GUMC Update : Getting to Know...Jeanne Matthews

Getting to Know...Jeanne Matthews

May 6, 2009

H1N1 worries haven’t stopped Jeanne Matthews from continuing to work hard at her job. Matthews has had a long career serving in the public health sector. Currently, she is an assistant professor in the Department of Nursing at NHS. With the H1N1 virus being the talk of the town, media calls have been pouring in requesting Matthews’ expertise. Matthews shared with the media prevention measures individuals and communities can take to limit transmission of swine flu and communicable diseases in general.

Amid the media frenzy, we caught up with Jeanne (via email) to learn more about her role at GUMC.

1) What is it like working with the media?

Honestly, it’s not something that I have done with great frequency, but the opportunities began presenting themselves last year when I held a national public health nursing office. So far, my experiences have been quite enjoyable, probably because I have been able to focus on a few areas of interest to me.

2) What has been your favorite interview so far?

Tough question, as I have enjoyed most of them for the variety. I guess that I’d say that I most enjoyed those that focus on the primary emphasis of public health: prevention. And when it comes to communicable disease, the prevention is pretty basic.

3) How did you get into your role at Georgetown?

I have taught for 30 years or so, the last 16 of those at Georgetown and the path to this role has been an interesting one. I received a BS in Nursing from Hunter-Bellevue in New York City and spent my early years in practice in critical care, case management and public health nursing in New York City and Rochester. While in Rochester at the U of R for graduate school (nursing), I had an opportunity to try my hand at teaching, which I loved. I was hired after graduation to teach in the program I had attended in a joint practice role at Strong Memorial Hospital and the School of Nursing. Two years later, I moved to the Washington metro area and taught public health in a few schools in this region. While teaching and raising my daughters, I earned a PhD in Nursing at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. With a focus in policy and organizations, it has allowed me to blend a love for public health with an interest in organizational, local, state and national policy. In 1993, I moved to Georgetown, a change that I thought would fit philosophically with my lifelong interest in social justice. That has enriched my life greatly.

My current role involves integrating a public health administration role in Arlington County with a faculty role here, a combination that was nurtured at Rochester and one that I find both rewarding and challenging. For about 8 years at Georgetown I provided education and guidance to public health nursing students in Arlington’s Department of Human Services, Public Health Division and was then invited to consider sharing the position I currently hold. The nurse manager and I had worked well together and we decided to give the shared position a try. After doing so for about I year, I was able to talk her (Diane Downing) into coming to NHS as an adjunct. We now share a public health position and co-teach public health nursing.

4) What classes do you teach?

I teach public health nursing and the population health course and capstone.

5) What projects will you be working on in the future?

My interest in policy and the public health system (workforce, community collaboration and an ecological approach to public health) is a great launch pad for interesting projects. During the past two years in Arlington, we have conducted the MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships) process, a community-driven, strategic planning process for entire communities. Diane and I had the privilege of coordinating the process and working collaboratively with a steering committee of 59 community partners—including non-profits, faith-based organizations, hospitals, government, schools, consumers, businesses and many more. After a lengthy and comprehensive community assessment and community identification of strategic issues, MAPP was completed and in its place is a new collaborative called, Partnerships for a Healthier Arlington. Both a challenge and a treasure, community initiatives such as Healthier Arlington engage the entire community to find ways to promote health and reduce disease. That should keep me busy for a while.

6) What do you do in your free time?

I love books and read voraciously—many genres, depending on what looks interesting at the time. I love musical and dramatic theatre and the arts and try to combine visits with family and friends in New York with excursions to Broadway and my favorite museums. My weeks are very busy, so I treasure down time with family and friends. I am not a fan of the cold, but once the weather turns warmer I enjoy time at the beach and on the golf course.