Prevention and Community Health
IMPACT: PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
Partnering with Communities to Drive Lasting Health Change
The Department of Prevention and Community Health advances research, training, and practice grounded in cutting-edge social-structural and behavioral theories. Guided by diverse community voices and partnerships, faculty, staff, and students respond to shifting public health priorities. In FY 2025, the department focused on preparing students for an evolving workforce while ensuring all activities meet the needs of students, community partners, and the populations they serve.
BY THE NUMBERS
15
research awards for a total of nearly $4M
79%
of MPH students complete their practicum locally, working with top D.C. organizations on real-world public health challenges
50+
local, national and international partner organizations
75+
peer-reviewed publications with faculty, staff, or students as lead or senior authors
DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Twenty-two master’s and doctoral students from PCH received awards for their research at the Milken Institute SPH’s Research Day and PCH’s annual awards ceremony. Research projects spanned diverse populations, methods, topics, and geographic areas.
The GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health successfully renewed its training grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an additional five-year period. The center also received a new grant to support postdoctoral students and a one-year special grant to pursue an innovative communications initiative, including a digital platform and podcast series.
The department launched a practicum and workforce training series for about 100 students, covering key professional skills and resources. Topics included program competencies, practicum deliverables, CITI training, student resources, personal branding, resumes and cover letters, networking, professionalism, workplace safety, professional values, generational diversity, and communication skills.
Faculty members Carla Berg and Lorien Abroms organized the school’s first Research Sandbox. It brought together more than 30 faculty members for a dynamic day of facilitated networking, big-idea ideation, and collaborative development of research projects focused on tackling non-communicable diseases and related behaviors.
PCH grad Kristen Rodrigues, MPH, received the Nashmen Center Knapp Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. The fellowship supported her in the development of an online cervical cancer awareness and reproductive health program for transgender men in the Washington, D.C. area.