WASHINGTON (December 15, 2025) – With the holiday season in full swing, many Americans are gathering with family, shopping for gifts, and taking part in long-standing traditions. While mid to late December is often associated with celebration, experts note that the season can also present challenges to both mental and physical health.
Faculty at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on a number of topics related to the holiday season. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at gwmedia
gwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Holiday Health & Fitness
Loretta DiPietro is a professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. She can talk about holiday meals and how a 15 minute post-meal walk may lower your risk of high blood sugar and diabetes. She can also offer tips on how to build exercise into daily life and stay in shape this winter–including a plan for the holidays.
Leigh Frame is the executive director of the Office of Integrative Medicine and Health and Co-Founder and Associate Director of the GW Resiliency & Well-being Center at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She can speak about taking a holistic health perspective around the holidays, focusing on not just eating well and exercising, but also reducing stress and spending time with loved ones.
Food Safety
Barbara Kowalcyk is an associate professor of exercise and nutrition science and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is a national food safety expert with training in epidemiology, public health informatics, risk science and public policy. She can discuss safe food preparation tips for preparing a healthy holiday meal.
Janet Buffer, is the senior institute manager for the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security within the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Mental Health
Melissa Batchelor, an associate professor of nursing and geriatric nursing researcher, is the director of GW's interdisciplinary Center for Aging, Health and Humanities. Batchelor is a nurse and PhD with over 25 years of experience in the aging and long-term care and healthcare space. She can discuss grief and loss during the holidays, maintaining traditions when a loved one has Alzheimer's disease, and the four things to check for with aging parents during the holidays.
Laurie Theeke is the associate dean for the PhD in Nursing Program. Her program of research is centered on the problem of loneliness and understanding how it influences the human health experience. Through her research, she is working to better understand how we can help lonely people and to reduce the stigma associated with loneliness. She can discuss loneliness around the holidays and ways to cope with these feelings.
Lorenzo Norris, is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and chief wellness officer at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He can discuss how holidays can be stressful and an anxiety-provoking time for many people.
Sherry Molock is a professor of clinical psychology. Molock studies risk and protective factors for suicide in adolescents and young adults, with a focus on African American communities. Her work examines mental health help-seeking behaviors and develops community-based prevention programs.
Fallon Goodman, assistant professor in Clinical/Community Psychology studies how people foster social connection and resilience to adversity. Dr. Goodman’s work can be further explored on the Emotion and Resilience Laboratory website.
Holiday Travel & Hospitality
Jungho Suh, teaching assistant professor of management, is an expert on evidence-based entrepreneurship, strategic human resource management, service management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, sustainability and ESG reporting in the travel industry, digital platforms in the service industry, and gastronomy tourism. He has studied the travel and service industry closely and can speak to a number of topics related to holiday travel and hospitality.
Liang “Larry” Yu is a professor of hospitality management. Yu’s current research focuses on hotel market analysis, tourism product value chain analysis, tourist satisfaction and hospitality crisis management. He has studied the travel and service industry closely and can speak to a number of topics related to holiday travel and hospitality.
Cyber Safety
Scott White is the Associate Professor and Director of the Cybersecurity Program and Cyber Academy. White’s research and expertise focus on cybersecurity, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and infrastructure protection. He can discuss current threat vectors and provide tips for creating a more secure cyber experience. White can also provide insights to address security features in software, privacy policies and what to avoid shopping this holiday season.
Culture & Unity
Imani M. Cheers is an associate professor of digital storytelling at the George Washington University. Cheers is an award-winning digital storyteller, director, producer, and filmmaker. As a professor of practice, she uses a variety of mediums including video, photography, television, and film to document and discuss issues impacting and involving people of the African Diaspora. Her scholarly focus is on the intersection of women/girls, technology, health, conflict, agriculture, and the effects of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa. Cheers is also an expert on diversity in Hollywood, specifically the representation of Black women in television and film.
Arielle Levites is the Executive Director of the Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE). CASJE is an evolving community of researchers, practitioners, and philanthropic leaders dedicated to improving the quality of knowledge that can be used to guide the work of Jewish education. Levites has also conducted research on reframing the meaning of our most iconic American meal in her latest op-ed, “The Power of Gathering: Why Thanksgiving is More Than Food.” Levites’ research offers lessons for how Americans can reclaim Thanksgiving as a sacred time to build community.
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