MAY 2024 NEWSLETTER
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the Spring 2024 Edition of the newsletter where we bring you the latest updates on faculty research, presentations and other news from this past semester.
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| | Appointment of Dr. Mark Jit as the Inaugural Chair of the Department of Global and Environmental Health
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We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Mark Jit as the inaugural Chair of the Department of Global and Environmental Health beginning August 15, 2024. A renowned scholar, Dr Jit is Professor and Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where he also co-directs the Global Health Economics Centre. He also has an Honorary Professorship at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong. He received his BSc and PhD in Mathematics from University College London, specializing in mathematical biology, and a Master of Public Health degree from King’s College London. With his colleagues at the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases (CMMID), his work on COVID-19 informed the pandemic response by the UK and other governments. He was elected in 2023 as a Fellow at the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, which recognized his work on advancing vaccine equity. He is currently co-chair for The Lancet Commission for Strengthening the Use of Epidemiological Modelling of Emerging and Pandemic Infectious Diseases. In 2022 and 2023, he was recognized as a highly cited researcher by Clarivate.
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Retirement of Jack Caravanos and Appointment of Alexis Merdjanoff as the Director of the Environmental Public Health Program
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After this academic year, Dr. Jack Caravanos will retire from the full-time faculty. Dr. Caravonas is a highly respected, practicing field-based environmental and occupational health scientist with a passion for solving real-world problems. Since joining our full-time faculty in 2017, Dr. Caravanos has developed and taught both master's and undergraduate-level environmental courses, receiving the GPH Teaching Excellence Award in 2021-22. We are most grateful for Dr. Caravanos's service to the school and fortunate that he will continue to teach as a lecturer in the department.
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We are excited to welcome Dr. Alexis Merdjanoff as our new Environmental Public Health program director. Dr. Merdjanoff is a public health sociologist whose research explores how social inequalities shape the impact of environmental hazards, often a consequence of climate change, on vulnerable populations' health, recovery, and resilience.
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Appointment of William N. Rom as Global Distinguished Professor of Environmental Health
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| Dr. Rom is a Global Distinguished Professor of Environmental Health at NYU GPH and the Sol and Judith Bergstein Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Environmental Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Rom was recruited to NYU from NIH as a tenured professor in 1989 to be Director of the General Clinical Research Center and Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at NYU/Bellevue. Over 30 years, his academic teams received more than $500 million in NIH grants for work on a host of diseases, including HIV/AIDS, TB, and lung cancer. Bill teaches one of our core environmental public health courses, Climate Change and Health, and an undergraduate course, Environmental Health in a Global World. In his spare time, Bill is an avid outdoorsman, skiing, hiking, and canoeing all over the world.
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Appointment of Brian Hall as Affiliated Professor of Global & Environmental Health
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Dr. Brian Hall has joined the Department as Affiliated Professor of Global and Environmental Health. Dr. Hall’s research focuses on global mental health. He has led some of the first studies of the African community in Guangzhou China and explored the influence of social networks on HIV and sexual health, mental health, and the influence of discrimination on wellbeing. He co-developed the WHO regional framework for mental health in the Western Pacific Region which was officially launched in 2023. Some of his current research includes a five-country study of barriers to mental health care for diverse migrant populations.
Click here to learn more about Dr. Hall.
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Announcing this year’s
Global & Environmental Health Scholars
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| We are pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Global Environmental Health Scholars award. This program supports MPH students from the Global Health and Environmental Public Health concentrations in addressing public health challenges through an Applied Practice Experience (APE) in low- and middle-income countries. The following are this year’s recipients:
- Jamilah Maronde, Environmental Public Health | Location: Ghana | Organization: NYU GPH Environmental Health
- Kate Cintron, Global Health | Location: Senegal | Organization: Walking Doctors
- Aline Mutabazi, Global Health | Location: Senegal | Organization: Walking Doctors
- Kristen Gladish, Dual-Degree MPH/MS | Location: Senegal | Organization: Walking Doctors
- Penelope Quinton, Dual-Degree MPH/MS | Location: Kenya | Organization: HealthRight International
- Oyinkansola Babayode, Global Health | Location: Nigeria | Organization: NYU Langone Health in partnership with Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Nigeria
- Anna Frye, Global Health | Location: India | Organization: Kodaikanal International School Center for Environment and Humanity
- Alex Schwaderer, Global Health | Location: India | Organization: Kodaikanal International School Center for Environment and Humanity
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Urban Health Equity: J Term in London
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| With over half the world’s population now residing in urban areas, NYU London served as an ideal classroom recently for GPH students taking Jo Ivey Boufford’s J Term course on urban health and health equity. Their global campus experience was an opportunity to apply their knowledge and tools in collaboration with local stakeholders.
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 | GPH Students at City Hall with
GLA officials
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| Students worked in interdisciplinary teams on projects that ranged from maximizing health outcomes in alignment with London’s climate mitigation and adaptation policies, to identifying priorities for a heat action plan for the City of London, to proposing mental health crisis response plans for vulnerable communities. Identified by Mayor Sadiq Khan as priority initiatives and implemented by the Public Health Unit of the Greater London Authority (GLA), this hands-on approach gave students practical lessons on health disparities at the local level and the unique challenges faced by urban communities. Read the full story!Authors: Kiera Bloch, MPH; Gina Gonzalez, MPH
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New Strategies in Nairobi: Behavioral Communication Strategies for Global Epidemics
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It’s one thing to learn global public health at a top school like GPH by sharing a classroom with its world-class faculty. It’s yet another to experience it among those we intend to serve. That’s why a group of MPH students, UN professionals and health system managers came together in a J term opportunity in Nairobi last month to combine intensive coursework with innovation and strategic thinking.
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Students participated in the 16th edition of a signature GPH course: Behavioral Communication Strategies for Global Epidemics (BCSE). Chris Dickey Ben Ngoye of the Strathmore Business School (SBS) and Erma Manoncourt (also of GPH and formerly of UNICEF) lead the course. The 34 students and professionals worked to develop strategies that address public health challenges in East Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Seven teams created visual systems maps for cholera outbreaks and vaccine resistance, among others, showing how the system is at least as responsible for adverse outcomes as individual behaviors. The maps unpack complexity, show the nonlinearities, highlight potential leverage points and help team members from diverse backgrounds share perspectives. With the maps as a foundation, the teams then developed behavioral strategies to influence health outcomes. Participants will now join a BCSE alumni network of more than 800 global public health professionals, employed in close to 100 countries. Read the full write up!Author: Chris Dickey, Clinical Associate Professor of Global Health
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Faculty Projects & Events
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| Jack Caravanos’ VR Excursion in Ghana
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Dr. Jack Caravanos received a Teaching Advancement Grant to travel to Ghana and gather VR footage on toxic sites and high-risk industries. Dr. Caravanos, along with current student Jamilah Maronde and alumnus Kate Porterfield, visited four sites to capture footage on gold mining, e-waste processing, lead acid battery recycling and artisanal pot making. Dr. Caravanos and the students are using the film to develop modules for next year's Global Environmental Health course. Students will be able to explore these sites in 3D format and practice their identification and assessment skills. Explore the draft modules here!
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Jo Ivey Boufford at the Commissioner's Medical Grand Rounds
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Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford presented at the Commissioner's Medical Grand Rounds on: “Healthy Aging Starts with Prevention: An Overview of the New York State Master Plan for Aging”. She gave an overview of the Master Plan for Aging in New York State with a focus on prevention and preventive health. The presentation delved into the plan's aims, its foundational role in shaping policies for an aging population, and the implications for healthcare practices, particularly in the context of preventive strategies. Read more!
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| Jo Ivey Boufford Moderates Fireside Chat
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Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford moderated a Fireside Chat, Pandemics & Disease Outbreaks: Insights for Strengthening Urban Health Systems (Prevention, Partnerships & Resilience), with Dr Ashwin Vasan, Commissioner of Health, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and Dr. Syra Madad, Senior Director, System-wide Special Pathogens Program, NYC Health + Hospitals at the 2024 PQMD Global Health Policy Forum earlier this month. The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD) Global Health Policy Forum brought together more than 100 global health leaders from over 70 organizations, including speakers and panelists from around the world to lead in-depth discussions that focused on key aspects of this year’s theme: Global Health Leadership in Turbulent Times.
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William N. Rom Climate Change & Health Fellowship:
Earth Day Presentation
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William N. Rom Climate Change Fellows Liz Carr and Marisa Guerrero marked Earth Day with presentations on how climate change erodes public health infrastructure and interacts with the HIV pandemic through exacerbating food insecurity, human migration and forced displacement. In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, these Fellows have been researching the influence of climate change on health, and how interconnected phenomena can promote adaptation and mitigation strategies, collaboration and efficient resource allocation. View the recording here.
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ACCELERATE Project Launch
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Dr. Emmanuel Peprah and Dr.Nuodu launched the ACCELERATE U01 study at the University of Abuja in March. The ACCELERATE Project is an NIH-funded research study (U01HL156942) conducted by the University of Abuja Centre of Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease Research and Training and the ISEE Lab at New York University School of Global Public Health, led by Dr.Peprah. The study aims to see how training healthcare providers in adopting Hydroxyurea (HU) helps improve Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) management. For more information on the project, check out the newly launched website. You may also catch Dr. Peprah's interviews where he speaks about his research here: [1] [2].
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Dr. Peprah receives NIH grant for training program to improve Sickle cell management in West Africa.
Obiageli Eunice Nnodu (University of Abuja), Prisca Olabisi Adejumo (University of Ibadan), Emmanuel K. Peprah (New York University), and Fred Stephen Sarfo (KNUST, Kumasi) were awarded a D43 Sickle Pan African Research Consortium TRAINing Grant (SPARC-TRAIN) – 1D43TW012724-01 by the NIH Fogarty International Center. Over the next five years, SPARC-TRAIN will launch an innovative interdisciplinary training program aimed at addressing critical gaps in translational research for sickle cell disease and related conditions. The program will mentor 20-35 scholars from Nigeria, Ghana, and other countries in West Africa, training them to become leaders in hemoglobinopathies and implementation science.
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Prince Amegbor attends the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting
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At this year's AAG annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Prince Amegbor (NYU-GPH), Dr. Zhaoxi Zhang (NYU-Tandon), and Dr. Mehak Sachdeva (NYU Tandon) organized two enlightening sessions titled "Revolutionizing Urban Health I: AI Advancements for Healthy Cities." These sessions were dedicated to exploring how AI methods can address the complex challenges of urban health. The objective was to delve into the practical application of AI in urban health and spark discussions on its potential, challenges, and opportunities for future urban development, with the goal of creating healthier urban environments. Topics covered included leveraging data-driven insights to understand urban health trends, employing AI approaches to analyze urban health disparities, devising innovative methods to predict disease outbreaks, monitoring environmental risks, and implementing interventions to promote healthier cities. A total of nine papers were presented across both sessions.
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In addition to the sessions, Dr. Amegbor presented a paper titled "Contributing Effects of Climate Change, Ambient Air Pollution, and Environmental Assets on Childhood Health Outcomes: A Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa'' at the Environmental Data Deserts 1 session, hosted by Arizona State University. This paper delved into the complex interplay between climate change, ambient air pollution, and vegetation cover on stunted growth among children under the age of 5 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research was a collaborative effort involving MPH students from the department and Prof. Dickey's AGPHI lab, who are engaged in studying climate change and food security in Madagascar. Collaborators include Elizabeth Carr, Marisa Guerrero, Oyinkansola Babayode, Sarah E Crisci, Xin Y Fang, Ayesa Siddeky, and Dr. Reginald Quansah from the School of Public Health, University of Ghana.
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Featured Publication:
The "Bubble": What Can Be Learned from the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2019-20 Season Restart in Orlando during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr. Michael Merson, interim chair of the Department of Global and Environmental Health, served as a public health advisor to the National Basketball Association (NBA) during COVID-19. The NBA was the first US professional sports league to suspend operations in March 2020. The league resumed the season in July 2020 under a “Bubble,” a closed campus setting with a series of multifaceted interventions and strategies to prevent transmission. In a recently published article Dr. Merson and colleagues, discuss the success of the "Bubble" protocol and how the strategies can be applied to manage future pandemics. Find it here.
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Prince M. Amegbor
Modelling the spatial risk pattern of dementia in Denmark using residential location data: A registry-based national cohort
Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology
Read more >
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Thomas O'Connell
Design and implementation of a Primary Health Care (PHC) Toolbox for improving the impact of support from Global Development Partners
BMC Global & Public Health
Read more >
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Yesim Tozan
Opportunities and challenges for innovative and equitable healthcare
Nature
Read more >
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Yesim Tozan
Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Meghalaya, India: Multiple correspondence and agglomerative hierarchical cluster Analyses
PLOS Global Public Health
Read more >
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Emmanuel Peprah
Assessing how college students used information from institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States during COVID-19: Public health implications for mitigation of disease risk
JMIR
Read more >
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Moaz Abdelwadoud
Women’s Health Information-Seeking Experiences and Preferences for Health Communications on FDA-Regulated Products: A Qualitative Study in Urban Area
MDPI
Read more >
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William N. Rom
Annals of Education: Teaching Climate Change and Global Public Health
MDPI
Read more >
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Congratulations to the Class of 2024!
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The Global and Environmental Health Department hosted its annual Graduate Reception event to honor this year’s graduating class. Faculty, staff, and 24’ graduates gathered at Mr.Purple to celebrate their achievements. Dr. Jack Caravanos also received special recognition for his leadership of the environmental health program as he prepares for retirement in the Fall.
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