Research & Service

Hyewon Lee, MPH candidate,
with her poster on an Alternative Food Approach to the Obesity Epidemic: A Pilot Study for Nutrition Intervention Among Stroke- Free Population and Stroke Survivors

The Mailman School of Public Health held its Student Research Diversity Day Conference on "The Role of Public Health in Healthcare Reform." Sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, Public Health Doctoral Students Association, and Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity, the April 9th event included a poster session showcasing 22 poster presentation abstracts on a range of public health issues, such as the affect of PBDEs on birth outcome in the World Trade Center cohort, assessing health facilities in Tanzania, alternative food approaches to the obesity epidemic, and preventing diabetes among women in rural South India. Following the poster displays and opening remarks by Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, chair of the Department of Epidemiology, panels led by senior Mailman School faculty members discussed such issues Genetics, Reproductive Health, and Advances in Theory and Methods of Population Health.

In a keynote Address by Peter Muennig, MD, MPH, professor of Health Policy and Management on "Making the Population Healthier: How Might We Change the Policy Landscape," Dr. Muennig led a critical discussion on the social burdens of disease. He asked whether the health of the nation as a whole might be better off with a more concerted effort to control health costs and focus more on proven changes to our primary schools, improvements to our neighborhoods, and investments in public transit.

“As the preeminent University in New York City, we take very seriously our responsibility to underscore the importance of diversity. Diversity is at the very core of our philosophy, and permeates our thinking and our scholarship,” noted Dr. Galea. “It is particularly fitting that Diversity day marks the close of National Public Health Week activities at the Mailman School.”