BACK TO NEWS | WISE Visit to the Columbia School of Public Health View photos from the trip! On Wednesday, May 25 eight WISE students from four different schools spent a terrific day at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Students who attended(with their WISE project topics in parentheses) included: Christy Dash (Medicine) and Anju Varghese Medicine from Nyack HS; Alexandra Alamon (Pediatrics), Immaculata Obi (Nursing) and Mia Lynn Deaver (Nursing) from Woodlands HS; Danielle Alamon (Medicine) from the Westchester Magnet Academy; Jonathan Hack (Patient Care) from Solomon Schechter Academy; and Krystal Sarcone (HIV/AIDS) from Hendrick Hudson HS. This visit was a wonderful experience on many levels. Students were provided with an opportunity to hear from dedicated and passionate faculty members whose stories regarding their research interests were eye-opening and fascinating to hear. Dr. Ana Abraido-Lanza, Professor of Sociomedical Studies, described her work with the health of immigrant populations, which derives from her own experience as a young immigrant from Cuba. Dr. Melissa Begg works as a Biostatistician and she explained why she likes her work so much. As a biostatistician, she is much in demand to help researchers make sense of, and explain the data they collect from many different types of studies ranging from breast cancer to schizophrenia. Originally a medical doctor, Dr. Donna Shelley worked for the Department of Health and developed a research interest in smoking cessation programs. She is now an Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences. Students also heard about work Dr. Steve Stellman, Professor of Epidemiology, who has done research on the effects of Agent Orange (sprayed during the Vietnam War) and on the chemical effects on the body of smoking. WISE students then journeyed to the Columbia University Head Start, where they were greeted by Dr. Gloria Farber, Director of Education. In a series of visits to classrooms students had a chance to see health education at the real grass-roots level for toddlers, pre-schoolers and their parents. They learned that Head Start personnel track immunizations and health records for the students in the program and make appropriate health-based referrals for follow-up care when necessary. For some students, the highlight of the day was the visit to the labs of two working scientists - both extremely passionate and articulate about the extraordinary work they are doing. Dr. Greg Freyer, Associate Professor of Clinical Environmental Health Sciences, provided a mini-lecture on DNA and then showed us his experiments with yeast, which are designed to determine how to repair damaged DNA. Dr. Joseph Graziano, Associate Dean and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, gave students an overview of his work in Bangladesh, where his team has researched and provided care for people exposed to arsenic poisoning in wells. Through the efforts of these dedicated public health workers, many thousands of people now have access to clean water. Lunch with Dr. Robert Fullilove provided both physical and mental sustenance. Dr. Fullilove, Associate Dean and Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences, spoke about his work with his wife, who is a medical doctor. Their focus is on health care in Harlem and much of their current work is on HIV/AIDS prevention. Dr. Fullilove also described his own health-care crisis, and his family history which spurred his interest in health issues related to drug addiction. Perhaps the highlight of this fascinating conversation was a discussion with students about stressors in their own lives and the toll stress takes on high school students. One student commented that it would be great if the staff of their own high schools asked them about stress. As WISE staff members who have our own passion - the belief in experiential learning for high school students, it was exciting to watch our students learn as we experienced the day for ourselves. It was also especially exciting to watch students interact all day long with such fabulous role models! The day was brought to an end by the two Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health staff members who organized and hosted the day. Students learned about the work of Susan Smith, Associate Dean for Program Development, and Dr. Ian Lapp, Assistant Dean and Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences. They introduced the Dean of the School of Public Health, Dr. Allan Rosenfield. Dr. Rosenfield, who is an obstetrician, described his own work with African women We are thrilled to embark on a collaborative relationship with the staff of the Mailman School and look forward to many future opportunities for our students to visit the School of Public Health and learn about the fascinating research and interests of the faculty. Some day we hope we will have the pleasure of seeing some of our WISE graduates enroll as degree candidates at the Mailman School of Public Health. |