Professors discuss their experience working toward a sustainable approach to urban health in LMICs
By: Emily Holzman & Ashley Newcomb
Recently, students and faculty from the NYU College of Global Public Health (GPH) attended an event at The Standard East Village with presentations from Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford and Dr. Edward O’Bryan. The speakers at the event discuss the challenges of urbanization and the solutions to creating healthier cities worldwide. Professor Chris Dickey, associate professor of global public health, kicked off the event by welcoming attendees and introducing the student groups. Emily Holzman and Jennifer Ohn from the Applied Global Public Health Initiative and the Healthcare Consulting Organization, presented on their respective organizations and the work student members have accomplished over the past year. The event was co-sponsored by the Departments of Global Health and Public Health Policy & Management, through the gracious support of Dr. José Pagán.
Picture: Dr. Edward O'Brayn with students. Photo Credit: Ashley Newcomb
Dr. Edward O’Bryan (pictured above), attending physician and Chief of the Division of Global Health and Telemedicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, spoke to students about his non-profit organization, OneWorld Health (OWH). OWH was founded in 2009 and provides healthcare to low-income countries in Africa and Central America. Dr. O’Bryan discussed the history of the organization and how they have created a financially sustainable business model through recruiting local, skilled workers and fostering growth in the surrounding communities. He also discussed the importance of maintaining trust with local communities through providing quality health care.
Dr. Boufford, Professor of Global Public Health at GPH and immediate past-president of the New York Academy of Medicine, spoke about her upcoming conference in Uganda and the need for good governance in improving health in cities worldwide. She also discussed the role that public health practitioners can play in combating inequity, increased population density, and better health policies. Dr. Boufford noted how place-based analyses on health are necessary, reflecting on the popular saying “your zip code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code.” This resonated deeply with the GPH students who have been grappling with how to promote sustainability in public health, especially during a time when more than half the world’s population live in cities.
Picture 2: Students learning about an electric powered Tesla. Photo Credit: Jason F. Arnold.
In his remarks, event organizer Jason F. Arnold, JD, MPH said, “This event is the first in what we hope will be a series of lectures by public health practitioners to help bring students together from different concentrations and share thoughts on ways to improve global public health. Based on the feedback we received from attendees, we anticipate these types of collaborations will continue in the future.”