Events

In response to the obesity epidemic in New York City, several student groups at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health are hosting a panel of experts on March 24, 2011 to discuss the state of obesity in the city’s minority communities. Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President is the featured keynote speaker.

“Manhattan residents are some of the healthiest in the country, so it may come as a surprise…that according to the Department of Health, over 22 percent of adult New Yorkers are obese,” said Mr. Stringer. “Scarcity of fresh foods and produce is most prevalent in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, contributing to the disproportionate disease burden carried by the city's minority populations.”

A diverse group of experts including representatives from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Healthy Mondays Campaign, a project of the Mailman School’s Harlem Health Promotion Center, will provide insights on the issue to critically examine the socioeconomic and political structures that cause these health disparities. The panel, moderated by the regional health administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will cover such topics up for discussion as the role of food deserts, community mobilization, nutrition education and food prices. The Conference will serve as a springboard for further discussion of the development of strategies to combat the obesity epidemic in New York City.

“I commend all of the sponsors for hosting this meaningful forum on an issue that is afflicting far too many New Yorkers,” Mr. Stringer said.

Across the United States, obesity poses one of the most serious threats to the population and health care system—and New York is no exception.  According to the New York City Department of Health Community Health Survey, among New York City black and Hispanic populations, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes is approximately two times the prevalence in white populations—a health disparity traceable in large degree to fundamental social and environmental problems.

Mailman School sponsoring student groups are Students for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention (FPOP), Future Healthcare Leaders (FHL), and the Black and Latino Student Caucus (BLSC). Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) at Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons are also co-sponsoring student groups.

“This conference is a true collaboration of Columbia student groups who are taking action on the problem of obesity in minority communities,” said Mariana Cotlear, president of Students for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention.  “We are extremely fortunate to be studying Public Health in New York, a city that is pioneering food policy and health promotion initiatives in this country.  We are hoping to fuse the expertise of the public health community with our academic work in order to lay the groundwork for our future professional work in obesity prevention.”

Conference Details:

Minority Health Forum: A Citywide Assessment of Obesity in Minority Populations
March 24, 2011
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Columbia University Medical Center
Alumni Auditorium
650 W. 168th Street (at Fort Washington Avenue), New York, NY 10032

Keynote Speaker:
Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

Panelists:
Cathy Nonas, Director of Physical Activity and Nutrition for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Michael Hernandez, Community Outreach Manager, Healthy Mondays Campaign, and the Harlem Health Promotion Center, Mailman School of Public Health
Dr. Olajide Williams, MD, Founder, Harlem Hip Hop Public Health Education Center

Moderator:
April Velasco, PhD, Acting Regional Health Administrator, Region II (NJ, NY, PR, USVI), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Sponsored by:

Students for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention (FPOP)
Future Healthcare Leaders (FHL)
Black and Latino Student Caucus (BLSC)
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO)
Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons