Care for the Caregiver

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Peer Caregiver Training Session

Interested in speaking with a Peer Caregiver?  Contact Viktoriya Karakcheyeva, MD, MS, NCC, LCPC, LCADS, R&WC behavioral services director, at vkarakcheyeva [at] gwu [dot] edu (vkarakcheyeva[at]gwu[dot]edu).

In stressful times, frontline caregivers tend to turn to peers, supervisors, or other staff members for support.  The GW Resiliency & Well-being Center (R&W Center), in partnership with the GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA), have developed the Care for the Caregiver (CFC) Program, which is available to all SMHS and MFA staff. The CFC program trains managers and staff to identify colleagues and other staff in need of support, provide brief counseling, and link to additional EAP resources.

As part of this program, the R&W Center will be hosting Peer Caregiver Trainings that are open to all staff. After this training, you as a Peer Caregiver, will be able to conduct brief (20-30min) conversation sessions with colleagues and other staff in distress to help support them and potentially guide them towards further support resources.  The goal is to have a Peer Caregiver representative available in every department throughout the SMHS and MFA.

  • If you are interested in becoming a Peer Caregiver, please fill out this interest form and we will schedule time to meet to discuss your needs. 
  • If you went through the training already, please join our monthly Peer Caregivers supervision meetings on the second Thursday of the month at 12 p.m. ET this Zoom link.
Upcoming Peer Caregiver Training Session 

The GW Resiliency & Well-being Center will hold a Peer Training Session for the Care for the Caregiver Program (CFC) from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET via Zoom on Friday, April 18, 2025, for GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) and Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) faculty and staff.

The program trains you to identify colleagues and others in need of support, provide brief counseling, and link to additional EAP resources.  After this training, you as a Peer Caregiver, will be able to conduct brief (20-30min) conversation sessions with colleagues and others in distress to help support them and potentially guide them towards further support resources.  

If you are interested in becoming a Peer Caregiver, please fill out this form.

Peer Caregivers Contact List
  • Center for Faculty Excellence (SMHS): Teodora Hristov, teddy [dot] hristov [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (teddy[dot]hristov[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • CLASS Center and POM (SMHS): Jennifer Owens, msdjlo [at] gwu [dot] edu (msdjlo[at]gwu[dot]edu) 
  • Dean's Office (SMHS): Kristin Furio, kfurio [at] gwu [dot] edu (kfurio[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Department Of Anatomy and Cell Biology: Teresa Simbulan, pepot [at] gwu [dot] edu (pepot[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Department of Clinical Research and Leadership (SMHS): 
    • Leigh Frame, leighframe [at] gwu [dot] edu (leighframe[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Patrick Corr, pcorr [at] gwu [dot] edu (pcorr[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Stephanie Rasgus, stephrasgus [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (stephrasgus[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences (SMHS): 
    • Lisa Schwartz, lschwartz [at] gwu [dot] edu (lschwartz[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Emma Levine, emmalevine [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (emmalevine[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Department of Emergency Medicine (MFA): Christina Holness, cpowell [at] mfa [dot] gwu (cpowell[at]mfa[dot]gwu) 
  • Department of Health, Human Function and Rehabilitation Sciences: 
    • Physical Therapy: Karen Goodman, karengoodman@gwu
    • Physical Therapy: Dhinakar Jayaseelan, dhinuj [at] gwu [dot] edu (dhinuj[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Dermatology (MFA): (TBA)
  • Development and Alumni Relations (SMHS, SPH, School of Nursing): 
    • Reina Campos-Ferman, rcamposf [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (rcamposf[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Danya Humaideh, danya [dot] h [at] gwu [dot] edu (danya[dot]h[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Division of Infectious Diseases (SMHS/MFA): Maria Elena Riuz, mruiz [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (mruiz[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu) 
  • DrPH (SPH): Andrew Craig, andrewcraig [at] gwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (andrewcraig[at]gwmail[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • EMED Education Programs (MFA): Julia Plant, jplant [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (jplant[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • General Internal Medicine (MFA): Willie Dunn, wfdunn [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (wfdunn[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • GW Cancer Center (SMHS/SPH/MFA): 
    • Claudia Campos Galvan, claudiac1 [at] gwu [dot] edu (claudiac1[at]gwu[dot]edu)  
    • Mandi Pratt-Chapman, mandi [at] gwu [dot] edu (mandi[at]gwu[dot]edu) 
  • GW Resiliency & Well-being Center: Melea Johnson, j [dot] johnson6 [at] gwu [dot] edu (j[dot]johnson6[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • GWish: Richard Bauer, richardbauerbcc [at] gwu [dot] edu
  • Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences (SMHS): 
    • Erin Wentzell, ewentzell [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (ewentzell[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Sheila Moyle, sheila [dot] moyle [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (sheila[dot]moyle[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library (SMHS): Lonnie Williams, lmw_17 [at] gwu [dot] edu (lmw_17[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Integrative Medicine (SMHS): Leigh Frame, leighframe [at] gwu [dot] edu (leighframe[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Internal Medicine Residency Program (SMHS): Chavon Onumah, conumah [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (conumah[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology (MFA): 
  • Occupational Therapy Program (SMHS): Sheila Moyle, sheila [dot] moyle [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (sheila[dot]moyle[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Office of Admissions, MD Programs (SMHS): Maxine Thompson, mwthompson [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (mwthompson[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Office of Diversity & Inclusion (SMHS): Grace Henry, henryg [at] gwu [dot] edu (henryg[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Office of Graduate Medical Education (SMHS): 
    • Stephanie Morgan, semorgan [at] gwu [dot] edu (semorgan[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • MaryMosby, mhmosby [at] gwu [dot] edu (mhmosby[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Katherine Turner, turnerkate [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (turnerkate[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Office of Integrative Medicine and Health (SMHS): Patrick Corr, pcorr [at] gwu [dot] edu (pcorr[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Office of Student Support (SMHS): 
    • Alex Velto, alex [dot] velto [at] gwu [dot] edu (alex[dot]velto[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Emma Smith, emma [dot] smith [at] gwu [dot] edu (emma[dot]smith[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • PA Studies (SMHS):
    • Susan LeLacheur, slela [at] gwu [dot] edu (slela[at]gwu[dot]edu)
    • Mary Warner, marywarner [at] email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (marywarner[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu) 
  • Pediatric Residency (Children's National Hospital) Maya McKeown MMCKEOWN [at] childrensnational [dot] org (MMCKEOWN[at]childrensnational[dot]org)
  • Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery (MFA): (TBA)
  • Resource Management & Operations (SMHS): Hellen Olumilua, holumilu [at] gwu [dot] edu (holumilu[at]gwu[dot]edu)
  • Surgical Services/Faculty Affairs (MFA): Sunshine Brown, corbrown [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (corbrown[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu)