Investing in our students for the good of the community.
In 2022, two Foundation Board members generously funded fellowship programs to enable CUNY SPH students to responsibly engage with our Harlem community.
Renowned marketing and communications strategist Ruth Wooden committed $125,000 to fund the Harlem Health Fellowship in Health Communication for Social Change, which will connect students with local nonprofits to develop and implement health communications strategies for the organizations.
Through the fellowship, CUNY SPH students in the Health Communication for Social Change track completing their Capstone project, a culminating requirement of their degree program, are matched with local organizations as a consultative and strategic partner.
Given Harlem’s struggles with COVID-19 and vaccination, a special emphasis is placed on organizations seeking to promote vaccination and debunk misinformation through a community communications campaign.
The 2022-23 Harlem Health Fellowship in Health Communication for Social Change Fellow
Aida Martinez is a storied public health professional with a passion for service to historically marginalized populations. In her current role at The Trenton Health Team, she manages the Capital City Diabetes Collaborative, a grant funded program which addresses major issues identified with treatment of diabetes in Trenton, NJ from healthcare to social and environmental aspects.
The second fellowship is a $50,000 commitment from Board Member Gil Addo to invest in two student fellowships over the course of two years to provide day-to-day operational support to the overall Harlem health initiative.
The 2022 Addo fellows are from and for our community and believe strongly that bolstering community-based organizations strengthens existing infrastructure and gives community leaders the resources they need to enact change. This comes with the shared purpose to address racial and social equity, and to help our community reach its greatest potential and well-being, beyond systemic public health and social barriers.
The 2022-23 Gil Addo Fellows
Tomisha Hicks is an MPH student in the Health Policy and Management track with a specialization in Maternal, Child, Reproductive, and Sexual Health. She comes to us with prior fellowship experience at Columbia University, as well as a Public Health Internship in Cape Coast and Elmina, Ghana. Since starting the fellowship, she has used her diverse experiences and expertise to also create and maintain systems that pertain to health protocol, emergency readiness, and school nutrition for a local middle school.
Prea Khan is an MPH student, also in the Health Policy and Management track. Prior to her studies at CUNY SPH, she worked closely with faculty at NYU Tandon as she led the undergraduate work-study program in Biomolecular Science. She is currently an Advanced Clinical Associate at Northwell GoHealth Urgent Care and has described her interests in improving NYC safety net hospitals, access to fresh produce for those suffering from food insecurity and living conditions in vulnerable communities.
