Four faculty teams at George Mason University are pioneering new strategies to prevent and address interpersonal violence (IPV), with a focus on vulnerable and underserved populations. Their research efforts span youth-led education in local schools to ultrasound imaging for detecting hidden injuries, with student involvement and community partnerships playing key roles.
Each project will receive up to $50,000 in funding from the College of Public Health, with support from the Elisabeth Shirley Enochs Endowment. The interdisciplinary teams draw from fields including nursing, psychology, engineering, statistics, global health, and community-based participatory research.
“Interpersonal violence is a public health crisis,” says Alison Evans Cuellar, associate dean for research in the College of Public Health. “These grants meet that challenge by drawing on George Mason’s expertise across disciplines, producing research to inform policy and drive real-world solutions.”
Awardees will join the Enochs Peer Learning Group, a collaborative hub for interpersonal violence researchers at George Mason, and share their expertise and findings through academic publications, policy briefings, and a campus conference.
2025 Pilot Grant Recipients
Karen Trister Grace (School of Nursing, College of Public Health) and Ben Seiyon Lee (Department of Statistics, College of Engineering and Computing): Understanding and Measuring Intimate Partner Violence and Reproductive Coercion Among People Experiencing Infertility
This mixed-methods study explores how intimate partner violence, including reproductive coercion, affects people navigating infertility treatment. Through interviews and a large-scale survey, the researchers aim to quantify prevalence, identify risk factors, and inform future clinical guidelines for a population often overlooked in IPV research.
Jhumka Gupta (Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health) and Bethany Letiecq (College of Education and Human Development): EA$E-US: A Financial Empowerment Approach to Preventing Interpersonal Violence Among Congolese Refugees
Adapting a globally recognized model known as EA$E (Economic and Social Empowerment), this project will pilot a trauma-informed IPV prevention program for resettled Congolese refugee families in Phoenix, Arizona. The intervention focuses on promoting financial equity within households as a pathway to reduce violence and improve mental health.
Amira Roess (Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health) and Leah Adams (Department of Psychology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences):
Resilient Futures: Empowering Adolescents and Young Adults for Healthy Relationships
Through peer leadership and storytelling, this student-led initiative equips youth ages 16 to 24 to recognize and prevent IPV through healthy relationships.” Inspired by the Morgan’s Message nonprofit, the pilot will launch at a Virginia high school, with trained peer ambassadors guiding awareness campaigns and educational workshops.
Katherine Scafide (School of Nursing, College of Public Health) and Siddhartha Sikdar (Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and Computing)
Improving Detection of Inflicted Bruises Using Ultrasound Imaging
This study aims to address racial disparities in injury documentation by testing whether high-frequency ultrasound imaging can more reliably detect bruises across all skin tones than current methods. If successful, the approach could offer clinicians a more objective, accessible tool for recognizing and responding to violence-related injuries.