GMU establishes health workforce center

George Mason University has established the Mason Center for the Health Workforce, the university announced Monday.

The new center, directed by PJ Maddox and Caroline Sutter, will address the shortage and immediate need for health care workers in Virginia. It will serve as a technical assistance center for health workforce research, program evaluation, planning and analysis for government agencies, academic entities and professional organizations. It will support cross-sector commitment and resource sharing for workforce development; develop curricula, training and delivery methods for health career education; and evaluate the results of workforce development programs and investments.

“A competent health workforce is a critical asset for fielding essential health/public health services in all communities,” said Maddox, professor and chair of the Department of Health Administration and Policy, in a statement. “Mason’s commitment to providing access to higher education and its commitment to service to the commonwealth make it the right home for the Virginia Health Workforce Center.”

The center will build on work funded by the Claude Moore Community Foundation for early health workforce development by supporting the Claude Moore Scholars program, which works with 46 Virginia school systems to introduce young people to health care careers.

Additionally, the center will provide data on the health workforce and support teachers.

“The current health workforce crisis in Virginia — exacerbated by COVID-19 — demonstrates the need to think strategically about how we attract talent to health care, how we educate and train workers and how we make health care jobs more appealing in terms of work environment and career opportunities,” Bill Hazel, senior deputy executive director of Claude Moore, said in a statement. “The Center for Health Workforce is a collaborative effort that will provide support to leaders around the commonwealth as these issues are addressed.”