VI. RESEARCH
Criterion VI. The school shall pursue an active research program, consistent with
its mission, through which its faculty and students contribute to the knowledge base
of the public health disciplines, including research directed at improving the
practice of public health.
Documentation
1. A description of the school’s research activities, including policies, procedures
and practices that support research and scholarly activities.
2. A description of current community-based research activities and/or those
undertaken in collaboration with health agencies and community-based
organizations. Formal research agreements with such agencies should be
identified.
3. A list of current research activity, including amount and source of funds, over the
last three years.
4. Identification of measures by which the school may evaluate the success of its
research activities, along with data regarding the school’s performance against
those measures over the last three years.
5. A description of student involvement in research.
6.
Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.
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VI.1. A description of the School’s research activities, including policies, procedures
and practices that support research and scholarly activities.
The research goal of the School is to conduct research on key public health issues
confronting individuals and populations, and to inform and influence policy debates and
decision making on these issues. The School’s research efforts concentrate on carrying
out a full range of biomedical, epidemiologic, social science, and health policy issues that
affect the health of the public, in an atmosphere conducive to increasing levels and
quality of both basic and applied research.
Examples of key research objectives of the School, presented in Criterion I, include:
extending the scientific foundation for understanding and ultimately preventing and
treating health disorders and promoting good health at the population level; facilitating
research relevant to the practice of public health at the group, individual, molecular, and
genetic levels; evaluating programs and policies for the delivery of health care services;
and communicating research results to the public, health practitioners, policymakers, and
the research community.
The School’s research program is structured around the conceptual and programmatic
interests of individual faculty and collaborative groups of faculty, within the School and
the University. Faculty members initiate and develop research projects, procure the
necessary funds, manage projects, and disseminate findings, within guidelines provided
by sponsoring agencies, the School, and the University. The School directly influences its
research program through faculty recruitment and promotion decisions. In addition, the
administration of the School frequently calls to the attention of faculty members specific
research opportunities. It also encourages various groups within the School, University
and community to engage in collaborative activities in order to increase the relevance and
impact of the total research effort. The School and University maintain oversight
authority for the administrative and procedural aspects of research in order to ensure that
the School’s responsibilities to sponsoring agencies, the University, and society are met.
Specific guidelines for integrity and ethical behavior are provided in the University
Faculty Handbook (Appendix VIII.B.1.a, also available on the web at
www.columbia.edu/cu/vpaa/fhb) and are described in Criterion II.B.2. Research relevant
policy manuals included in the Faculty Handbook include: Guidelines for the Review of
Misconduct in Science for the Health Sciences Campus; Regulations Governing
Externally Funded Research and Instruction; Statement on Policy and Proprietary Rights
in the Intellectual Products of Faculty Activity; Statement of University Policy on
Conflicts of Interest; Columbia University Guidelines for Situations Involving Potential
Conflicts of Interest between Scholarly and Commercial Activities; Columbia
Presbyterian Medical Center Conflict of Interest Policy. The Policy and Procedures
Guidelines of Columbia’s Institutional Review Board describe requirements for all
research involving human subjects. Moreover, all researchers, regardless of the source of
their funding, are required to pass an examination on the protection of human research
subjects, and the Health Sciences offers a course, “Protection of Human Subjects in
Biomedical and Behavioral Research.”
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Research funds are managed within the School and through the Health Sciences Office of
Grants and Contracts, which also monitors progress and conformance to reporting
requirements and management practices as may be required by the sponsoring agencies.
The School has a very large and wide-ranging research portfolio, as indicated by the
more than 180 active research grants listed in Tables VI.3.a-b. A review of those projects
highlights the interdisciplinary nature of the School’s research. The School’s research on
the health of populations requires the collaborative effort of many disciplines. Examples
of the diversity of the School’s research topics include:
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economic, organizational, and policy factors in the provision of health care
the role of prenatal exposures in determining asthma risk
best practices to reduce maternal mortality in resource poor countries
improved statistical methodologies for clinical research
the health effects and geochemistry of arsenic in tube wells in Bangladesh
the impact of social movements on governmental policies concerning HIV
effects of the Chernobyl accident on thyroid cancer and leukemia
As an active member of the collaborative research community within the University, the
School plays a prominent role in initiating and supporting interdisciplinary research
projects across departmental and school boundaries. On the Health Sciences campus, the
School is engaged in collaborative research, including joint ventures and jointly funded
projects with: the Departments of Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics,
Psychiatry, Surgery, and Pharmacology; the HIV Center; the Herbert Irving
Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center; the Institute of
Human Nutrition; the Schools of Nursing, and Dental and Oral Surgery; and, New York
Presbyterian Hospital.
The School also has active collaborations with units of the University on the Morningside
Campus, including the Departments of Statistics, Anthropology, Economics, History,
Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Psychology; the Schools of Law, Social
Work, Business, and International and Public Affairs; and the Columbia Earth Institute.
In addition, the School’s National Center for Children in Poverty is one of the three
founding centers of the Columbia Institute for Child and Family Policy.
VI.2. A description of current community-based research activities and/or those
undertaken in collaboration with health agencies and community-based
organizations. Formal research agreements should be identified.
A list of organizations that the School has formal research agreements with is presented
in Table VI.2.
The School is located in the heart of the New York City metropolitan area, and has long
been involved in research and service programs dealing with the many serious public
health problems of this community, including AIDS, high rates of substance abuse,
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domestic violence, homelessness, adolescent pregnancy, environmental contamination
and inadequate health care.
In addition to research collaboration with other units of the University and New York
Presbyterian Hospital, the School is engaged in research collaboration with a number of
health agencies and community-based organizations. The School’s relationship with
many of these organizations is multi-faceted, including collaborative research, service,
and training activities, some of which are described in Criterion VII. Some of the most
prominent collaborations, and ones in which the School has formal research agreements,
are described below:
New York City Department of Health
The partnership between the School and the New York City Department of Health began
in the 1920’s. This collaboration—between the largest local health department in the
U.S. and one of the oldest schools of public health—has flourished over the years.
Today, the collaboration includes joint research activities and a number of service and
training programs (Criterion VII).
Collaborative research activities include an assessment of health needs in the
communities of Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood, and projects focusing on areas
of particular concern to inner-city minority populations such as infant mortality, child
health, tuberculosis control and tracking, diesel exhaust, prenatal care, pediatric
ambulatory care services, child immunization status, lead poison prevention, asthma
causes and prevention, family planning, and violence.
New York State Department of Health
The School has also had a long history of collaboration with the New York State
Department of Health in research, service, and training programs. Faculty and student
research interns are engaged in studies and analyses on topics such as birth weight trends,
HIV transmission in breast milk, childhood injury problems in New York City,
evaluation of family planning, and community-based immunization services.
New York State Psychiatric Institute
The School is a collaborator with the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies.
This Center, funded by a large grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health,
develops and analyzes community health education, prevention, and training programs
for the high-risk community served by the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
The School’s Department of Biostatistics serves the statistical needs of researchers at the
New York State Psychiatric Institute though access and training in state-of-the-art
statistical techniques as needed for optimal use of their research data. This includes
teaching statistics to researchers and post-doctoral fellows and providing short-term
consultations on data analysis and design issues for grant submission and manuscript
preparation. Methodological research focuses on such areas as analysis of longitudinal
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studies with generalized linear models and variance components models, survival
analysis, models for the analysis of categorical data, and resampling techniques.
Harlem Hospital Center
The Harlem Health Promotion Center, a CDC funded Prevention Center, is a
collaborative program between Harlem Hospital and the School of Public Health. The
Center’s mission is to collect, disseminate, and implement knowledge of new research
findings about disease prevention and health promotion among urban populations. Its
overall goal is to identify ways to decrease the high rates of morbidity and mortality
among both children and adults living in Harlem. It is a unique resource for community
residents, health care providers, and researchers committed to improving the health status
of the Harlem community.
The Department of Environmental Health Sciences is collaborating with the Harlem
Hospital Center in the Harlem Asthma Research Team, carrying out an intervention trial
focused on reducing exposures to indoor allergens among asthmatic children in Northern
Manhattan and the South Bronx. The study incorporates integrated pest management
methods to reduce cockroach and rodent populations with minimal use of toxic
pesticides. Effectiveness will be assessed in terms of reduced exposures, respiratory
symptoms, and allergen-specific responsiveness.
Another collaborative project with Harlem Hospital is the Charles P. Felton National
Tuberculosis Center, one of three “model” centers funded by the Division of
Tuberculosis Elimination, CDC. It is a partnership of Columbia University Health
Sciences, including the School of Public Health, the New York City Health and Hospitals
Corporation, and the New York City Department of Health, with a mandate to test
innovated programs for the treatment of tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection,
and to develop and deliver education and training materials for professionals. The unique
characteristics of the Harlem community have compelled the Center to focus on
initiatives tailored to fit its needs, such as: providing comprehensive social support to
reduce psychosocial barriers to treatment completion; developing and implementing new
models of care such as directly observed therapy and medication supervision by peer
workers; and educating and training community physicians, social workers, traditional
healers, and others who provide care to the community.
In addition to core model center funding, the Tuberculosis Center receives research
funding through the National Institutes of Health, along with the Tuberculosis
Epidemiological Studies Consortium and the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium, both
funded by the CDC. Current research activities include: a randomized clinical trial testing
the impact of peer worker support on adherence to LTBI treatment; physician attitudes
toward LTBI treatment and the impact of BCG vaccination, the impact of expedited
clinic procedures on patient outcomes, a randomized clinical trial testing a once-weekly,
12 dose treatment for LTBI versus traditional nine-month treatment; and a study of
immunological and immunogenetic factors in tuberculosis and LTBI.
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New York Injury Control Research Center
The Center represents a multifaceted approach to counter the complex public health
problem of violence. The Center is comprised of representatives from both the State and
City health departments, along with the Mailman School and the State University of New
York (SUNY). The mission of the Center is to facilitate and support multidisciplinary
academic, public health, and community-based research to help reduce morbidity and
mortality from intentional injury in New York State.
New York Academy of Medicine
The School’s Center for Violence Research and Prevention has research partnerships
with a number of agencies, including the New York Academy of Medicine, to focus on
the places and populations at risk for violence. The Center studies the antecedents,
consequences, and social control of violence. Violence in families, racial disparities in
juvenile justice, the waiver of juvenile offenders to adult courts, gun use among
adolescents, the dynamics of crime and drugs in economically distressed urban
neighborhoods, participation of women in drug selling, and youth gangs are among the
Center’s areas of inquiry.
The Harlem Health Promotion Center is working with the Urban Research Center of the
New York Academy of Medicine on a study of asthma in children in Head Start
programs in Northern Manhattan.
Academy for Educational Development (AED)
The Harlem Health Promotion Center and the AED are carrying out a joint research
project to identify and ameliorate gaps in the provision of emergency contraception to
adolescents.
International collaborative research
As described in Criterion I, the School has a strong track record in leading global health
research projects, in collaboration with international health and development agencies,
and with local governments, universities and NGOs. In recent years, the School has
greatly expanded its activities in global health, undertaking research that addresses
infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, STDs, tuberculosis, and emerging infections;
maternal and child health; forced migration; the cultural construction of sexuality; health
and human rights; reproductive health; environmental health effects from exposures to
arsenic, radiation, and lead; and comparative analyses of health care policies. In addition,
the School carries out service and training programs in a large number of countries
(Criterion VII).
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Table VI.2
Formal Research Agreements with External Organizations
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research
ABT Assoc Inc
Academy for Educational Development
Actuarial Research Corporation
Albany Medical College
Alianza Dominicana
Arizona State University
Associação Brasileira Interdisciplinar de AIDS
Baruch College Fund
Boston Medical Center
Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center
Center For Court Innovation
Central Vermont Community Health Programs
Children Now
Childrens Medical Center
Cicatelli Associates Inc
Community Action Agency
Community Action Project
Comprehensive Rural Health Project
Connecticut Voices for Children
Dept of Health & Human Services
Duke University
Economic Opportunity
Education Development Center
Emory University
Family Health International
Fox Chase Cancer Center
George Washington University
Hamlin Fistula Welfare Center
Harlem Congregations
Head Start of Greater Dallas
Health Research Inc
Hesperian Foundation
Human Resource Agency
International Center for Migration
IPAS, Inc
John Snow International Research
Johns Hopkins University
Kunri Christian Hospital
Laguna Division of Early Childhood
Lewin Group
Linangan NG Kabihan Inc
Lincoln Action Program
Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation
Marathon County Child Development Center
Maui Economic Opportunity Inc
MD Medical Research Institute, Inc.
Monash University
Montclair State University
Montefiore Medical Center
Mount Sinai School Of Medicine
Mount Sinai/NYU Health System
Myriad Genetic Lab Inc
National Development and Research Institute, Inc.
New York Academy of Medicine
New York Blood Center
New York City Department of Health
New York Injury Control Research Center
New York Medical College
New York Presbyterian Hospital
New York State Department of Health
New York State Psychiatric Center
Northern Manhattan Improvement
Orange County Children & Parents Center
Palm Beach County Head Start
Profamilia, Santo Domingo
Queens Comprehensive Perinatal Center
Research Foundation For Mental Hygiene
Research Foundation Of CUNY
Research Foundation of SUNY
Rocky Mountains Services
Save The Children
Shimantik Uruban Primary Care Center
Solu Hospital Development Committee
South Africa Medical Research Council
Southern Maryland Tricounty
Southwest Human Development Inc
St Lukes Roosevelt Hospital
St Mary Community Action Center
St Vincents Hospital & Med Center
Suffolk County Perinatal Center
Teachers College
Trenton Head Start
Trustees of Tufts University
Uganda Virus Research Institute
Umatilla Morrow Head Start Inc
University Autonomo Santo Domingo
University of Capetown
University of Illinois
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
University of Minnesota
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern California
University of Toronto
University of Washington
West Harlem Environmental Action Project
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VI.3. A list of research activity, including amount and source of funds, over the last
three years.
Table VI.3.a presents a complete list of government sponsored projects, active in March
2002. Table VI.3.b presents the same information for non-government sponsored
projects. Appendix VI.3.a provides comparable information for government and nongovernment grants for 2000 and 2001.
VI.4. Identification of measures by which the school may evaluate the success of its
research activities, along with data regarding the school’s performance against
those measures over the last three years.
Tangible indicators of the success of the School’s research activities are the magnitude of
and growth in the: (1) dollar amount of external research funding; (2) number of grant
awards; and, (3) number of governmental agencies and private foundations sponsoring
the School’s research. In terms of the relative magnitude of research support at the
national level, the School now ranks 3rd among all schools of public health in total dollar
amount of sponsored projects. Focusing on relative ranking among Columbia University
units, the School now ranks second only to the College of Physicians and Surgeons in
dollar amount of sponsored projects, exceeding the entire School of Arts and Sciences,
and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The growth in research funding over the past decade was presented in Criterion IV. Here
we only highlight the relevant data for the past three years. Annual total costs for all
externally funded research increased from $54,078,000 in 2000 to $72,570,000 in 2002, a
34% increase.
Focusing only on direct costs for government awards, annual expenditures rose from
$27,908,000 in 2000 to $35,744,000 in 2002, a 28% increase. The total number of
government awards increased over the period, from 96 in 2000 to 121 in 2002, with the
number of donors ranging from 26 to 30. The number of NIH grants increased from 41
in 2000 to 71 in 2002, with the number of NIH Institutes providing grants increasing
from 11 to 16.
The direct costs for non-government awards increased from $15,616,000 in 2000 to
$22,542,000 in 2002, a remarkable 44% increase. The number of non-government grants
increased slightly, with 61 awards in 2000 and 63 in 2002. The number of nongovernment donors increased from 36 in 2000 to 40 in 2002.
The publications of faculty, the journals in which they publish, and the conferences in
which they present their research are described in faculty cv’s, available in the on-site
Resource File.
The School’s research activities also may be evaluated by the success of its faculty in
carrying out relevant research in the priority areas of public health. The range of research
in key areas of public health is presented in the list of funded projects (Tables VI.3.a-b),
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in the Dean’s Report of 2000 (Appendix VI.3.b), and in faculty cv’s (on-site Reference
File).
A final indicator of research success is the faculty’s ability to establish collaborative
research relationships within the University and in the community. One indicator of
collaborative success is the high percentage (43%) of faculty holding joint appointments.
Success in establishing collaborative research relationships is clearly indicated by the
extensive list of research partnerships described in Criteria VI.1 and 2; and in the Dean’s
Report of 2000. In addition there is a significant overlap in the research, and service
partnerships established by faculty, demonstrating success in developing relationships
with other researchers, health agencies, and community organizations in studies of high
priority issues leading to appropriate public health applications and interventions (Criteria
VI.1 and 3, Criterion VII, and the Dean’s Report of 2000).
VI.5. A description of student involvement in research.
Numerous opportunities exist for students to participate in ongoing research. Working
under the supervision of a faculty member, many of the School’s graduate students have
significant responsibility for research projects. A large number of students hold graduate
research assistantships, and many others are supported as work-study students or hourly
employees on research projects. Students also participate in research through research
tutorials with faculty members, and as volunteers.
Students are actively involved with faculty on many of the most important research
projects of the School. Examples include research on the effects of the Chernobyl
accident on thyroid cancer, leukemia, and related diseases; chromosome aberrations
induced by environmental pollutants; cost-effectiveness evaluation of telemedicine for
underserved Medicare diabetes patients; evaluation of the UNICEF campaign to reduce
neonatal tetanus in developing countries; analysis of adolescent migration between the
Dominican Republic and the United States; evaluation of treatment protocols for TB
infections in new immigrants to the US; the relationship between exposure to cigarette
smoke and genetic susceptibility markers; and, analysis of expanding health service
coverage to the uninsured through Healthgap, a new insurance mechanism.
Students in the PhD and DrPH programs are required to undertake research for their
dissertations. (A list of recent doctoral dissertations is provided in Appendix VI.5.)
Under the guidance of faculty advisors, doctoral students select research topics in their
own area of special interest. In many instances, doctoral dissertations are based on a
component of a larger existing or ongoing research project being carried out by a faculty
member. By taking advantage of such a project, students often can have access to more
data than would be the case in an entirely independent project, while still having
responsibility for a significant element of the project. In other instances, for students who
are employed in a public health setting while seeking an advanced degree, the dissertation
data may emanate from their place of employment. Such projects usually benefit both
the student and the agency at which the research is being carried out.
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For the MPH students, the research environment of the School exposes them to a faculty
who are at the cutting edge of their disciplines and encourages students to participate in
the application of new knowledge to public health problems. MPH students, because of
the heavy demands of their coursework, their greater practice orientation, and their
relatively shorter tenure at the School, tend to have somewhat less intense involvement in
research than doctoral students. Nevertheless, many opportunities for direct research
experience through assistantships, tutorials, and volunteer work also exist for these
students, and the vast majority takes advantage of the opportunities.
The School also has enhanced the research opportunities of its graduate students by
obtaining the following federal training grants:
Psychiatric Epidemiology
The Columbia University Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program (PET) is now in
its 30th year of training individuals, from a variety of disciplines, in psychiatric
epidemiology. Sponsored by the Department of Epidemiology and the Department of
Psychiatry, it is one of only a small handful of programs designed to provide research
training in the epidemiology of mental disorders. The program has trained 115
researchers, most of whom have gone on to make important scholarly contributions and
some of whom have become leaders in the field. The unifying theme for training involves
the use of theory, study design, or measurement innovation to allow previously untested
ideas to be tested. Pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships are available.
Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
The Infectious Disease Training Program, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, was established in 2001, to produce a cadre of scientists with
expertise in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases have reclaimed
their importance in the field of public health and public policy, both domestically and
internationally. The global impact of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and diarrheal and
respiratory infections in children underscores the importance of training in infectious
diseases. The recent recognition of emerging new pathogens has also highlighted the
importance of understanding their epidemiology. Trainees selected for this program
conduct clinical or laboratory based research with one of the participating faculty
mentors, and take courses in substantive areas and research methods.
AIDS International Training and Research Program
The Department of Epidemiology hosts an AIDS International Training and Research
Program (AITRP) of the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health.
The goal of the program is to train scientists from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South
Africa, and Swaziland to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and related tuberculosis
epidemic through research. The Mailman School currently is training nine fellows in
areas of HIV and TB epidemiology and in behavioral sciences aspects of HIV/AIDS. In
addition, several other fellows are receiving shorter specific training at affiliated
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institutions. Fellows who have returned to their countries are principal investigators for a
number of HIV research projects, including HIV vaccine interventions, and virologic and
immunologic studies of newly infected persons with HIV.
International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health
The International Training and Research Program in Environmental and Occupational
Health was established to respond to the massive arsenic contamination of tube wells in
Bangladesh, involving millions of wells and an estimated 25-30 million people
chronically exposed to arsenic contaminated water. To address this complex
environmental problem, Columbia is leading a multi-disciplinary research project (public
health, earth science, and social science) in Bangladesh with local partners, including the
Bangladesh National Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine and Dhaka University.
The program is designed to train four pre-and four post-doctoral Bangladeshi scientists in
environmental health, environmental epidemiology, earth science or social science.
Mental Health Statistics Training Program
The Mental Health Statistics Training Program in the Department of Biostatistics
supports pre-doctoral fellows in the PhD and DrPH programs, and post-doctoral fellows.
The program is designed for trainees who wish to apply state-of-the-art statistical
methods to important mental health problems, including the use of new technologies such
as brain imaging techniques (e.g., MRI, PET, and functional MRI), molecular biology,
and genetics.
Cancer Epidemiology Training Program
Since 1985, Columbia University has had a T32 training grant from the National Cancer
Institute, in which faculty from the School’s Departments of Epidemiology, Biostatistics
and Environmental Health Sciences, and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer
Center have collaborated. The grant provides a strong basis for a research career in the
epidemiology of cancer, including a solid grounding in epidemiology and biostatistical
methods, and extensive instruction concerning cancer, including molecular genetics,
clinical oncology, toxicology, and the behavioral sciences.
Training Program in Cancer Related Population Sciences
This cancer training program, scheduled for funding by the National Cancer Institute in
September 2002, is designed to complement the previously mentioned Cancer
Epidemiology Training Program. The program has a broad multidisciplinary training
focus for scientists in cancer prevention and control. It provides: financial support for
faculty to develop specialized curricula; educational experience in behavioral and
psychosocial oncology; support for hands-on research experience in epidemiologic data
collection, biostatistical analysis, clinical encounters, and bench research; support for
mentoring relationships; and stipends to expand the pool of qualified applicants.
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Neuroepidemiology Training Program
The training program in neuroepidemiology draws faculty members, trainees and
curricula from neurology, epidemiology, and other relevant disciplines. Advanced predoctoral and post-doctoral training is available, with some post-doctoral fellowships.
Topics covered in academic courses are epidemiology and biostatistics, neurology and
neuroscience, and neuroepidemiology. Trainees with strong individual interests,
including human genetics, neonatology, and epilepsy may select appropriate
concentrations as faculty strengths permit.
Genetics of Complex Disorders Training Program
The new Genetics of Complex Disorders Training Program, funded by NIMH, is
designed to train postdoctoral (MD and PhD) and predoctoral fellows in genetic
epidemiology and statistical analysis of psychiatric and other complex diseases. Training
addresses all aspects of human genetic studies, including: study design, clinical work,
phenotype definition, laboratory issues, and statistical analysis. Fellows work closely
with a preceptor on an independent research project.
Initiative for Minority Student Development
The Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD) Program is funded by the NIH
Division of Minority Opportunities in Research. The program supports ten masters
students a year for two years, five each in Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences. The
purpose of the program is to increase the number of underrepresented ethnic minority
students who receive graduate research training in these disciplines. The program
provides coursework, research placements with faculty members, mentoring relationships
with advanced graduate students, and support for attendance at scientific conferences.
In addition to the above federally funded training programs, the School has obtained
private foundation funds for:
Training Program for the Study of Sexuality, Gender, Health and Human Rights
The Program for the Study of Sexuality, Gender, Health and Human Rights is a
Rockefeller Foundation funded post-doctoral residency program designed to encourage
new scholarship about sexuality and human rights, and facilitate conversations between
academics, advocates and activists in the U.S. and internationally.
VI.6. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.
The School perceives that it fully meets this criterion. The School has a noted research
program that addresses many of the major public health programs of New York City,
New York State, the nation, and the world. The research areas and approaches are highly
diverse. Accordingly, the School is able to provide an array of research experiences to
meet the wide-ranging interests of its students. The combination of courses in research
methodology and in substantive areas, and research projects on which students can work
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with faculty, indicate that students have an excellent opportunity to develop and enhance
their research skills at the School. The close collaboration with external organizations
and other units of the University facilitates the creation of interdisciplinary projects and
consultation with faculty in other departments. Research is carefully woven into the
educational environment, both through the direct involvement of students in research
projects, and through the inclusion of research methods and findings in the courses taught
by faculty members who are actively involved in the creation of knowledge. In addition
to classroom teaching, the School’s research findings are disseminated through
publications, presentations, continuing education, and the popular media.
The School’s research program is structured around the conceptual and programmatic
interests of individual faculty and individual groups of faculty. The administration and
departments of the School influence the quality and content of the research portfolio of
the School primarily through their decisions concerning recruitment, retention and
promotion. In addition, the administration frequently informs faculty members about
research opportunities or encourages collaborative activities in order to increase the
relevance and impact of the total research effort. As the only accredited School of Public
Health in the largest urban area in the nation, the Deans and Department Chairs
continually encourage that priority be given to research and service projects that will
positively impact on the health of inner city, poor populations in general, and on
Washington Heights and Harlem residents in particular. In these ways, the School
attempts to maintain a highly skilled research faculty addressing questions appropriate to
a school of public health.
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