesity Week symposium in November 2024.
- STOP was invited to share the comprehensive obesity benefit with policymakers, employers, and payers at seven meetings throughout FY 2025.
- STOP continued to produce its monthly newsletter, with a letter from the Director focused on a different topic related to obesity each month, ranging from employer coverage of GLP-1s to how obesity impacts women, the compounding of GLP-1s, and the Lancet Commission Report on obesity.
STOP again participated as one of the founding partners in the annual Obesity Care Week in March 2025.
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In 2024, the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention & Wellness (RGC) welcomed Dr. Timothy Holtz as its second Redstone Chair and Director. Under his leadership, the RGC launched a renewed strategic plan with the vision of healthy, thriving communities that adapt to climate-related health hazards and challenges. The RGC will achieve this vision through its mission of promoting equitable adaptation among communities most at risk from climate-related health hazards and challenges by cultivating research, education, and collaboration. The RGC also welcomed three staff to support its renewed vision and mission, including Research Scientist Sarah Dumas, DVM, Senior Center Specialist Maya Rao, and Administrative Associate XuanHa Nguyen.
- Key initiatives included funding three pilot grants targeting priority areas in climate-health adaptation and supporting five Redstone Scholars, including one postdoctoral researcher.
- Convening subject matter experts and key players in climate and health to foster learning and cross-sector collaboration: including hosting best-selling author John Green, organizing a congressional TB Hill Day training with Partners in Health, and bringing together experts in migration, humanitarian health assistance, and climate adaptation for a roundtable discussion. Key takeaways and recommendations from the roundtable were presented in a working paper and opinion piece, “Beyond Emergency Relief: The Role of U.S. Foreign Health Assistance Amid Growing Displacement and C…,” published in PLOS Global Public Health.