Congratulations to Rima Nakkash and Kathy Chang on new positions within the Department of Global and Community Health and School of Nursing, respectively.
Rima Nakkash and Kathy Chang are transitioning this school year into new roles as members of the faculty.
Nakkash has been hired as a professor with tenure in the Department of Global and Community Health (GCH) after previously holding the position of term associate professor in GCH.
“Here in the College and at Mason, we support faculty and staff in their growth and professional goals. We are so happy to see Dr. Nakkash take these next steps in her career,” said Cathy Tompkins, Associate Dean of Faculty and Staff Affairs and Professor of Social Work.
Nakkash’s research has focused on prevention and policy analysis in relation to tobacco control and mental health promotion with youth and other disadvantaged populations. Her other research interests include civic and citizen engagement in health policy making, translation of evidence-based public health to inform interventions and policy, advocacy for health, and research ethics exploring interactions and conflict of interest between corporations and public health. Currently, she also co-coordinates a global network on Governance on Ethics and Conflict and interest in Public Health (GECI-PH).
She draws expertise from her time as a tenured associate professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB), a coordinator of the AUB Tobacco Control research group, co-director of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco waterpipe tobacco smoking knowledge hub, as the Associate Director of the Knowledge to Policy Center, and Director of the Public Health Education Office.
Also a familiar face, Chang is transitioning this year to an assistant professor in the School of Nursing after receiving her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) while working as an instructor. Chang recently graduated with her DNP from Mason, celebrating the occasion with her daughter Jinlee Colucci-Chang who also graduated this past Spring. Chang’s oldest daughter Katrina Colucci Chang is also a Mason alumna who graduated from the Bioengineering College, and completed her doctorate in biomedical engineering from Virginia Tech this spring, making this a triple graduation for the family.
Chang is a certified nurse executive. She has developed an Interactive Computerized Instructional Module “Vitals Sign” for the Fundamentals nursing course, served on the Workforce Diversity Program, has been a NCLEX National League of Nursing Spanish translator, as well as coauthored a qualitative study Assessing QSEN Patient Centered Care through Student Journaling.
Welcome to all our new faculty for the 2022-23 school year. View all our new faculty and staff as well as faculty promotions here.