In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Niyati Parekh, an Associate Professor of Public Health Nutrition here at NYU GPH and the Executive Director of Doctoral Studies, along with Dr. Filippa Juul a current Assistant Professor Faculty/Fellow who obtained her Ph.D. in Public Health from GPH with a concentration in Epidemiology in 2020.  Both Niyati and Filippa worked on a widely-circulated study on the harmful effects of Ultra-Processed Foods and their association with health risks, especially cardiovascular disease. The study, which had media coverage across several media outlets and was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, identifies as a modifiable risk factor in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of CVD incidence and mortality. Dr. Parekh and Dr. Juul also provide insight into the global perspective of this issue and what other countries are doing to address concerns of health and nutrition, along with what types of foods are considered “ultra-processed”  and what ways we can best preserve our health. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

I AM GPH

EP101 Heart Health and Ultra-processed foods with Dr. Niyati Parekh and Dr. Filippa Juul

Supriya Lal is a recent graduate of GPH with Master of Public Health concentrating in Public Health Nutrition, who also received her undergraduate degree in the Global Public Health program at NYU. On campus, Supriya worked as a Graduate Research Assistant and as a Project Coordinator for the SAHARA Initiative. The SAHARA or South Asian Health and Research Initiative was created at GPH in 2019 by professor Dr. Niyati Parekh to foster collaboration and research on the health needs of migrant South Asians, an underserved community in the U.S. with many health disparities. The initiative has collectively published many articles and conference abstracts and continues to explore grant opportunities that expand and advance South Asian health research at GPH. As a Project Coordinator, Supriya had a front-row seat to many of the projects and studies being done through the group as well as its inner workings and operation. In this episode, Supriya tells me more about the group- its inception and mission and shares more on some of the fascinating studies that have been taking place, including one she’s working on with current GPH Ph.D. candidate Bridget Murphy on Food Frequency Questionaries and the South Asian community. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP100 The SAHARA Initiative: Championing South Asian Health Research

Anjana Sreedhar is an alumna of NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, receiving her Master’s in Public Administration in 2020 after also pursuing her undergraduate degree at NYU. She currently works as an Administrative Fellow at NYU Langone Health. In December of 2020, Anjana published her first book "Healthcare of A Thousand Slights: Connecting Legacy To Access To Healthcare,” which through extensive research and interviews investigates the history of health disparities in the United States especially for marginalized groups, and how they can be mitigated. In this episode, Anjana speaks on the process of writing the book and shares fascinating insights on her findings as it pertains to ethnic minorities and women and how the historical legacy of discriminatory policies and culture has had an enduring impact even in today’s culture. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP99 Healthcare of a Thousand Slights with Anjana Sreedhar

Mary Holiman (President) and Ciara Freeman (Vice President) are two MPH students who serve as leaders of the Black Women’s Health Collective (BWHC). The mission of BWHC is to support and encourage the leadership of Black women in public health while highlighting the health experiences of black women and girls globally. The club is able to do this with programming throughout the year by connecting Black women students and professionals in Public Health, sharing opportunities, and fostering a meaningful space of community and solidarity on NYU’s Campus. In this episode, Ciara and Mary give me insight into the club’s purpose and mission, as well as some events the organization has been holding this academic year such as their recent “Succeeding while Black” event and how the club has opened doors for them- Mary shares a defining internship experience she had. You can keep up with the organization on Instagram (@nyu_bwhc) and by subscribing to their newsletter (nyu.bwhc@gmail.com). Mary (@queenmvh) and Ciara (@ciarafreeman_) have also made themselves available as a resource or point of contact on Instagram. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP98 The Black Women’s Health Collective: Making Space in Public Health Through Intersectionality

Besa Bauta serves as Chief Data Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for MercyFirst, an organization that provides health and mental health services for clients in New York City. Besa, who is a GPH Alum (‘08) and NYU Ph.D. Alum (‘18), currently works as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work along with being a licensed clinical therapist. Her current work seeks to support health systems by building technological infrastructure. Besa’s current projects include work with the Feedback Research Institute [FRI] and the Social Impact AI Lab [SIAIL] which she helped co-found. What these projects seek to do is revolutionize human services by leveraging the latest technologies to improve outcomes for children and families receiving services in child welfare, mental health/behavioral health, and substance abuse treatment. Her initial work on the SIAIL made her the Winner of the 2019 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Award for Healthcare Innovation and Social-determinants of Health. Currently, Besa and her team are semi-finalists with the W. R. Berkley Innovation Labs’ NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge within the social-venture competition. In this interview, Besa and I discuss her work with MercyFirst and both FRI and SIAIL, along with engaging in an insightful discussion about the use of artificial intelligence in developing mental health services and the implications for this, and especially how COVID-19 has shaped the domain and understanding of the importance of mental health. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP97 Mental Health and Artificial Intelligence with Besa Bauta

Learn about the Houston water crisis you probably didn’t know even existed, how climate change may begin to affect our water sources around the U.S., the incredible story of survival from Jackie Young-Medcalf’s exposure to toxic heavy metals and the actions we can all take to feel empowered in our water rights. Jackie is a champion for public health and a catalyst for change through collaboration. Without knowing it Texas Health and Environment Alliance (THEA) was formed the day Jackie discovered what no doctor could about her and her family’s health – that their water was a culprit of their illnesses. It was in her hydrology class when she discovered the toxic environment in the area was making them sick through their water source. Once she revealed what was causing the death of her animals, her father’s cancer, and her own battles with seizures, loss of motor function, and endometriosis, she dedicated her studies to the environmental issues at the root of the problem. In 2015 Jackie launched Texas Health and Environment Alliance, where she has been a driving force in leading collaborative efforts across government agencies holding polluters responsible – specifically Superfund Sites. Representing over a half million voices in Houston and surrounding areas, Jackie has influenced more than $115 million in clean-up efforts. Kassandra Jones, NYU GPH alumna 19’, realized she had a knack for capturing the world around her through cinematic storytelling. After completing the Master of Public Health program at New York University, she now uses her knowledge base and strong interpersonal skills to highlight awareness around current and future global public health trends using media. Some of her freelance clients include Project Heal, THEA, Urban Indigenous Collective, Kitchen Connection, and the United Nations. Her commitment to pursuing her passion within communications and public health care has allowed her to work on culturally competent public health campaigns around environmental health, vaccine hesitancy, women's health equity, and food insecurity. Her goal is to use digital media to elicit social change and provide solutions. Website: txhea.org/community-health-survey/ Instagram: @tx.hea Facebook: www.facebook.com/TXHEA/ To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP96 Clean Water Rights with Jackie Young-Medcalf of THEA

Jocelyn Ulrich is a GPH alumna who graduated with a concentration in global health policy and management in 2009. Jocelyn has over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and currently works as a Deputy Vice President in Medical Innovation Policy in the Policy and Research department at PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America. In this role, she works at the intersection of public health and public policy to develop legislative and policy analysis and research studies on a range of issues impacting innovative biopharmaceutical companies ranging from FDA policy and intellectual property concerns. Jocelyn is dedicated to advancing medical innovation policy and in this episode, she discusses the function of her role at PhRMA, interesting innovations in health she’s excited about, as well as her thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine in terms of vaccine confidence and how efforts are being made to be inclusive of all communities, especially marginalized groups, in vaccine rollout and healthcare as a whole. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP95 Medical Innovation Policy and the COVID Vaccine with Jocelyn Ulrich

Join us for a conversation with NYU GPH Alumna Ashlee Wisdom about health technology, entrepreneurship, and challenging the status quo in healthcare and society. Ashlee will discuss how she is crafting her public health career and share her experience launching her digital health startup, Health In Her HUE. Learn more and download the Health in Her HUE app at www.healthinherhue.com To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP94 Launching a Digital Health Startup with Ashlee Wisdom, MPH ‘18

On November 14 and 15, 2020, the Public Policy Symposium on Public Health was presented through a collaboration between NYU GPH and the NYU Politics Society. During the two-day virtual symposium, students from across New York City gathered to present and debate policy proposals on various topics regarding public health. Participants were tasked with preparing creative policy memos addressing topics such as Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Mental Health, Prescription Drugs and Opioids, and Gun Violence. Our guests in this episode, NYU undergraduate students Sonia Wiecek and Pavel Shirley were both attendees of the event (Pavel was also a planning committee member). Sonia is a Junior Majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Public Health and Pavel is a Freshman studying Public Administration. The Public Policy Symposium’s committee held various events leading up to the Symposium to prepare participants to write about and debate these policy proposals, and to encourage them to think critically about public health. In conversation, Sonia and Pavel provided an in-depth look at the debated topics of national healthcare and insurance as well as housing. They discussed the current state of debate on those topics, what reform and solutions might look like for those issues, and the intersection of the fields of public health and public policy. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP93 Public Policy Symposium on Public Health 2020 with Pavel Shirley & Sonia Wiecek

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Marie Bragg, Assistant Professor of Public Health Nutrition at GPH, and Amaal Alruwaily, a GPH alumna who graduated in 2019 with a concentration in Epidemiology. Marie and Amaal were both a part of conducting a widely-circulated study on the harmful effects of “Kid Influencers” on Youtube promoting junk foods. The study had media coverage across major outlets such as CNN and The New York Times and was published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Prior to devising the idea for this study, Amaal spent a year working in Dr. Bragg’s SocioEconomic Evaluation of Dietary Decisions or (SEED) Program, working with content analysis among other things. The study illuminated connections between the manner in which foods are promoted through these videos how and food marketing is contributory to childhood obesity. The conversation was centered around the line of research in this study and its accessibility, fascinating findings from it and their greater implications, as well as how this issue might be compounded by COVID-19 among other things. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP92 Nutrition in the Digital Age with Dr. Marie Bragg and Amaal Alruwaily

Samara Mbugua is a GPH alumna, graduating with a concentration in Community & International Health in 2014, who now serves as the President of the school’s inaugural alumni board. Samara currently works as a Global Health Analyst at Becton, Dickinson & Company (BD), a global medical technology company. [Samara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science from Boston University. Prior to joining BD’s Global Health team, Samara worked as a consultant to hospital clinicians utilizing BD’s disease surveillance software.] Samara is the proud child of Kenyan and Zimbabwean immigrants and this background heavily inspires the work she does, working to increase access to BD’s products and resources in low- and middle-income countries. In this role, Samara especially focuses on strengthening public-private partnerships or PPPs, by supporting the planning, implementation, and monitoring of various programs on tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, infusion safety and laboratory quality among other topics. These cross-sector partnerships have resulted in global advocacy campaigns, capacity building for healthcare workers, laboratory systems strengthening, and other milestones. In this conversation, Samara explains more about what PPPs are and their impact and implementation as well as shares her global experiences as part of her role, and discusses the importance of having a seat at the table and diversity. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP91 The Dynamics of Private Public Partnerships with Samara Mbugua

In the summer of 2020, Dr. Robyn Gershon, Clinical Professor of Epidemiology taught the highly popular GPH course, Emergency Preparedness for Healthcare Organizations. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, three Master of Public Health students, Noor Jamal, Stephanie Parchment, and Cesar Figueroa enrolled in this timely and relevant course. Dr. Gershon’s high energy, dynamic course equips students with disaster management skills for the current healthcare domain, even providing students the chance to strategize solutions for disaster plans, healthcare guidelines, and more in collaborative teams. In this episode, Noor, Stephanie, and Cesar share their thoughts on the importance of emergency preparedness, how the United States has been managing the outbreak of COVID-19, and what this field looks like moving forward, armed with insight and wealth of knowledge gained from the course. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP90 Emergency Preparedness with Noor Jamal, Stephanie Parchment, and Cesar Figueroa

Mulanga Muofhe is a GPH alumna (MPH ‘09) who graduated with a concentration in international community health and is now a member of NYU GPH’s inaugural Alumni Board. Mulanga, a South African native is now based in Cape Town and is the founder of Mulanga Muofhe Natural Beauty, a natural and organic skincare brand that aims to target specific black skin concerns. On the side, she is also an independent transcriptionist with 3PlayMedia. Mulanga previously worked as a Project Manager on Inclusive Health Innovation at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a specialized unit at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. Much of Mulanga’s past work and passions lie within Health and Social Innovation and she has interests in promoting community-based health solutions and wellness for all. In this episode, we discuss of skincare and skin health for all and subverting existing standards of beauty, the pressing issue of femicide in South Africa, as well as social innovation in health. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP89 Beauty, Femicide, and Social Innovation Through The South African Lens with Mulanga Muofhe

Vivienne La is a GPH alumna, graduating with a concentration in Policy & Management in 2018, who serves as the Vice President of the school’s inaugural alumni board. She is currently a Project Manager within the Crossix Analytics Product Strategy team at Veeva Systems in New York City. In her current position, she is responsible for overseeing Crossix’s analytics platform product production and operations as well as spearheading process optimization and scalability initiatives. These products service clients with broad health initiatives from pharmaceuticals, telemedicine, and health-focused consumer goods, helping them more effectively reach target audiences and improve their marketing campaigns through real time exposure analytics and tracking patient behavior over time. Her past experience is varied, as she spent time working as a consultant helping clients build out their health benefit programs and working with consumer-health directed startups to implement their solutions across the country. In this episode we discuss her career trajectory- from working in health consulting to what she does now, working in the health-tech sector from Veeva Systems in an enlightening conversation on the intersection of health and technology as it pertains to the current public health domain. She also provides advice to students about navigating the vast public health domain post-grad and especially the health tech sector. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu.

EP88 Health Tech and the Evolving Public Health Domain with Vivienne La

Shahmir Ali, is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at NYU’s School of Global Public Health, with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Prior to joining NYU, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in public health studies and political science. Shahmir, a Pakistani-American, cites his global background as a major inspiration and contributor to his passion for public health. His past research and publications have spanned work in the US, China, Australia—where he spent many of his formative years—and Pakistan. [As an NYU student, he has been involved with research on campus such as the South Asian Health and Research or (SAHARA) Initiative.] Earlier this year, Shahmir was part of an innovative team of researchers that conducted a widely-circulated study exploring social media as a recruitment platform for knowledge regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In this episode we discuss his experience gathering information on COVID-19 as the pandemic progresses as well as his journey to the Ph.D. and advice for prospective students. To learn more about the NYU School of Global Public Health, and how our innovative programs are training the next generation of public health leaders, visit publichealth.nyu.edu. 

EP87 COVID-19 Knowledge and the Journey to Ph.D. with Shahmir Ali

The I AM GPH podcast brings you community conversations from the New York University School of Global Public Health. From student internships to cutting edge faculty research, from alumni insights to the insider scoop on campus life… it's all right here on the I AM GPH podcast.

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I AM GPH

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