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Himmelfarb Headlines: Faculty Profile - An Interview with MaryBeth Musumeci, Teaching Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management

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Faculty Profile - MaryBeth Musumeci, Teaching Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management

Faculty Profile

Himmelfarb Library continues this feature in our newsletter that lets us become better acquainted with our friends and colleagues at the George Washington University. We learn more about MaryBeth Musumeci, Teaching Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management in this issue.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and about the work you are currently engaged in?
I teach in the undergraduate public health and MPH health policy programs. I also lead the public health deans and scholars amicus brief project, which was founded by Professor Sara Rosembaum, and gives public health faculty the ability to share their expertise with courts in cases that involve important issues affecting public health and health policy. I began my career as a legal aid lawyer, practicing poverty and disability law. Before joining GW full-time, I worked on Medicaid policy research at KFF.

What brought you to GW?
I started teaching as an adjunct in the MPH program and loved the students and the material. I had taught law students in the past, but this was my first time teaching public health students. I was thrilled to join the faculty full-time when a position opened up.

What inspired you to work in your field?
I always knew that I wanted to do work that I found personally meaningful and that made a difference in people's lives. Health law and policy, especially Medicaid, can be technically complex, but at its heart, the program is about providing meaningful access to health coverage and care.

What is your favorite aspect of your work?
My undergraduate students work on a semester-long project in which they design their own health services organization, and I love seeing them come up with an initial idea that they continue to develop and refine into a polished finished product at the end of the semester.

What library resources or services have you found to be the most useful?
I have benefited from the feedback and support of Rachel Brill, my library partner in GW's Adapting Course Materials for Equity grant program! Designing open-source course materials has been a big project, and Rachel's help has been invaluable.

How do you spend your free time?
I enjoy reading, yoga, calligraphy, and visiting the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

What advice would you give to a new faculty member just starting at GW?
Take advantage of all of the resources available to develop and improve your teaching! Daphna Atias and Robin Pokorski on the Instructional Core Faculty Development team helped me revamp my grading rubrics. They met with me to understand what I wanted to accomplish, and the end result has been incredibly beneficial for me and (I hope) my students.