Celebrating National Public Health Week

Student organizations sponsor events to share knowledge and advocate around the health issues they care about most

April 2, 2018

As a field of study and profession, public health has a lot to be proud of. Among its many achievements are safer cars and workplaces, a cleaner environment, maternal and infant health, tobacco control, vaccines and disease surveillance, and not least of all, longer lives. Starting today, the Mailman School community joins with public health schools and workplaces across the country to acknowledge these accomplishments and set our sights on greater goals as part of National Public Health Week.

Throughout the week, a series of events organized by student groups are taking a close look at several critical health issues, including food policy, gun violenceand Lyme disease. On Wednesday, with an eye to professional development, Perspectives on Aging is joining with the Columbia Aging Center to sponsor a panel discussion of Mailman alumni working on aging issues. On April 9, W4W and SHAG are organizing to advocate for preventing sexual assault. Details are posted on the School's Events page

On Thursday, Mailman students will join with their counterparts across Columbia University Medicine Center, including aspiring dentists, nurses, and physicians, for a series of cross-disciplinary seminars. Mailman faculty are co-leading discussions on several topics, including food policy, community organizing and mass incarceration, health equity, the opioid epidemic, and vaccination. Dean Linda P. Fried, David Bell, Wafaa El-Sadr, and Michael Sparer are among those giving keynote addresses.

“Celebrating public health is as much about recognizing our achievements as aspiring to go further,” says Julie Kornfeld, PhD, vice dean of Education. “I am proud of our students for taking leadership on the public health issues they care deeply about. As they shape the future of our field, their passion and their knowledge will shape the change we need to create a healthier nation and world.”