2021–22 Style Guide

2021– 222021– 22

Style GuideStyle Guide

2021–22 Style Guide

The George Washington University

School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Oce of Communications and Marketing

clinician on p. 3

coronavirus on p. 4

University Student Center/

Cloyd Heck Marvin Center

on p.8

Race and Diversity on

pp. 14-15

Gender and Orientation

on pp. 16–17

Student and Resident data on

page 20

New or Updated This Year

Academic Year 2021-22

When in doubt, follow AP style and the university identity standards and guidelines, with the following exceptions:

abbreviations/acronyms — include an unfamiliar

abbreviation in parentheses after a proper noun

before using it on second reference. See list of

common abbreviations below:

The George Washington University: GW (*Note:

never GWU), upper case “T” only at the start

of a sentence.

The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences:

GW SMHS on second reference, or SMHS.

The George Washington University Cancer Center:

GW Cancer Center on second reference,

avoid GWCC unless in merchandising or lists.

The Virginia Science and Technology Campus:

VSTC.

The Milken Institute School of Public Health at GW:

Milken Institute SPH on second reference.

Children’s National Hospital: Children’s National

on second reference.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC

on second reference.

The National Institutes of Health: NIH on second

reference.

The George Washington University Medical

Faculty Associates: GW MFA on second

reference.

The George Washington University Hospital: GW

Hospital on second reference.

Some acceptable ﬁrst-reference abbreviations:

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: CPR acceptable

on ﬁrst reference.

Food and Drug Administration: FDA acceptable

on ﬁrst reference.

Grade Point Average: GPA acceptable on ﬁrst

reference.

academic titles — see titles, academic on page 11.

across, around — across the United States, around the

world

addresses — Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., and St.

only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania

Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a

formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania

Avenue. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or

with more than one street name: Massachusetts and

Pennsylvania avenues.

All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.)

always are spelled out. Capitalize them when

part of a formal name without a number;

lowercase when used alone or with two or

more names.

Always use ﬁgures for an address number.

(Ex. 9 Morningside Circle.)

Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when

used as street names; use ﬁgures for 10th

and above. (Ex. 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.)

Abbreviate compass points used to indicate

directional ends of a street or quadrants

of a city in a numbered address. (Ex. 222

E. 42nd St., 562 W. 43rd St., 600 K St. NW.)

Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted.

(Ex. East 42nd Street, West 43rd Street, K

Street Northwest.) No periods in quadrant

abbreviations (Ex. NW, NE, SW, SE) unless

customary locally.

Use periods in the abbreviation P.O. for

P.O.Boxnumbers.

Adopt-a-Doc — an MD program scholarship launched

in 2012 that provides a minimum of $20,000 spread

over the course of four years. The program promotes

mentor relationships by pairing donors with medical

students. First reference: Adopt-a-Doc program,

when referring to the collective initiative; Adopt-a-

Doc scholarship, when referring to a speciﬁc gift;

Adopt-a-Doc scholar; Adopt-a-Doc donor.

adviser — not advisor

AIDS — acceptable in all references for acquired immune

deﬁciency syndrome, sometimes written as acquired

immunodeﬁciency syndrome. The scientiﬁc name

for the virus is human immunodeﬁciency virus, or

HIV (never HIV virus). Can be written as HIV/AIDS.

Compound modiﬁer. (Ex. HIV-positive patient; HIV-

negative individual.)

affect, effect — affect is a verb, meaning inﬂuence. (Ex.

A new study reveals that drug shortages affecting

emergency care have skyrocketed in the United States

in recent years.) Effect is generally used as a noun,

meaning result. (Ex. The effect was overwhelming.)

Effect can be used as verb, meaning to cause. (Ex. He

will effect change in his new position.)

African American — No hyphen. See Race and Diversity

on page 14-15.

age — always use ﬁgures. Ages written before a noun

or as a substitute for a noun use hyphens. (Ex. The

26-year-old patient. The patient, who is 26 years old.)

alma mater

alumnus (singular male), alumni (plural, male+female),

alumna (singular female), alumnae (plural female

only)

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

alumni class year — always use year contraction after

degree; make sure apostrophe curves away from the

number (Ex. Jeffrey S. Akman, MD ’81, RESD ’85); list

degrees highest to lowest.

a.m. — see time on page 11.

America, American, Americans Can be used to refer to

the United States and U.S. citizens if that meaning is

clear in the context. Use the modiﬁer U.S. in referring

to the federal government and its ofﬁcials in the

United States. There are 35 countries represented in

the Americs comprising North and South America as

well as the ithmus, Central America, connecting the

two continents. Not every American is a citizen of the

United States.

American Indians, Native Americans Both are

acceptable terms in general references for those

in the U.S. when referring to two or more people of

different tribal afﬁliations. See Race and Diversity

on page 14-15.

ampersand (&) — Avoid using in place of “and.” Only

use when it is part of an ofﬁcial title or a university-

approved branding system.

assure, ensure, insure — assure means to make safe or

give conﬁdence to; ensure means guarantee; insure

refers to providing or obtaining insurance.

Barbara Lee Bass — preferred: Barbara L. Bass, MD,

RESD ’86, vice president for health affairs and dean

of the George Washington University (GW) School of

Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and CEO of The

GW Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA). Starting

Jan. 15, 2020, Bass became the ﬁrst woman to serve

as dean of SMHS and the ﬁrst person to hold the titles

of both dean of SMHS and CEO of the GW MFA.

B-cell — a type of lymphocyte In mammals, B-cells

mature in bone marrow, but that is not where the “B”

comes from. The “B” stands for bursa. 1956, Bruce

Glick and Timothy Chang ﬁrst identiﬁed B-cells in the

bursa of Fabricius of birds. This rule extends to other

lymphocytes, such as T-cells.

bachelor’s degree — do not capitalize discipline. For

more, see degrees, academic.

beneﬁt, beneﬁted, beneﬁting

biannual, biennial — biannual means twice a year;

synonym to semiannual. Biennial means every two

years.

bimonthly — means every other month. Semimonthly

means twice a month.

biweekly — means every other week. Semiweekly means

twice a week.

Black — Acceptable, when capitalized, as an adjective in

a racial, ethnic, or cultural sense. For plurals, phrasing

such as Black people, white people, Black teachers,

white students is preferable, but only when clearly

relevant. Do not use Black as a singular noun. See

Race and Diversity, on page 14-15.

board certiﬁcations — see certiﬁcations.

board of trustees — capitalize only

when using the full organization title

(Ex. the George Washington University Board of

Trustees). Do not capitalize board or trustee on

second reference.

Cafritz Conference Center, Morris and Gwendolyn

— Cafritz Conference Center on second reference,

located on the third ﬂoor of the University Student

Center. 800 21st St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20052.

Composed of four large event spaces as well as

multiple meeting/breakout rooms: Amphitheater,

maximum capacity 104; Continental Ballroom,

maximum capacity 200 seated, 225 reception;

Grand Ballroom, maximum capacity 325 seated, 450

reception; and Grand Ballroom Terrace (outside)

capacity 175 reception.

campus — capitalize when referencing the proper name

of GW campuses (Ex. Foggy Bottom Campus, Virginia

Science and Technology Campus). Lowercase on

second reference. Lowercase when referencing more

than one campus.

cancel, canceled, canceling, cancellation

capital — when referring to the city where a seat of

government is located, use lowercase.

capitalizations — avoid unnecessary capitalizations. For

disciplines, never capitalize (Ex. He’s a professor of

medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health

Sciences). Always capitalize ofﬁcial department

names, endowed titles, and emeriti professorships

(Ex. Antonia Sepulveda, MD, is the chair of the

Department of Pathology. Anton Sidawy, MD, MPH

’99, Lewis B. Saltz Chair and prophesor of surgery))

On second references, include GW for university

and centers and institutes (Ex. GW Cancer Center).

Examples of common GW references that should

Academic Year 2021-22

be lowercased include the building, the board, the

campus, the ofﬁce, the department, the project.

First references should be capitalized only in their

complete proper form (Ex. The Department of

Medicine offers fellowship training programs.)

Capitol — capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when

referring to the building in Washington, D.C.

Capitol Hill

Caucasian — capitalize. See Race and Diversity on

page 14-15.

centers, institutes — capitalize GW-chartered centers.

Centers for Disease Control — CDC on second

reference.

century — lowercase and spell out numbers less than 10

(Ex. the rst century, the 21st century, 18th-century

medicine).

certiﬁcations — (as well as fellowships, professional

associations, and board certiﬁcations) — do not

include certiﬁcations, fellowships, professional

associations, or board certiﬁcations (Ex. FA ACP,

FACOG) in stories; do include in listings or citations

(Ex. SMHS Board of Advisors list in Medicine +

Health). Do not use periods. Check with editor for

possible exceptions.

chair — preferred to chairman or chairperson. Capitalize

when used before a name.

Children’s National Hospital — Rebrand of the

institution as of October 2019, Children’s National on

second reference. The GW School of Medicine and

Health Sciences and Children’s National established

a clinical partnership in 1968, which based the SMHS

Department of Pediatrics at Children’s National and

provided joint appointments to the pediatrics faculty

members.

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE — A

degenerative brain disease that researchers have

linked to concussions or repeated blows to the head.

It is most closely associated with football, but also has

been diagnosed in some athletes from other contact

sports and military combat veterans. IT CAN BE

IDENTIFIED ONLY POSTHUMOUSLY by examining

the brain. This is a perfect example of the need to be

careful with medical diagnosis.

citations (Fusion) — follow JAMA style guidelines.

(guides.med.ucf.edu/ld.php?content_id=5191991)

City View Room — located on the top ﬂoor of 1957 ESt.

NW, Washington, D.C. 20052. Maximum capacity 200

reception.

class year — Preferred style is to reference as ﬁrst-year,

second-year, etc. to designate medical student class

and resident year (preferred in stories). You may also

cite MS (for medical student) and roman numeral

designating class after name (Ex. Shantum Misra,

MSII, submitted an abstract to Fusion). For residents,

use roman numeral designating class after PGY

(post-graduate year). (Ex. Stephanie Cho, PGY IV, is

chief resident in psychiatry.)

clinician — a noun referring to any member of the

collective group of allied health practitioners,

including physicians, advanced practitioners, and

other health care providers.

clinical trials — capitalize Phase and use roman numerals

when referring to the phases of the clinical trial.

Phase I — Is it safe? Researchers look for the highest

dose of the new treatment that can be given

safely without serious side effects.

Phase II — Efﬁcacy; does it work and meet the goals

of the treatment?

Phase III — Comparing the safety and effectiveness

of the new treatment against the current

standard of care.

Typically, if Phase III clinical trials show a new drug is

more effective and/or safer than the current

standard treatment, a new drug application

(NDA) is submitted to the FDA (Food and

Drug Administration) for approval.

Commencement — refers to the speciﬁc GW ceremony

conferring of degrees on the National Mall. It is

a proper noun and should always be capitalized.

Schools and programs do not hold commencement

ceremonies, they hold graduation celebrations or

diploma ceremonies. (Ex. Participants in the May

2016 Commencement gathered on the National Mall

in the shadow of the Capitol. Later that day, more than

5,000 family and friends packed Lisner Auditorium for

the annual MD Diploma Ceremony.)

compliment, complement — compliment is a noun

or verb that means praise or the expression of

courtesy; complement is a noun and verb meaning

completeness or the process of supplementing

something. (Ex. The professor was attered by

his colleague’s compliments on his lesson. The tie

complements his suit.)

composition titles — Journals should not be italicized

or underlined. Refer to AP style for more guidelines.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

comprise, compose — Comprise means to take in,

include, embody. Compose means made up of, to

create, or put together. (Ex. The whole is composed of

parts. Ex. The speech comprised four major themes.)

The whole is not comprised of parts. That would be

similar to saying “The whole is included of its parts.”

(Ex. The SMHS mission comprises four themes:

educating a diverse workforce; healing through

innovative and compassionate care; advancing

biomedical, translational, and health services delivery

research with an emphasis on multidisciplinary

collaboration; and promoting a culture of excellence

through inclusion, service, and advocacy. Ex. The

SMHS Council of Advisers is composed of prominent

alumni and health care experts.)

Congress — capitalize when referring to the U.S. Senate

and the U.S. House of Representatives.

coronavirus — A family of viruses, some of which cause

disease in people and animals, named for the

crownlike spikes on their surfaces. Coronaviruses

can cause the common cold or more severe diseases

such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)

and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). The

coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 ﬁrst appeared in late 2019

in Wuhan, China. It causes a respiratory illness now

called COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease

2019. Although acceptable on second reference,

avoid using the coronavirus in stories.

courtesy titles — never use, unless in a direct quote.

CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation — CPR acceptable

on ﬁrst reference.

CRISPR — A gene-editing technique. Stands forclustered

regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.

A widely used version is called CRISPR-Cas9 to

indicate a speciﬁc enzyme used in the process.

CRISPR is acceptable in all uses, but provide a brief

deﬁnition:the gene-editing tool CRISPR.

data — a plural noun, it takes plural verbs and pronouns.

(Ex. The data have been collected.)

dates — Use Arabic ﬁgures, without st, nd, rd or th.

Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a

month is used with a speciﬁc date, abbreviate only

Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out

months when used alone, or with a year. Exception: In

formal invitations and announcements, it is acceptable

to spell out months used with a speciﬁc date. When a

phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate

the year with commas. (Ex. January 2019.) Do not

use “on” before a date or day of the week when its

absence would not lead to confusion, except at the

beginning of a sentence. (Ex. The meeting will be

held Monday, Jan.20.) Use ﬁgures, without commas:

When a phrase refers to a month, day, and year, set

off the year with a comma. (Ex.Feb14, 2025, is the

target date.)

days — always capitalize days of the week. DO NOT

abbreviate.

dean — capitalize when used before a name; lowercase

in all other references (Ex. School of Medicine and

Health Sciences Dean Barbara L. Bass, MD).

degrees, academic — use abbreviated degree after a

name. Always include degrees with the ﬁrst reference.

List in order of most advanced to least advanced; do

not include bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees

that are not MSPH unless the individual received those

degrees at GW. *Do not use periods on degrees or

certiﬁcations (see certiﬁcations). Include graduate

years for alumni. ALL DEGREES MUST BE PRECEDED

AND FOLLOWED BY COMMAS. (Ex. Kathleen Ogle,

MD ’08, assistant professor of emergency medicine

at SMHS. Ex. Joyce Maring, DPT, EdD. Ex. Lawrence

“Bopper” Deyton, MD ’85, MSPH.)

Commonly used academic degrees:

MD PA-C RESD

MSPH PT

PhD PharmD

PA EdD

Do not capitalize doctorate (n.), doctoral (adj.),

bachelor’s, or master’s.

British Degrees

The MB degree, which stands for bachelor of

medicine, is awarded for passing the

medicine exam examination, thereby

qualifying as a medical doctor. This degree

is equivalent to the MD in the United States.

The BS, ChB, and Bch degrees (which are

equivalent) stand for Bachelor of Surgery (Ch

= Chirugie, which is Latin for surgery). These

degrees are awarded for passing the surgical

portion of the exam.

BAO, which stands for Bachelor of Obstetrics, is

awarded for passing the Obstetrics portion

of the exam.

Medical doctors (e.g., internal medicine specialists

and subspecialists like cardiologists

and gastroenterologists) are eligible

for membership in the Royal College

of Physicians (abbreviated “MRCP”).

Membership is commensurate with passage

of an exam. Only about 14% of candidates

pass on the ﬁrst time they take it, thus being

a Member of the Royal College is an honor.

Academic Year 2021-22

Distinguished MRCPs may be invited to become

Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians

(FRCP). The designation “FRCP” is an honor

beyond “MRCP”.

*This entry went into effect May 31, 2017; it will not

be applied retroactively to past coverage

online or in publications.

departments, academic — ﬁrst references should

be capitalized only in their complete proper form;

see academic titles and capitalization for more.

(Ex. Antonia R. Sepulveda, MD, is the chair of the

Department of Pathology.)

disease, disorder, syndrome — disease is a

pathophysiological response to internal or external

factors. A disorder is a disruption to regular bodily

structure and function. A syndrome is a collection

of signs and symptoms associated with a speciﬁc

health-related cause.

District of Columbia — abbreviate as D.C. On second

reference, it may be referred to as the District orD.C.

doctor — unless in a direct quote, never precede a

person’s name with title (Ex. Dr. Jeffrey S. Akman).

Never combine a preceding title with a degree

reference. (Ex. Dr.Jeffrey S. Akman, MD ’81.)

Doctor of Physical Therapy — abbreviate as DPT.

doctoral, doctorate — doctoral is an adjective, doctorate

is a noun. A person with a doctorate has earned a

doctoral degree. See degrees, academic on page 4.

Dorothy Betts Marvin Theater — Located in the

University Student Center, ﬁrst ﬂoor. 800 21st St., NW,

Washington, D.C. 20052. Capacity 325.

dual heritage — No hyphen (a change in 2019 from

previous style) for terms such as African American,

Asian American, and Filipino American. (See Race

and Diversity, pp. 14–15)

effect, affect — affect is a verb, meaning inﬂuence. (Ex.

A study reveals drug shortages affecting emergency

care have skyrocketed in the United States.) Effect is

generally used as a noun, meaning result. (Ex. The

effect was overwhelming.) Effect can be used as verb,

meaning to cause. (Ex. He will effect change in his

new position.)

e.g., i.e. — e.g. is a Latin abbreviation meaning “for

example,” while i.e. is the Latin abbreviation of “that

is.” Both should be followed by a comma,.

email — no hyphen, acceptable in all references for

electronic mail. Use a hyphen with other “e” terms:

e-book, e-reader, e-commerce.

emeritus, emerita, emeriti — honorary title awarded

to select retired faculty members. Emeritus for male

professors, emerita for female, and emeriti for plural.

All emeritus titles are capitalized. (Ex. Lawrence

Thomas Bowles, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus of

Surgery.)

ensure, insure, assure — ensure means guarantee; insure

refers to providing or obtaining insurance; assure

means to make safe or give conﬁdence to.

entitled, titled — a book or journal article is titled. People

are entitled to things.

epidemic, pandemic — An epidemic is the rapid

spreading of disease in a certain population or

region. A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread

worldwide. Never pair pandemic with global, by

deﬁnition a pandemic is global.

Equal Employment Opportunity statement, EEO

statement — In accordance with federal law, GW must

include the EO Policy statement on all brochures and

catalogs dealing with student admission, programs,

and scholarships. Documents that must incorporate

this statement include, but are not limited to bulletins,

admission packets, applications, program brochures,

and ﬁnancial aid packets. The statement must be

included in hard-copy and electronic versions of

these documents.

“The George Washington University does not

unlawfully discriminate against any person

on any basis prohibited by federal law, the

District of Columbia Human Rights Act,

or other applicable law, including without

limitation, race, color, religion, sex, national

origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual

orientation, gender identity or expression,

genetic information, pregnancy, or familial or

marital status. This policy covers all programs,

services, policies, and procedures of the

university, including admission to education

programs and employment.”

Where the inclusion of the entire statement would be

impossible or impractical, on a postcard for example,

the following updated statement may be used:

“The George Washington University does not

unlawfully discriminate in its admissions

programs against any person on any

basis prohibited by law, including without

limitation, race, color, religion, sex, national

origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual

orientation, gender identity or expression,

genetic information, pregnancy, or familial or

marital status.”

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

et al. — Latin abbreviation meaning “and others.” Use

with JAMA style in Fusion.

Eye Street — preferred use to avoid confusion with

Roman numerals. (Ex. 2300 Eye St. NW. Ex. The Eye

Street Mall.)

faculty — a collective noun referring to an institution’s

entire teaching staff. For subject/verb agreement,

treat as a singular noun. To refer to individuals, use

“faculty member” or “faculty members.”

fellow — a physician who has completed residency and

elects to complete further training in a specialty. May

be referred to as a fellow. Fellowship alumni should

be cited as FEL. (Ex. Jane Doe, MD, FEL ’98.) See

residency on page 10.

fellowships, professional — see certiﬁcations on page3.

fewer, less — use fewer for individual items, less for bulk

or quantity (Ex. Fewer than 10 applicants called. I had

less than $50 in my pocket.)

Foggy Bottom — neighborhood in Northwest

Washington, D.C., Ward 2a, bounded roughly by 17th

Street to the east, Rock Creek Parkway to the west,

Constitution Avenue to the south, and Pennsylvania

Avenue to the north.

Foggy Bottom Campus — GW moved to the Foggy

Bottom neighborhood in 1912, originally occupying

an old school building between 20th and 21st streets.

Campus now covers 43 acres.

full time, full-time — hyphenate when used as a

compound modiﬁer. (Ex. She works full time. He’s a

full-time professor.)

fundraising, fundraiser

gender, sex — Gender refers to a person’s social identity

while sex refers to biological characteristics. Not all

people fall under one of two categories for sex or

gender. When needed for clarity or in certain stories

about scientiﬁc studies, alternatives include men and

women, boys and girls, males and females.

Language around gender is evolving. The AP

recommends the terms sex reassignment or gender

conﬁrmation for the medical procedures used for

gender transition, while some groups use other terms,

such as gender afﬁrmation or sex realignment.

The George Washington University — only capitalize

“the” at the beginning of a sentence or a headline.

Abbreviate as GW. NEVER use GWU, unless it is the

university’s ofﬁcial hashtag, #GWU.

The George Washington University Cancer Center

— the GW Cancer Center on second reference,

avoid GWCC unless in merchandising or lists. In

July 2015, the GW Cancer Center was established

under the leadership of Eduardo Sotomayor, MD,

uniting all of GW's cancer-related activities, from

basic and population science and clinical research to

outstanding patient care and health policy.

The George Washington University Medical Faculty

Associates — GW MFA, acceptable on second

reference, is a multispecialty physician practice

group of more than 750 physicians covering 52

specialty and subspecialty areas. GW MFA doctors

have ofﬁces in the Ambulatory Care Center, an

outpatient clinic located at the corner of 22nd and

Eye streets. Primary address is: 2150 Pennsylvania

Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences — GW

SMHS on second reference, or SMHS. See School of

Medicine and Health Sciences on page10.

The George Washington University Hospital —

GWHospital acceptable on second reference. Since

July 1997, GW Hospital has been jointly owned

and operated by a partnership between George

Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal

Health Services Inc. (UHS), based in King of Prussia,

Pennsylvania.

GPA — acceptable on ﬁrst reference for grade point

average.

GW Health Network — the George Washington

University’s (GW) accountable care organization

(ACO), established in 2018.

health care — two words unless part of a proper noun.

Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation Sciences,

Department of — Formerly the Department of

Physical Therapy, the name was changed to the

Department of Health, Human Function, and

Rehabilitation Sciences in order to “capture the

broad array of education, clinical practice innovation,

and research being accomplished — each focused on

improving the quality of lives of patients and families.”

Academic Year 2021-22

Hispanic — A person from, or whose ancestors were

from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Latino and

Latina are sometimes preferred. Follow the person's

preference. Use a more speciﬁc identiﬁcation when

possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican or Mexican

American.

honorary degrees — abbreviated as HON when listed

after a name. (Ex. Luther W. Brady, MD ’48, HON ’04,

BA ’46, AA ’44, passed away July 13, 2018.)

I Street — see Eye Street on page 6.

impact — do not use as a verb, use affect(ed) or

inﬂuence(d).

imply, infer — to imply means to suggest; to infer means

to draw from.

incorporated — abbreviate and capitalize as Inc. when

used as part of a corporate name. Do not set off with

commas.

insure, assure, ensure — insure refers to providing or

obtaining insurance; assure means to make safe or

give conﬁdence to; ensure means guarantee.

intern — ﬁrst year of post-medical school training, may

be referred to as ﬁrst-year resident, or PGY I. See

residency on page 10.

initials — do not put a space between initials. (Ex. e.e.

cummings, T.S. Eliot.)

inpatient, outpatient — one word.

Institute for Biomedical Sciences (IBS) —

the administrative and academic home for

interdisciplinary PhD training in the biomedical

sciences. Established in 1996, IBS is administered by

SMHS and can be referenced as an SMHS entity.

Institute for Patient-Centered Initiatives and Health

Equity — formerly known as the GW Cancer Institute.

Under the umbrella of the GW Cancer Center.

international student — use instead of foreign student.

italics vs. quotation marks — refer to AP style.

Jack Morton Auditorium — located in the GW Media and

Public Affairs building, 805 21st St. NW, Washington,

D.C. 20052. Capacity 244.

junior/senior — abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. only with

full names. Do not precede with a comma.

(Ex. Cal Ripken Jr.)

kids — use children unless the use of kids as an informal

synonym for children is appropriate in the context.

Kogan Plaza — bordered by Gelman Library, Lisner

Auditorium, Hall of Government, Monroe Hall, and

Staughton Hall; between H and G streets and 21st

and 22nd streets.

Latino, Latina, Latinx Latino is the preferred noun or

adjective for a person from, or whose ancestors were

from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin

America. See Race and Diversity, on page 14-15.

lay, lie — “lay” is a transitive verb; it takes a direct object.

(Ex. He laid the book on the table.) “Lie” is intransitive;

it cannot take a direct object. (Ex. I lay down to take a

nap.)

Lay: lay, laying, laid, have laid

Lie (to recline): lie, lying, lay, have lain

Lie (to tell an untruth): lie, lying, lied, have lied

LGBTQ — Acceptable in all references for lesbian, gay,

bisexual, and transgender, or lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender, and questioning and/or queer. In

quotations and the formal names of organizations

and events, other forms such as LGBTQIA and other

variations are also acceptable with the other letters

explained. I generally stands for intersex, and A can

stand for asexual (a person who doesn't experience

sexual attraction), ally (a person who is not LGBT but

who actively supports the LGBT community) or both.

The AP allows for either LGBT and LGBTQ to be used

on ﬁrst reference. See Gender and Orientation,

page16-17.

like, such as — in comparing nouns and pronouns,

“like” means something similar to, but not exact (a

comparison); “such as” means exactly this (inclusion).

(Ex. He’s looking at elements of clinical trials, such as

catheter design, placebo effect, and heterogeneity of

operator skills. “I enjoy working with people like Dr.

Smith,” she said.)

Lisner Auditorium — 730 21st St., NW, Washington, D.C.

20052. Capacity 1,490. Opened in 1943.

logos — see website creativeservices.gwu.edu/identity-

standards-guidelines.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

Marvin Center / Cloyd Heck Marvin Center — former

name of the University Student Center. On June

29, 2021, the GW Board of Trustees announced its

vote to strip the name of the former GW President

(serving from 1927 to 1959) due to “discriminatory

and exclusionary views and policies and the burden

of that legacy on diversity and inclusion at GW today.”

master’s degree — do not capitalize discipline. See

degrees, academic on page 4.

medical doctor — abbreviate as MD.

medical student — refer by class year. (Ex. Jane Doe,

member of the Class of 2022, and John Doe, member

of the class of 2019; rst-year medical student Jane

Doe, and fourth-year medical student John Doe; Jane

Doe, MSI, and John Doe, MSIV.)

mid — no hyphen unless a capitalized word follows.

(Ex. midterm, mid-America)

midnight — preferred to 12 a.m. Never use 12 midnight.

Milken Institute School of Public Health at GW —

Milken Institute SPH on second reference. Milken

Institute SPH building, 950 New Hampshire Ave. NW,

Washington, D.C. 20052. Auditorium, capacity 227;

two theaters, capacity 111 and 96 respectively; and

four rooms that comprise a convening center with a

total reception capacity of 350.

money — use ﬁgures in reference to money. Use commas

for ﬁgures of four numerals, periods for millions or

billions. Conﬁne decimilization to one digit, with the

exception of one or three quarter sums. (ex.the grant

was $1.25 million. The renovations cost $5.75 million.)

Figures without cents are usually set without decimal

points and zeroes. (Ex.$5, $7.75, $1,500, $1.2 million).

months — capitalize the names of months in all uses.

Abbreviate when used with a speciﬁc date; only

abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and

Dec. Do not abbreviate when used only with a year.

(Ex. January 2017. Jan. 26, 1984)

more than, over — “over” refers to spacial relationships

(direction or elevation); “more than” refers to quantity.

Mount Vernon Campus — colloquially known as The Vern.

In 1996, GW purchased the Mount Vernon College for

Women located in the Washington, D.C., Palisades

neighborhood. The campus remained exclusively

a women's college until 1999 when it became a co-

ed facility. The campus features Eckles Library, six

residence halls, Lloyd Gymnasium, The GW-Mount

Vernon Athletic Complex, and other campus facilities.

2100 Foxhall Rd. NW, Washington, D.C. 20007

multimedia — no hyphen

names of organizations — refer to an organization/

department by its full name on ﬁrst reference;

shortened names or abbreviations are acceptable on

second reference.

names of people — always use ﬁrst and last names on

ﬁrst reference. Use middle initial if individual prefers

to include it. On second reference, only use last

name. No courtesy titles.

National Institutes of Health: NIH on second reference.

nationality, race — Capitalize the proper names of

nationalities, peoples, races, tribes, etc.: Arab, Arabic,

African, American, Caucasian, Cherokee, Chinese

(both singular and plural), Eskimo (plural Eskimos)

or Inuit, French Canadian, Japanese (singular and

plural), Jew, Jewish, Nordic, Sioux, Swede, etc. See

Race and Diversity, on page 14-15.

nonproﬁt

noon — preferred, 12 p.m. acceptable. DO NOT USE

12:00 pm, 12 noon, or 12:00 pm noon.

not only — should always be followed with “but also.” ”

numbers — spell out numbers one through nine (except

in the case of ages and percentages, which always

use ﬁgures). Use numerals for anything 10 or higher.

Spell out all numbers at the beginning of a sentence.

See dates, telephone numbers, time on pages 4,

10, and 11 respectively.

OB-GYN — All cap, separated by a hyphen. Acceptable

in all references for obstetrics and gynecology, a

medical specialty.

OK — no periods, do not use okay.

opiate, opioid — opiate refers to drugs derived directly

from the poppy plant, such as morphine and codeine.

Opioids are synthetic or partially synthetic drugs that

mimic the properties of opiates. Heroin is considered

an opioid, as are prescription painkillers, such as

OxyContin and Vicodin.

Academic Year 2021-22

When referring to prescription medications,

“powerful prescription painkillers” can be

more accurate. When referring to the class of

drugs, opioid is preferred.

over, more than — “more than” refers to quantity, “over”

refers to spacial relationships (direction or elevation).

pandemic, epidemic — pandemic is an epidemic that

has spread worldwide. An epidemic is the rapid

spreading of disease in a certain population or

region. Never pair pandeic with global, by deﬁnition

a pandemic is global.

PhD student, PhD candidate — A PhD student is

currently working toward a doctoral degree. A PhD

candidate has completed all of the requirements for

a doctoral degree except the dissertation.

p.m. — see time on page 11.

percent — Use the % sign, with no space, when paired

with a numeral (a change in 2019): Average hourly

pay rose 3.1% from a year ago. Use ﬁgures: 1%,

4 percentage points.

For amounts less than 1%, precede the decimal

with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.6%.

At the start of a sentence: Try to avoid this

construction. If it's necessary to start a

sentence with a percentage, spell out both

the number and percent.

Constructions with the % sign take a singular verb

when standing alone or when a singular word

follows an of construction: The teacher said

60% was a failing grade.

It takes a plural verb when a plural word follows: He

said 50% of the members were there.

Use decimals, not fractions, in percentages: Her

mortgage rate is 4.5%.

For a range, 12% to 15%, 12%-15%, and between

12% and 15% are all acceptable.

Use percentage, rather than percent, when not

paired with a number: The percentage of

people agreeing is small.

Don’t confuse percent with percentage point.

A change from 10% to 13% is a rise of 3

percentage points. This is not equal to a 3%

change; rather, it’s a 30% increase.

Usage: Republicans passed a 0.25

percentage point tax cut.

physician assistant — abbreviate as PA.

physical therapist — abbreviate as PT.

Physical Therapy, Department of — the department

changed its name in 2018 to the Department

of Health, Human Function, and Rehabilitation

Sciences. The change reﬂects “the broad array of

education, clinical practice innovation, and research

being accomplished — each focused on improving

the quality of lives of patients and families.”

postdoctoral

pre-eminent — hyphenate; a hyphen is used if a preﬁx

ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with

the same vowel.

principal, principle — principal is a noun and adjective

meaning someone or something ﬁrst in rank,

authority, or importance. (Ex. Carson was sent to the

principal. He was the principal player in the trade.)

Principle is a noun meaning fundamental truth, law,

doctrine, or motivating force. (Ex. It’s the principle of

the matter that counts.)

professor titles — see titles, academic on page 11.

professional associations — see certiﬁcations on

page 3.

programming

provost — lowercase when it stands alone or after a

name. Capitalize when it appears before a name.

publications — follow AP style. Never italicize journal

titles or reference books.

p-value: A p-value (or probability value) is a measure

that scientists use to gauge whether a result reﬂects

a real, reliable difference or is just a ﬂuke.

queer — although it is acceptable for people and

organizations that use the term to identify themselves,

avoid unless part of a proper noun (ie: Queer Nation)

or crucial to the story.

race — Forupdated Associate Press recommendations

for the language of race and ethnicity, see Race and

Diversity, on page 14-15.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

residency — Post-graduate medical education. Residents

are in a department at SMHS. In academic year 2018–

19, the school had 432 residents and fellows in 38

ACGME-accredited programs. (Ex. Jane Doe, MD,

second-year cardiology resident at SMHS; Jane Doe,

MD, cardiology PGY III.) PGY stands for post-graduate

year. Refer to resident alumni as RESD. (Ex. Jane Doe,

MD, RESD ’98.)

Intern — ﬁrst year of post-medical school training,

also ﬁrst-year resident or PGY I.

Resident — follows the intern year. Residency

can range from an additional two years of

education to an additional seven years of

training, depending on the specialty.

Fellow — a physician who has completed their

residency and elects to complete further

training in a specialty. May be referred to as

a fellow. Fellowship alumni should be cited as

FEL. (Ex. Jane Doe, MD, FEL’98.)

The Rodham Institute — established in 2013 in honor of

the late Dorothy Rodham. Jehan “Gigi” El-Bayoumi,

MD, RESD ’88, founding director of the Rodham

Institute and associate professor of medicine at

SMHS. The institute seeks to apply the transformative

power of education to achieve health equity in

Washington, D.C., by partnering with nonproﬁts,

community-based organizations, local government,

and academic institutions to help meet those needs.

Ross Hall — Walter G. Ross Hall, main academic building

for SMHS, opened in 1973. Named in honor of Walter

George Ross, HON ’67.

RSVP — The abbreviation for the French repondez s'il

vous plait, means please reply. No periods. Do not

use with “please” to avoid redundancy. (Ex. RSVP by

Nov. 19, go.gwu.edu/DCwomenphysicians.)

scholarship — lowercase except when used as part

of a proper name. (Ex. Seven GW SMHS students

received the opportunity to participate in a learning

experience abroad, thanks to the Leonard C. Akman,

MD ’43, Global Medicine Scholarship.)

school — capitalize when part of a proper name (Ex.

the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences),

but lowercase in second reference when the proper

name isn’t used.

School of Medicine and Health Sciences — spell out on

ﬁrst reference; SMHS is acceptable on subsequent

references. One of the 10 degree-granting schools at

GW, established in 1825, and the 11th oldest medical

school in the country. Located in Ross Hall. SMHS, the

GW Medical Faculty Associates (or GW MFA), and the

GW Hospital are clinical partners. Do not use with an

ampersand.

seasons — in general, do not capitalize. (Ex. fall 1994)

semesters — do not capitalize. (Ex. fall semester)

semiannual — twice a year; synonym for biannual.

states — spell out, separate from cities with commas. (Ex.

Kimberly Russo, MBA, MS, pauses in the description

of her hometown, White Hall, Illinois, to mock

gasp. “Everyone was like, ‘We have a stoplight!’”

Ex.Washington, D.C., is home to Ben’s Chili Bowl.)

such as, like — in comparing nouns and pronouns,

“such as” means exactly this (inclusion); “like” means

something similar to, but not exact (a comparison).

(Ex. He’s looking at elements of clinical trials, such as

catheter design, placebo effect, and heterogeneity of

operator skills. “I enjoy working with people like Dr.

Smith,” she said.)

T-cell — a type of lymphocyte produced or processed

by the thymus gland and actively participating in the

immune response. “T” stands for thymus. This rule

extends to other lymphocytes, such as B-cells.

telephone numbers — use ﬁgures with hyphens, not

periods or parentheses. (Ex. 212-621-1500) For

international numbers use 011 (from the United

States), the country code, the city code and the

telephone number. (Ex. 011-44-20-7535-1515) If

extension numbers are needed, use a comma to

separate the main number from the extension.

(Ex. 212-621-1500, ext. 2.)

that, which — that and which should be used to refer

to animals or inanimate objects, not people. That

introduces an essential clause and should not be

preceded with a comma. (Ex. The CLASS Center

offers resources that are available to medical students

and residents.) Which introduces a non-essential

clause and should be preceded by a comma. (Ex.

The white coats, which are funded by GW alumni

donations, were presented to the incoming class.)

they, them, their — acceptable in limited cases as

a singular and/or gender-neutral pronoun when

alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy.

However, clarity is a top priority; gender-neutral

use of a singular they is unfamiliar to many readers.

Rewording usually is possible and always is

preferable. See Gender and Orientation on page

16 –17.

Academic Year 2020–21

time — use periods with a.m. and p.m. Do not use a

colon and zeros when the time is on the hour. Avoid

redundancies. (Ex. 8 a.m. in the morning, 12 noon, 12

midnight) When writing spans of time, use only one

a.m. or p.m. (if span is conﬁned to before or after

noon), and use an en dash. (Ex. Opening remarks,

8– 9a.m. Lunch, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.) Do not use

an en dash with a preposition; use “to.” (Ex. The event

took place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

titles — in general, capitalize titles only when they are

used before a person’s name; in second reference, the

use of a last name will sufﬁce. See titles, academic

on page 11.

toward — not towards.

trauma and critical care — This is a grouped discipline

and should be used together.

titles, academic — in ﬁrst reference to a GW faculty/

staff member, include the ﬁrst and last name,

followed by graduation years (if applicable) and

his/her title. Degrees should appear in order

of most advanced degree ﬁrst (Ex. MD, PhD).

Titles should follow the order: executive title (if

applicable), endowed professorship or Professor

Emeritus (see capitalization for more), dean title

(if applicable), professor title. In the case of faculty

who hold both chair and professor positions in the

same department, write as “chair and professor of

…” Always use primary appointments; only include

secondary appointments if contextually relevant.

ALL DEGREES AND TITLES APPEARING AFTER A

NAME MUST BE PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY

COMMAS.

(Ex. Jeffrey S. Akman, MD ’81, RESD ’85, vice

president for health affairs, Walter A.

Bloedorn Professor of Medicine, and dean

of SMHS; Ex. Nancy Gaba, MD ’93, RESD

’97, chair of the Department of Obstetrics

and Gynecology at SMHS, Oscar I. and

Mildred S. Dodek and Joan B. and Oscar

I. Dodek Jr. Professor of Obstetrics and

Gynecology.)

See capitalization on page 2 for more on

references to departments and disciplines.

See degrees, academic on page 4 for

more on punctuation regarding degrees.

*Note: Unless in a direct quote, never precede

a person’s name with his/her title. (Ex. Dr.

Jeffrey S. Akman.) Under no circumstances

combine a preceding title with a degree

reference. (Ex. Dr. Jeffrey S. Akman, MD

’81.)

Origin of these title style rules.

CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE: Titles and

ofﬁces — the general rule

CIVIL, MILITARY, RELIGIOUS, AND

PROFESSIONAL TITLES — Capitalized

when they immediately precede a personal

name and are thus used as part of the

name (typically replacing the title holder’s

ﬁrst name). In formal prose and other

generic text (as opposed to promotional

or ceremonial contexts or a heading), titles

are normally lowercased when following

a name or used in place of a name. (Ex.

President Abraham Lincoln; Abraham

Lincoln, 16th president of the United States

of America.)

ACADEMIC TITLES: — Named academic

professorships and fellowships are

usually capitalized whenever they appear,

especially if they are accompanied by

a personal name. (Ex. Mary M. Warren,

PhD, Alfred R. Wellingman Distinguished

Service Professor.)

AP STYLEBOOK — In general, conﬁne capitalization

to formal titles used directly before an individual’s

name.

LOWERCASE — Lowercase and spell out titles

when they are not used with an individual’s

name. (Ex. The president issued a

statement. The pope gave his blessing.)

LOWERCASE AND SPELL OUT — titles in

constructions that set them off from a name

by commas. (Ex. The vice president, Mike

Pence, was elected in 2016. Pope Francis,

the current pope, was born in Argentina.)

FORMAL TITLES — Capitalize formal titles when

they are used immediately before one or

more names. (Ex. Pope Francis, President

George Washington, Vice Presidents John

Jones and William Smith.) A formal title

generally is one that denotes a scope of

authority, professional activity or academic

activity. (Ex. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, retired

Gen. Colin Powell.)

OCCUPATIONAL DESCRIPTIONS: lowercase

occupational descriptions. (Ex. astronaut

John Glenn, movie star John Wayne,

peanut farmer Jimmy Carter.) If there is

doubt about the status of a title and the

practice of the organization cannot be

determined, use a construction that sets

the name or the title off with commas.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

underrepresented — no hyphen.

United States — An acceptable ﬁrst reference for the

United States of America. Always spell out when

appearing as a noun; use U.S. on second reference

or as an adjective.

university — always lowercase unless when used as part

of a proper noun or at the start of a sentence.

University Student Center — formerly the Cloyd Heck

Marvin Center. On June 29, 2021, the GW Board of

Trustees announced its vote to strip the name of the

former GW President (serving from 1927 to 1959)

due to “discriminatory and exclusionary views and

policies and the burden of that legacy on diversity

and inclusion at GW today.”

versus — spell out in ordinary speech and writing. In

short expressions, however, the abbreviation “vs.” is

allowed.

The Virginia Science and Technology Campus — VSTC

on second reference. 122-acre campus located in

Loudoun County, Virginia. The campus opened in

1991. 45085 University Dr., Ashburn, VA 20147.

Walter G. Ross, HON ’67 — GW benefactor. Main SMHS

academic building named for him. There also are

two endowed professorships in his name, Walter G.

Ross Professor of Clinical Research, established in

2006 and currently held by the inaugural recipient

Gary Simon, MD, PhD, director of the Division of

Infectious Diseases and vice chair of the Department

of Medicine; and the Walter G. Ross Professor of

Basic Science Research, currently held by Rong Li,

PhD, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and

Molecular Medicine.

Washington, D.C. — set off D.C. with commas on both

sides.

Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center —

no commas around, and no periods in, D.C. Second

references VA Medical Center. 50 Irving St. NW,

Washington, D.C. 20422.

web addresses, URLs — No need to include http:// in the

address. In many cases, the preﬁx www is not needed

either, but it is advisable to check ﬁrst.

which, that — that and which should be used to refer

to animals or inanimate objects, not people. Which

introduces a non-essential clause and should be

preceded by a comma. (Ex. The white coats, which

are funded by GW alumni donations, were presented

to the incoming class.) That introduces an essential

clause and should not be preceded with a comma.

(Ex. The CLASS Center offers resources that are

available to medical students and residents.)

Whitman-Walker Health — a Washington, D.C.-area

health clinic providing “stigma-free care to the

gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer

communities, as well to those living with or affected

by HIV,” 1525 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005.

who, whom — who and whom should be used in

reference to people and to animals with a name. (Ex.

This year’s speaker, who earned his master’s degree

from GW, focused his lecture on hypertension and

device development.) “Who” is used when someone

is the subject of a sentence, clause, or phrase.

(Ex.Who was the speaker at today’s lecture?) “Whom”

is used when it is the object of a verb or preposition.

(Ex. The professor to whom the honor was conferred

was pleased.)

World War I, World War II — use in ﬁrst reference. WWI

and WWII are acceptable on second reference.

X, Y, Z

yearlong, daylong

years — use ﬁgures, without commas: 2017. When a

phrase refers to a month, day, and year, set off the

year with a comma. (Ex. Feb. 14, 2025, is the target

date.) Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate

spans of decades or centuries. (Ex. the 1990s, the

1700s) When contracting a year, the apostrophe must

face away from the remaining numerals. (Ex.Jeffrey

S. Akman, MD ’81, RESD ’85)

Academic Year 2021-22

Boiler Plates

About Children’s National Health System — Children’s

National, has served the nation’s children since

1870. Children’s National is one of the nation’s Top 5

pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is

ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all

specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It

has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital,

a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate

the highest standards of nursing and patient care

delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers

expert care through a convenient, community-based

primary care network and specialty outpatient centers

in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland

suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s

Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for

Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is

the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution

in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for

its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as

a strong voice for children through advocacy at the

local, regional, and national levels.

About the George Washington University — In the heart

of the nation’s capital with additional programs in

Virginia, the George Washington University (GW) was

created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the

largest institution of higher education in the District

of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive

programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal

arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine,

public health, law, engineering, education, business,

and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a

diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and

professional students from all 50 states, the District,

and more than 130 countries.

About the George Washington University Cancer

Center — the GW Cancer Center is a collaboration of

the George Washington University, the GW Hospital

and the GW Medical Faculty Associates to expand

GW’s efforts in the ﬁght against cancer. The GW

Cancer Center also incorporates all existing cancer-

related activities at GW, with a vision to create a

cancer-free world through groundbreaking research,

innovative education, and equitable care for all. Learn

more about the GW Cancer Center at gwcancercenter.

org.

About the George Washington University Hospital —

The GW Hospital is a 385-bed tertiary care, academic

medical center located in downtown Washington,

D.C. Featuring a Level I Trauma Center and a Level III

NICU, GW Hospital offers clinical expertise in a variety

of areas including cardiac, cancer, neurosciences,

women’s health, and advanced surgery, including

robotic and minimally invasive surgery. The mission of

GW Hospital is to provide the highest quality health

care, advanced medical technology, and world-class

service to its patients in an academic medical center

dedicated to education and research. GW Hospital is

jointly owned and operated by George Washington

University and a subsidiary of Universal Health

Services, Inc.

About the George Washington University Medical

Faculty Associates — The GW MFA was incorporated

in July 2000 as a non-proﬁt, physician-led practice

group. The GW MFA is now the largest independent

physician practice group in the Washington,

D.C., metro region with more than 750 providers,

52 specialties, and more than 30 locations. Our

physicians provide comprehensive patient care,

offering one practice for the whole person with 52

medical and surgical specialties. As members of the

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences faculty,

our providers are teachers and mentors for medical

students, residents, and researchers preserving our

rich tradition of academics, research, and healing.

In addition to maintaining a close alliance with the

George Washington University and the GW Hospital,

the GW MFA has active referring relationships with 12

area hospitals.

About the George Washington University School of

Medicine and Health Sciences — Founded in 1824,

the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences

(SMHS) was the ﬁrst medical school in the nation’s

capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working

together in our nation’s capital, with integrity and

resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the

health and well-being of our local, national, and global

communities. smhs.gwu.edu

About the George Washington University School

of Nursing: Established in May 2010, GW School

of Nursing (SON) develops nursing leaders who

are actively engaged in health promotion, patient

advocacy, and health care innovation. By providing

students with a high level of nursing expertise and

enhancement of professional leadership skills,

graduates of GW’s SON are prepared to make a

difference in the world.

About Milken Institute School of Public Health at

GW — Established in July 1997 as the School of Public

Health and Health Services, Milken Institute SPH is

the only school of public health in the nation’s capital.

Today, more than 1,900 students from 54 U.S. states

and territories and more than 50 countries pursue

undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level degrees

in public health. The school also offers an online

Master of Public Health, MPH@GW, and an online

Executive Master of Health Administration, MHA@

GW, which allow students to pursue their degree from

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

The Associated Press has an extensive reference for the

language of race and ethnicity. Many of the terms and us-

age have been recently updated.

Aborigine — an outdated term referring to aboriginal

people in Australia. It is considered offensive and

should be avoided.

African American — acceptable for those in the U.S.

However, the terms Black and African American are

not necessarily interchangeable. A Brazilian of African

heritage is also an African American. (see the Americas

p 2) Americans of Caribbean heritage, for example,

generally refer to themselves as Caribbean American.

Follow an individual’s preference if known, and be

speciﬁc when possible and relevant. (i.e.: Minneapolis

has a large Somali American population because

of refugee resettlement. The author is Senegalese

American.)

Use Black in racial, ethnic, and cultural differences

outside the U.S. to avoid equating a person

with a skin color.

Only use Negro or colored in names of organizations

or in rare quotations when essential.

American Indians, Native Americans — both are

acceptable terms in general references for those in the

U.S. when referring to two or more people of different

tribal afﬁliations. For individuals, always use the name

of the tribe unless that information is not available. (is:

He is a Navajo commissioner. She is a member of the

Nisqually Indian Tribe. He is a citizen of the Cherokee

Nation of Oklahoma.) In Alaska, the Indigenous groups

are collectively known as Alaska Natives. First Nation

is the preferred term for native tribes in Canada.

anti-racist — conscious efforts and actions against racism,

systemic racism, and oppression of marginalized

groups to produce equitable opportunities for all.

Asian American — no hyphen. Acceptable for an

American of Asian descent. It is preferable, when

possible, to refer to a person’s country of origin or

their preference. (i.e.: Filipino American, Vietnamese

American, or Indian American.)

biracial, multiracial — acceptable, only when clearly

relevant, to describe people with more than one racial

heritage. Avoid mixed-race, which can carry negative

connotations. Be speciﬁc if possible, particularly

when heritage is restricted to two ethnicities. (e.g.

Salvadorian American) Use multiracial for those of

more than two ethnicities, but only if needed.

Black(s), white(s) (n.) — do not use either term as a

singular noun. For plurals, phrasing such as Black

people, white people, Black teachers, white students is

preferable, but only when clearly relevant. (i.e.: White

ofﬁcers account for 64% of the police force, Black

ofﬁcers 21%, and Latino ofﬁcers 15%. The gunman

targeted Black churchgoers.) The plural nouns Blacks

and whites are generally acceptable when clearly

relevant and needed for reasons of space or sentence

construction. (i.e.: He helped integrate dance halls

among Blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asian Americans.)

Black and white are acceptable as adjectives when

relevant. (note: AP Style capitalizes Black in a racial,

ethnic, or cultural sense, conveying an essential and

shared sense of history, identity, and community

among people who identify as Black, including those

in the African diaspora and within Africa.)

Black (adj.) — use the capitalized term as an adjective in

a racial, ethnic, or cultural sense: Black people, Black

culture, Black literature, Black studies, Black colleges.

The lowercase black is a color, not a person.

Black Lives Matter, #BlackLivesMatter — a global

movement launched after the 2012 killing of Trayvon

Martin with a goal to eradicate systemic racism and

white supremacy and to oppose violence committed

against Black people. Either Black Lives Matter

as a noun or the Black Lives Matter movement is

acceptable. BLM is acceptable on second reference.

Although there are many groups that use Black Lives

Matter or BLM in their names, only 16 are considered

afﬁliates of the Black Lives Matter Global Network.

brown (adj.) — avoid this broad and imprecise term in

racial, ethnic, or cultural references unless as part of

a direct quotation. Interpretations of what the term

includes vary widely.

Caucasian — avoid as a synonym for white, unless in a

quotation.

Chicano — a term that Mexican Americans in the U.S.

Southwest sometimes use to describe their heritage.

Use only if it is a person’s preference.

dual heritage — no hyphen for terms such as African

American, Asian American, or Filipino American;

used when relevant to refer to an American person’s

heritage.

Hispanic — a person from, or whose ancestors were from,

a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Latino, Latina, or

Latinx are sometimes preferred. Follow the person’s

preference. See Latino, Latina, Latinx

Race and Diversity Content

Academic Year 2020–21

Historically Black Colleges and Universities — HBCU

on second reference

Indian — used to describe the peoples and cultures of

the South Asian nation of India. Do not use the term

as a shorthand for American Indians.

Indigenous (adj.) — capitalize, used to refer to original

inhabitants of a place.

Latino, Latina, Latinx — Latino is the preferred noun or

adjective for a person from, or whose ancestors were

from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin

America. Latina is the feminine form. Some prefer

the recently coined gender-neutral term Latinx,

which should be conﬁned to quotations, names of

organizations, or descriptions of individuals who

request it and should be accompanied by a short

explanation. For groups of females, use the plural

Latinas; for groups of males or of mixed gender,

use the plural Latinos. Hispanics is also generally

acceptable for those in the U.S. Use a more speciﬁc

identiﬁcation when possible. (i.e.: Cuban, Puerto

Rican, Brazilian or Mexican American.)

minority, racial minority — he term is acceptable as

an adjective in broad references to multiple races

other than white in the United States. (i.e.: We will

hire more members of minority groups.)

Orient, Oriental Do not use when referring to East

Asian nations and their peoples. Asian is the

acceptable term for an inhabitant of those regions.

people of color, POC, BIPOC, BAME — the term is

acceptable when necessary in broad references to

multiple races other than white. (i.e.: We will hire

more people of color. Nine playwrights of color

collaborated on the script.)

Be aware, however, that many people of various

races object to the term for various reasons,

including that it lumps together into one

monolithic group anyone who isn’t white.

Be speciﬁc whenever possible by referring to,

for instance, Black Americans, Chinese

Americans, or members of the Seminole

Tribe of Florida.

Do not use person of color to refer to an individual.

race — limit identifying people by race. Include racial

or ethnic details only when they are clearly relevant

and that relevance is explicit in the story, such as:

In stories that involve signiﬁcant, groundbreaking

or historic events, such as being elected

U.S. president or being named to the U.S.

Supreme Court.

In stories citing scientiﬁc data identiﬁed by factors

such as race, gender, or age.

racist, racism — racism is a doctrine asserting racial

differences in character, intelligence, etc., and

the superiority of one race over another, or racial

discrimination or feelings of hatred or bigotry

toward people of another race.

systemic racism, structural racism, and institutional

racism — the terms refer to social, political, and

institutional systems and cultures that contribute

to racial inequality in areas such as employment,

health care, housing, the criminal justice system,

and education. Avoid shortening this use to simply

racism, to avoid confusion with the other deﬁnition.

Deciding whether a speciﬁc statement, action,

policy etc., should be termed racist or

characterized in a different way, involves an

assessment of the facts: Does the statement,

action, policy, meet the denition of racism?

Avoid using racist or any other label as reference

for a person. Instead, be speciﬁc in

describing the person’s words or actions.

Cases in which the term racist might be used

include identifying support for avowed

racist organizations, statements calling

another race or ethnic group inferior,

or employing negative stereotypes for

different racial or ethnic groups. (i.e.: The

video shows the candidate wearing

blackface and making racist statements.)

If racist is not the appropriate term, give careful

thought to how best to describe the

situation. Depending on the speciﬁcs of

what was said or done, alternatives may

include xenophobic, bigoted, biased,

nativist, racially divisive, or in some cases,

simply racial. Always provide speciﬁcs to

describe the words or actions in question.

racially charged, racially motivated, racially tinged

— avoid using these vague phrases to describe

situations. Use alternatives, such as xenophobic,

bigoted, biased, nativist, or racially divisive may be

clearer, depending on the context. In some cases,

the term racial is appropriate: racial arguments,

racial tensions, racial injustice. Always give speciﬁcs

about what was done, said, or alleged.

white — the Associated Press continues to lowercase

the term white in racial, ethnic and cultural senses.

White people generally do not share the same

history and culture, or the experience of being

discriminated against because of skin color. In

addition, there is considerable disagreement,

ambiguity, and confusion about whom the term

includes.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

Language around gender is evolving. Gender is not syn-

onymous with sex. Gender refers to a person’s social

identity, while sex refers to biological characteristics.

Not all people fall under one of two categories for sex

or gender, according to leading medical organizations.

Avoid references to opposite sexes or genders as a way

to encompass all people. When needed for clarity or in

certain stories about scientiﬁc studies, use alternatives

such as men and women, boys and girls, males and fe-

males. Treatment of gender should be evenhanded and

free of assumptions and stereotypes.

Some frequently used terms and deﬁnitions:

asexual — describes people who don’t experience

sexual attraction, though they may feel other types

of attraction, such as romantic or aesthetic. Not

synonymous with and does not assume celibacy.

bisexual — describes people attracted to more than

one gender. Some people prefer pansexual, which

describes people attracted to others regardless of

their gender. The shortened version bi is acceptable

in quotations.

cisgender — describes people whose gender identity

matches the one they were assigned at birth; that

is, not transgender. Explain if necessary. Do not use

terms like normal to describe people who are not

transgender. Not synonymous with heterosexual,

which refers to sexual orientation.

conversion therapy — the scientiﬁcally discredited

practice of using therapy to “convert” LGBTQ people

to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations.

Either refer to it as so-called conversion therapy or

put quotation marks around it. Do not do both. Gay

conversion therapy should take no hyphen. Always

include the disclaimer that it is discredited.

cross-dresser — Use this term instead of the outdated

transvestite for someone who wears clothing

associated with a different gender, and only when the

subject identiﬁes as such. Not synonymous with drag

performer or transgender.

drag performer, drag queen, drag king — entertainers

who dress and act as a different gender. Drag

queens act as women; drag kings act as men.

Male impersonator or female impersonator is also

acceptable. Not synonymous with cross-dresser or

transgender.

gay, lesbian — used to describe people attracted to

the same sex, though lesbian is the more common

term for women. Preferred over homosexual. Include

sexual orientation only when it is pertinent to a story,

and avoid references to sexual preference or to a gay

or alternative lifestyle. Gays is acceptable as a plural

noun when necessary, but do not use the singular gay

as a noun. Lesbian is acceptable as a noun in singular

or plural form. Sexual orientation is not synonymous

with gender.

gender-nonconforming (adj.) — acceptable in broad

references as a term for people who do not conform

to gender expectations. (i.e.: The group is providing

scholarships for gender-nonconforming students.)

When talking about individuals, be speciﬁc about

how a person describes or expresses gender identity

and behavior. Not synonymous with transgender.

Use other terms like bigender (a term for people who

identify as a combination of two genders) or agender

(people who identify as having no gender) only if

used by subjects to describe themselves, and only

with explanation.

heterosexual (n. and adj.) — in males, a sexual

orientation that describes attraction to females,

and vice versa. Straight is acceptable. Transgender

people can be heterosexual.

homophobia, homophobic — acceptable in broad

references or in quotations to the concept of fear

or hatred of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. (i.e.: The

governor denounced homophobia.) In individual

cases, be speciﬁc about observable actions; avoid

descriptions or language that assumes motives.

Related terms include biphobia (fear or hatred

speciﬁcally of bisexuals) and transphobia (fear or

hatred of transgender people).

homosexual (adj.), homosexuality (n.) — refers to the

sexual orientations of gay and/or lesbian. Gay and

lesbian is preferred as an adjective; homosexuality is

acceptable when an umbrella term is needed. Avoid

homosexual as a noun.

intersex — describes people born with genitalia,

chromosomes, or reproductive organs that don’t ﬁt

typical deﬁnitions for males or females. Do not use

the outdated term hermaphrodite.

LGBT, LGBTQ (adj.) — acceptable in all references for

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or lesbian,

gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning and/

or queer. In quotations and the formal names of

organizations and events, other forms such as

LGBTQIA and other variations are also acceptable

with the other letters explained. I generally stands

for intersex, and A can stand for asexual (a person

who doesn’t experience sexual attraction), ally (some

Gender and Orientation Content

Academic Year 2021-22

activists decry this use of the abbreviation for a person

who is not LGBT but who actively supports LGBT

communities), or both. Use of LGBT or LGBTQ is best

as an adjective and an umbrella term. Don’t use it, for

instance, when the group you’re referring to is limited

to bisexuals. Queer is an umbrella term covering

people who are not heterosexual or cisgender and

is acceptable for people and organizations that use

the term to identify themselves. Do not use it when

intended as a slur.

nonbinary — people are nonbinary if their gender identity

is not strictly male or female. Not synonymous with

transgender. Explain in a story if the context doesn't

make it clear.

out, outing — refers to public knowledge of a person’s

homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender transition.

Outing or outed is usually used when a person’s

status is revealed against one’s knowledge or will.

Do not use terms like avowed or admitted. Use the

term openly only if needed to draw a distinction.

Don’t assume that because news ﬁgures address

their sexuality publicly, it qualiﬁes as coming out;

public ﬁgures may consider themselves out even if

they haven’t previously addressed their orientation

publicly.

pronouns — Do not presume maleness in constructing

a sentence by defaulting to he/his/him. Usually it

is possible, and always preferable, to reword the

sentence to avoid gender. (i.e.: Reporters try to

protect their sources.)

In most cases, a plural pronoun such as they, them,

or their should agree in number with the

antecedent. (i.e.: The children love the books

their uncle gave them.) They/them/their is

acceptable in limited cases as a gender-

neutral pronoun, when alternative wording

is overly awkward or clumsy. However,

rewording usually is possible and always is

preferable. Clarity is a top priority; gender-

neutral use of a singular they is unfamiliar

to many readers. Do not use other gender-

neutral pronouns such as xe or ze.

When they is used in the singular, it takes a plural

verb. (i.e.: Chris said they need a new car.

Again, be sure it’s clear from the context that

only one person is involved.)

The singular reﬂexive themself is acceptable only

if needed in constructions involving people

who identify as neither male nor female.

Again, it’s usually possible and always best to

rephrase. (i.e.: Dana Adams was not available

for comment [instead of Dana Adams did not

make themself available for comment]).

same-sex marriage — the preferred term over gay

marriage, because the laws generally don’t address

sexual orientation. In places where it’s legal, same-

sex marriage is no different from other marriages,

so the term should be used only when germane

and needed to distinguish from marriages between

male-female heterosexual couples. (i.e.: Gertrude

Boxer and Savannah Boxer dated for several years

before their marriage in 2014.) Sex is not synonymous

with gender.

sex reassignment or gender conﬁrmation — the

treatments, surgeries, and other medical procedures

used by transgender people to match their sex

to their gender. The preferred term over gender

reassignment; do not use the outdated term sex

change.

transgender (adj.) — describes people whose gender

identity does not match the sex they were identiﬁed

as having at birth. Does not require what are often

known as sex reassignment or gender conﬁrmation

procedures. Identify people as transgender only if

per tinent, and use the name by which they live publicly.

Generally, avoid references to a transgender person

being born a boy or girl, since it’s an unnecessary

detail and excludes intersex babies. (i.e.: Bernard is

a transgender man. Christina is transgender.) The

shorthand trans is acceptable on second reference

and in headlines. (i.e.: Grammys add ﬁrst trans man

and ﬁrst trans woman as trophy handlers.)

Do not use as a noun, such as referring to

someone as a transgender, or use the term

transgendered. Not synonymous with terms

like cross-dresser or drag queen, which do

not have to do with gender identity

Use the name by which a transgender person now

lives. Refer to a previous name, sometimes

called a deadname, only if relevant to the

story. See LGBT, LGBTQ.

transition, gender transition — the processes

transgender people go through to match their gender

identity, which may include sex reassignment or

gender conﬁrmation procedures, but not necessarily.

woman, women — use female as an adjective, not

woman. She is the ﬁrst female governor of North

Carolina.

GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Ofﬁce of Communications and Marketing Style Guide

anywhere in the world.

Punctuation

apostrophe — use to indicate that a noun is possessive.

Follow AP Style in all cases. (Ex. The GW School of

Medicine and Health Sciences’ dean, Jeffrey S. Akman,

MD ’81, RESD ’85, vice president for health affairs

and Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative

Medicine, spoke at the diploma ceremony on Sunday.

Ex. GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Ex.

SMHS’ professors are highly regarded.)

brackets — use to add explanations

or corrections to quoted materials.

(Ex. “It was like [Mr. and Mrs. D] had never learned

how to talk together about difcult things,” Heru said

at the lecture.)

bullet points — Items that conclude an introductory

sentence should be lowercase and punctuated

with a comma or semicolon at the end of each item,

except for the last, which should have a period. AP

uses dashes instead of bullets to introduce individual

sections of a list; others may choose to use bullets.

Put a space between the dash or bullet and the

ﬁrst word of each item in the list. Capitalize the ﬁrst

word following the dash or bullet. Use periods, not

semicolons, at the end of each section, whether it is a

full sentence or a phrase.

Use parallel construction for each item in a list:

• Start with the same part of speech for each

item (in this example, a verb).

• Use the same voice (active or passive) for

each item.

• Use the same verb tense for each item.

• Use the same sentence type (statement,

question, exclamation) for each item.

• Use just a phrase for each item, if desired.

Introduce the list with a short phrase or sentence.

(Ex. Our partners: or These are our partners:

or Our partners are.)

colon — frequently used at the end of a sentence to

introduce lists, tabulations, text, etc. It may also be

used to as a mark of emphasis and/or anticipation.

(Ex. The psychiatrist gave her patients a homework

assignment: write down their hopes for the marriage.)

Capitalize the ﬁrst word after a colon only if it is

a proper noun or the start of a complete

sentence. Do not use a colon between a verb

and its object. (Ex. Her three favorite foods are

chocolate, bread, and yogurt. NOT Her three

favorite foods are: chocolate, bread, and yogurt.)

You do not need a colon when introducing a direct

quotation of one sentence or less. A comma will

sufﬁce.

comma — always use serial/Oxford comma. Independent

clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction should

have a comma preceding the conjunction. Use a

comma after all introductory prepositional phrases.

Use commas to offset a person’s name or degrees.

Use a comma to set off a nonessential word or phrase.

Use a comma to set off cities and states. (Ex. The

Virginia Science and Technology Campus, located

in Ashburn, Virginia, houses the new Department of

Integrated Health Sciences.)

Commas always go inside of quotation marks. See AP

Stylebook for more guidelines.

dash — the em dash (—) should be used to enclose a word

or word group that interrupts the main sentence

structure. (Ex. Bhatt’s story — a request from Dominic

Raj, MD, director of the Division of Renal Diseases

and Hypertension and professor of medicine at the

George Washington University School of Medicine

and Health Sciences — came at the Irene Tamagna

Lecture on Hypertension in early May.)

The em dash can also be used within a phrase that

otherwise would be set off by commas when

there is a series that must be separated with

commas within the phrase. (Ex. Bhatt and his

fellow researchers went to extensive lengths to

ensure that the patients were kept as blind as

possible, including using sensory isolation — ear

plugs and face masks — and ensured that at every

step the medical procedures used were sound.)

The en dash (–) should be used to represent a span

between items such as time. (Ex. Ofce hours

are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.)

Dashes should have a space on either side. Hyphens

should not.

ellipsis — when using the ellipsis, treat it as a three-letter

word with three periods and a space on either side. It

should be used to indicate an omitted word or words

in condensing quotes, texts, and documents. Be

careful not to distort the meaning of the sentence by

deleting words. (Ex. “We judged that the procedure

was safe … but the real question was, ‘is it efcacious?’

” Bhatt asked.)

If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a

grammatically complete sentence, place a

period at the end of the last word before the

ellipsis.

exclamation point — use SPARINGLY! Place inside

quotations when part of quoted material, outside

when not part of quoted material. Do not use a

comma or period after the exclamation point.

hyphen — use to join adjectives and avoid ambiguity.

Academic Year 2021-22

Refer to AP style for guidance.

Additional guidelines:

• Compound modiﬁers: When two or more words

that express a single concept are used before a

noun, link them with a hyphen, with the exceptions

of the word “very” and adverbs that end in -ly.

(Ex. a high-prole research project, a full-time

job, a highly qualied student.)

• Compound nouns: (Ex. well-being, 18-year-old,

brother-in-law.)

• With numbers: Hyphenate the written

form of compound numbers and fractions.

(Ex. one-fth.)

• Between a preﬁx and a proper noun:

(Ex. Mid-Atlantic.)

• Capitalization: When hyphenated words

are used in headlines, capitalize both.

(Ex. Blue-Green Algae Kills Farmer, Two Cows.)

• Suspensive hyphenation: (Ex. He received

funding for a 10- to 20-year project.)

parentheses — use sparingly to insert necessary

background or reference information. Place a period

outside parentheses if the material inside is not a

complete sentence (like this fragment). Otherwise,

place periods inside parentheses.

period — use with the following:

• At the end of a declarative sentence.

• At the end of a rhetorical question if the

statement is more of a suggestion than question.

• At the end of an indirect question.

• At the end of a sentence ending in a website or

email address.

Use a single space (NOT a double space) after a

period at the end of a sentence.

question mark — use with the following:

• At the end of a direct question.

• In the middle of an interpolated question

(Ex. You told me — Did I hear you correctly? —

that we should meet in the conference room.).

• At the end of a full sentence with multiple

questions.

Like the exclamation point, a question mark should be

inside quotations when part of quoted material,

outside when not part of quoted material. Do

not use a comma or period after the question

mark. A question mark supersedes the comma

when supplying attribution for a quotation. (Ex.

“What should clinicians do?” he asked.)

quotation marks — use with the following:

• Direct quotations.

• Personal nicknames (Ex. Lawrence “Bopper”

Deyton).

• Unfamiliar terms or phrases on ﬁrst reference.

Do not put subsequent references in quotation

marks.

Additional guidelines:

• Periods and commas also go within quotation

marks.

• Dashes, question marks, and exclamation points

go within the quotation marks when they apply

to the quoted matter only. They go outside

when applied to the whole sentence.

• Semicolons go outside of quotation marks.

semicolon — use to clarify a series, especially when

individual segments contain material that also must

be set off by commas.

Note: the semicolon is used before the ﬁnal “and”

in such a series. (Ex. The meeting included

several graduates: John Smith, MD ’84; Jane

Doe, MD ’98, MSPH; and Steve Jones, PhD

’95.) Also used to link independent clauses,

especially when coordinating conjunctions

(and, but, or) are not present. (Ex. The lecture

was scheduled for Tuesday; it was moved to

today.)

Note: Do not use a semicolon when linking an

independent clause with a dependent clause.

Never follow a semicolon with a dependent

clause.

Semicolons appear outside of quotation marks.

superscript — include in Fusion in reference to advisers

and citations. When used with advisers, the

superscript should appear after the person’s name

and degree. (Ex. Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, PhD

)

When used in text, it should be treated as a closed

quotation mark; in other words, all other punctuation

(comma, period) should precede it. (Ex. Congenital

heart disease is the leading birth defect, affecting

almost 1 percent of births each year.

)

Figures from Ofﬁce of Institutional Research and Planning, SMHS Ofﬁce of MD Admissions, SMHS Ofﬁce of Graduate Medical Education

School of Medicine and Health Sciences

STUDENTS

2,486

725

1,371

390

MD program students

degree-seeking health sciences (HS) students

non-degree or certiﬁcate program

health sciences students

ACADEMIC YEAR 2021–22

457

rotating in 47 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited programs

sponsored by SMHS, including four fellowships are at Children's National Hoispital.

Number of GW residency applications among the highest in the nation, consistently in

excess of 5,200 applications.

GW residency training program had a 93% board pass rate, and the rolling three-year board

pass rate is now at 95% (national average 91%).

RESIDENTS

AND FELLOWS

183 MD

STUDENTS

chosen from

a completed applicant pool of

more than 11,000

nearly 13,000

completed applications

LARGEST applicant pool in

history, both at GW and Nationwide

60%

Female

40%

Male

MD STATS HS STATS

GW Health Sciences

offers nearly

42 ACADEMIC

PROGRAMS

across nearly 20 different

health care disciplines

GW Health Sciences

has earned

TOP HONORS

from multiple prestigious

organizations