Following up on a record-breaking year in 2021, the CUNY SPH Foundation spent 2022 reinforcing its services and supports for the school, its students,
the CUNY population and the Harlem community. The CUNY SPH Foundation exists to support the mission, vision and values of CUNY SPH as New York City’s public school for public health. To that end, nearly $1 million were raised to bolster crucial programs and activities.
Career Skills Academy
The Foundation’s flagship student support program, the Career Skills Academy, had a remarkable first year of activity. With 49 students in its initial cohort, students participated in a curriculum to enhance their soft skills, including carrying your career values into the workplace, confronting imposter syndrome, advancement and salary negotiation, critical thinking, professional communication, authenticity and more. The Academy featured master class speakers from across public, private and nonprofit leaders including Cityblock Health Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Toyin Ajayi, NYC Health Business Leaders Co-Founder and CEO Bunny Ellerin, former NYC Chief Health Equity Officer Dr. Torian Easterling, CEO of Jon Snow International Margaret Crotty and many more. Seeing the incredible merit of this program, KKR Covid Relief Fund made a matching commitment of $250,000 to join BNY Mellon in funding a continuation and expansion of the program to include more students and a new mid-career track.
Promoting Vaccine Literacy
Implementing the Vaccine Literacy Campaign was a core function of the Foundation throughout the year. The program addressed gaps in vaccine literacy by increasing community-level access to vaccine education and information. The VLC engaged over 200 partners including government, elected officials, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, individuals and the private sector to establish networks of feedback loops for community support, data collection and reporting, needs, priorities and resource identification and informing policy and data reporting. Recognizing the importance of the VLC and its model of successful partnership and program development, BIO committed an additional $150,000 initially to continue this initiative and expand its footprint to address routine vaccination recovery in Harlem.
New Fellowship and Scholarship Opportunities
Michael Meng Fellowship in Health Business
Co-Founder and CEO of Stellar Health and Founding CUNY SPH Foundation Board Member Michael Meng committed $150,000 to launch this fellowship in spring 2023, which will seek to bridge the gap between health business and public health under the leadership of Dr. Terry Huang.
Dr. Marilyn Aguirre-Molina & Dr. Carlos W. Molina Scholarship
Dr. Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, CUNY SPH Professor Emeritus, and her husband Dr. Carlos Molina formed a new scholarship fund in their names to support students wishing to address issues of health equity that impact underserved communities of color, particularly Spanish-speaking communities.
Harlem Health Fellowships
Ruth Wooden, a fellow CUNY SPH Foundation Board Member, committed $125,000 to establish a new endowment for the Harlem Health Fellowship in Health Communications. Joining her was RubiconMD co-Founder and CEO and CUNY SPH Foundation Board Member Gil Addo, who donated $50,000 to establish a fellowship in his name to support two students to work with the Harlem Health Initiative at CUNY SPH.
