Mitcham receives funding to strengthen food as medicine pathways in southwest Virginia

MB Mitcham, Director of the Online MPH Program and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health, College of Public Health, received funding for: “Strengthening Food as Medicine Pathways in Southwest Virginia.” 

She will serve as the principal investigator and point of contact for George Mason’s subcontract component of this project and will lead George Mason’s efforts by serving as a key member of the Network Planning Group. 

The Network Planning Group will come together to determine the next steps and necessary resources to enact a planning process, identify the necessary procedures and policies across existing health care facilities for programmatic success and increased efficiencies, strengthen relationships, and expedite communication and flow of services across the region.

Additionally, as a Network Planning Member, George Mason partners will be responsible for assisting in creating reports, conducting necessary research, and maintaining appropriate records and documentation. 

Together, this consortium will meet the program’s goals by compiling and sharing data and statistics relevant to the goals and objectives of the grant. It will identify the necessary infrastructure, procedures, and additional partners needed to establish and strengthen Rural Food as Medicine Pathways in Southwest Virginia.

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity, as it meets a very viable gap that exists in many rural regions throughout the United States, including Southwest Virginia, and Appalachia. Many experts talk about food accessibility, food deserts, food apartheid, and food security. However, they fail to recognize that there is a difference between access to food and access to nutrient-dense, healthy food, that is a fundamental component of the prevention arm of public health. I am extremely excited that this grant was funded this past January, and that our team will be able to help create the infrastructure for what I expect to be a robust food as medicine program,” Mitcham said.

Mitcham received $8,500 from Graduate Medical Education Consortium of Southwest Virginia on a subaward from the Health Resources and Services Administration for this project. Funding began in July 2025 and will end in late June 2026.

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George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

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