Office of the Dean

Insights, Impact, and Innovation

at NYU Steinhardt

Welcome to the Insights, Impact, and Innovation newsletter, our new, quarterly brief of the latest work from NYU Steinhardt creating real-world equity and impact.

I first want to invite you to NYU Steinhardt’s top Fall event on Wednesday, September 18: The Art and Science of Social Connection. As part of the annual UN General Assembly Healing Arts Week produced by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab at Steinhardt, this event will feature work that supports healthy social connection throughout NYC and beyond. Speakers include world-renowned soprano and World Health Organization Arts and Health Ambassador Renée Fleming, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts Maria Rosario Jackson, and NYU and Harvard’s Dr. Jeremy Nobel.

I also want to welcome Steinhardt’s fantastic new faculty—including Global TIES for Children’s new director, Florencia Lopez Boo—to the Steinhardt community. We are honored to have them, and I’m thrilled to see the incredible impact they will have on Steinhardt, New York City, and beyond!

Jack H. Knott
Gale and Ira Drukier Dean

Top Stories

Providing Free Mental Health Care to Food and Beverage Workers

The NYU Center for Counseling and Community Wellbeing, founded by Clinical Associate Professor of Applied Psychology A. Jordan Wright, launched free mental health services for food and beverage workers.

Researching Weight Loss for People of Color

Recent research from Assistant Professor Ericka N. Merriwether found weight loss surgery reduced pain for people of color but that disparities still exist. Merriwether offered recommendations to address persistent disparities.

A woman pushes a boy in a wheelchair through a skate park

Bringing Wheelchair Skating to All

Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy Janet Njelesani and Occupational Therapy faculty, alumni, and undergraduate students volunteered with Wheeling Forward Adaptive Skate Clinic, assisting children, adults, and veterans with disabilities.

Upcoming Events

The Art and Science of Social Connection

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Multidisciplinary event with 20+ participants from the art and health disciplines, featuring work that supports social connection throughout NYC and beyond.

Legacies: Asian American Art Movements in New York City (1969-2001) at 80WSE Gallery

September 11 – December 20, 2024

New Asian American art history landmark survey examining artists of the Asian diaspora, including Ai Weiwei and Yoko Ono.

Faculty in the News

Niobe Way
Professor of Applied Psychology

ABC News: Psychologist Dr. Niobe Way on How Society Can Better Raise Boys

Lyle Ashton Harris
Professor of Art and Art Education

Critic's Pick in The New York Times: A Photographer Widens His Gaze to Loss, and It’s a Gain

Angela C. B. Trude
Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Studies

CBS News: Bodegas vs. Supermarkets. Here's What New Yorkers Pay for the Cost of Convenience

Alumni Spotlight

Xavier “X” Jernigan (MA ’04, Music Business) shared about his work as Spotify’s AI DJ on the premiere of the new Spotify podcast Outside Voice, which spotlights BIPOC professionals who have built equity through work that authentically elevates their communities. He also spoke to incoming undergraduates at our 2024 Dean's Welcome and offered advice for the beginning of the school year.

In Case You Missed It

Krishnendu Ray, professor of food studies and director of the Food Studies PhD program, and his co-authors received the Warren Belasco Prize, recognized for “superior research, a unique perspective and methodological approach, and novel insights for the study of food."

Four NYU Steinhardt alumni won Tony Awards—Best New Play and Best Revival of a Play—at the 77th annual celebration of Broadway.

Shamari Reid, assistant professor of teaching and learning, published a new book—Humans Who Teach: A Guide for Centering Love, Justice, and Liberation in Schools—which reflects on his teaching experiences and the lessons he learned about safeguarding well-being and teaching in a climate of fear.