Building Healthier Communities: Public Health in Action

Building Healthier Communities: Public Health in Action

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, the diversified and far-reaching field of public health becomes ever more vital. Garrison Forest School alumnae are fully engaged and making important contributions ensuring the well-being of our communities. As scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, mental health specialists, educators, environmentalists, policy experts, medical professionals and more, they are using their skills and compassion to impact the world.

Complex Problems, Simple Solutions: Katherine Paseman ’14 and Fix the Mask

When presented with a challenge, Katherine Paseman ’14 combines her science and engineering background with her natural curiosity to find a solution. It’s an approach that she honed during her time at Garrison Forest School, where she conducted research in the Johns Hopkins’ Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design as part of the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program and worked with Roominate, a Silicon Valley start-up, as her Independent Senior Project (ISP). After GFS, Katherine graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from MIT and worked at other start-ups, adding more technical skills and an entrepreneurial drive to her problemsolving mindset.

Katherine Paseman ’14 wearing a Fix the Mask brace

In 2020, when COVID-19 struck, Katherine and her sister Sabrina, who is also a mechanical engineer, found themselves drawn to what has become one of the biggest topics of conversation as the world battles the pandemic: masks. After observing the many questions and misinformation surrounding proper mask selection and use, they wanted to design a mask solution that was comfortable, effective, affordable and accessible to everyone. Their idea turned into a prototype of a brace that fits over surgical masks to create a better and more comfortable seal, and Fix the Mask was born. Katherine found herself applying every skill set she’d developed—and adding a few more—in her new role as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.

“Our goal was to fight misinformation around COVID and to provide data-backed solutions to help people make decisions,” Katherine said. “We needed to approach researchers, pitch ideas and manage relationships. In a very short amount of time, we learned a lot about masks, manufacturing and business development.” In a crowded field of pandemic-related products, the knowledge needed to make this a successful venture went beyond the scientific know-how; they also needed to learn how to navigate approval and certification requirements, media outreach, research and development.

Of primary concern was ensuring their product was properly researched. They worked with research groups at several universities to test and vet their device with various types of masks. Katherine also recognized an opportunity and reached out to get current GFS students involved. Charlotte Ingram ’21 and Chloe Schnydman ’21 served as researchers on the GFS campus, working with Katherine to develop proper testing set-ups, data collection and documentation methods. Throughout the year, they tested theories about the relationship between light and filtration effectiveness and regularly reported their findings back to Katherine, who offered feedback and encouragement.

In addition to providing valuable research back to Fix the Mask, involving GFS students was a way for Katherine to give back to the school and serve as a mentor for budding researchers. Because her WISE and ISP experiences were so formative to the entrepreneur and engineer she has become, her hope is to help current GFS students find that path for themselves as well.

“My ISP changed the course of my life in a special way,” she said. “Being able to pay that experience forward is important to me.”

She’s hoping to help students see the real-world implications of science and engineering research, an experience she found enlightening as a student. “What’s magical about WISE and GFS is that it shows you that science is not this scary thing. Science doesn’t have to be complicated to be important,” Katherine said.

Katherine Paseman ’14 and her sister Sabrina are cofounders of Fix the Mask

The project helped Chloe Schnydman, who is attending Dickinson College and plans to double major in computer science and data analytics, make the connection. “I was given an opportunity to apply all the skills that I have learned over the years to a real-world project,” Chloe said of her experience. “I felt like I was doing something that could help people. When I presented everything to Katherine, she made it sound like this information could really help her company and the research. That made me realize that I want to contribute more.”

As mask-wearing remains an important component in the public health battle against COVID-19, Katherine hopes the products she and her sister developed can continue making a difference. Thanks to Fix the Mask’s research-based approach to creating their product, mask fitters are now endorsed by the CDC as a way to improve how masks protect against COVID-19. Looking beyond the pandemic, Katherine’s hope is that the affordable, effective solution offered by Fix the Mask could also address other problems, such as wildfires and pollution, both issues seen in her home location of California, while still following the company’s mission of solving hard problems in the simplest of ways. Learn more: fixthemask.com.

Sara Bleich ’96 Named Senior Advisor for COVID-19 in Office of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture

Building on a career of public health-focused research, Sara Bleich ’96 stepped into the newly created position of senior advisor for COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) upon Inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration. Her work focuses on the pandemic, economic recovery and federal nutrition assistance programs. Though COVID-19 has brought new challenges and deepened a wide variety of issues, Sara’s research in food insecurity, racial and social inequity in nutrition and how policies impact high-risk populations makes her well prepared to help guide the USDA’s response to the pandemic.

Sara previously served as a White House Fellow from 2015 to 2016, where she worked in the Department of Agriculture as a Senior Policy Advisor for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services and the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative. She also serves in several roles at Harvard University, as professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management, the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a member of the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. The author of more than 160 peer-reviewed articles, Sara has co-authored a number of media articles in the past year on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting food security and nutrition in the U.S. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Columbia and a Ph.D. in health policy from Harvard, and was inducted into the GFS Hall of Excellence in 2017.

GFS Alumnae Join Vaccine Town Hall in February 2021

In early 2021, as the initial deployment of COVID-19 vaccines began to offer a glimpse of hope in the international fight against the pandemic, public health officials around the world launched awareness campaigns to reinforce the vital importance of getting vaccinated, dispel myths and misunderstandings and help underrepresented communities get the information and

Panelist Stacy Garrett- Ray ’92, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer of Ascension Healthcare

Panelist Shivonne L. Laird ’94, System Director of Community Health Impact for Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH)

Panelist Matthew Laurens, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist with a primary research interest in vaccine development who conducts studies at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and at international sites in Burkina Faso, Mali and Malawi

Moderator Jennifer Lawrence ’85, Director of the South Georgia Medical Center Diabetes Management Center

WISE Partners with the University of Maryland School of Medicine for Exciting New Public Health Initiative

The Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) program has provided GFS students with opportunities to gain real-world experience in a wide variety of science-related fields, including public health, since its inception in 2004. Starting in summer 2021, WISE added another option for students to immerse themselves in the extensive world of public health. In collaboration with the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, six GFS Seniors are participating in a new Public Health Fellows Program. This pilot program pairs each GFS student with a graduate student mentor in the MPH program, which features concentrations in Community & Population Health, Epidemiology and Global Health. Coming from a variety of backgrounds and interests, MPH mentors are educating GFS students about public health as a broad field of study and careers, as well as public health’s impact on human well-being and health equity across many dimensions. Students will learn firsthand about the intersection between public health, medicine and other disciplines and the range of skills required for public health practitioners. The program covers key topic areas and activities relevant to professional skills needed in public health, including the complexities of using human subject research, the role of data analysis and presentation and designing public health educational and advocacy programs. Dr. Whei Moriarty, WISE Academic Coordinator, and Andrea Perry, Director of the James Center and Dean of Special Programs, are providing GFS enrichment and support, helping students make the most of this opportunity to take a deep dive into the ever-evolving field of public health.

A Public Health Priority: Focusing on Mental and Emotional Wellness

A crucial component in the health of a community is ensuring access to mental and emotional health and wellness resources. Particularly during a time that found so many people battling isolation, loneliness and loss, focusing on mental and emotional wellness is a priority. For students, the confusion, fear and disruption caused by the ongoing pandemic—amid important national conversations about social justice, discrimination and politics—created increased chances of experiencing anxiety, depression or loneliness.

“One of the most important jobs we’ve had as educators the past 18 months or so has been making sure our students have the resources they need to be emotionally healthy,” said Shondra Cowling, Director of Counseling at GFS. Shondra has served as the Lower School counselor, working with the school’s youngest students, since 2006, and recently stepped into the Director role, where she works with the counselors in each division. She is also the parent of Nia ’19 and Nadiah ’30. “Talking about mental and emotional wellness, making personal connections and ensuring students have space and support to process what they’re experiencing is so important, for students of all ages.”

GFS participated in National Public Health Week in April 2021, which focused on personal and community well-being and opportunities for making a positive impact on the world. In addition to talking to students about their own emotional health, activities focused on being outdoors, physical activity and finding joy even during difficult times.

Lower Schoolers practice mindfulness during National Public Health Week last April.

The Reality of Mental Illness

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.

• 1 in 6 U.S. youths aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.

• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24.

Source: National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)