Lehman College announced that Associate Professor and CUNY Institute of Healthy Equity (CIHE) Director Dr. Maria Isabel Roldós, has been named the recipient of a five-year, $1.25 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA).
Working in collaboration with Hunter College Associate Professor and Co-PI Dr. Judith Aponte, Roldós will be applying the grant towards developing place-based education initiatives in high schools across the Bronx to address health disparities and train students in health disparities research.
“In the past decade, understanding healthy equity and disparities has become more crucial than ever,” Roldós said. “As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, our campus is uniquely positioned to transform the pipeline of students and professionals entering the research field while also addressing health disparities in our community. I am excited to work with high school students and teachers to create a lasting impact that will help shape the future of health research and open doors to new career pathways and contribute to the science of health disparities.”
The initiative for which the grant is being applied will target the Marie Curie School for Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions to develop and test educational modules centered around research on local health issues, including diabetes, adolescent mental health, sleep disparities and prevention of HIV and STIs, as well as community and population health theory and practicums. Lehman faculty members Dr. Tailisha González, Dr. Mia Budescu and Dr. Martin Downing will be assisting Roldós and Aponte as co-health investigators.
“Lehman College’s Center for School and College Collaboratives looks forward to introducing high school students and their teachers to critical topics in community health,” said Anne Rothstein, founding director of the Center for School and College Collaboratives at Lehman College. “Students will have the opportunity to learn about health issues impacting them and their families and will develop research strategies to study community data and presentation skills to share their knowledge with their community.”
Lehman’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) will integrate the education modules and strategies developed through the initiative into the curriculum for an upcoming cohort of students. STEP provides academic enrichment in science, technology, engineering and math, with a goal of increasing the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students in the Bronx prepared to enter college. High schoolers in STEP will also have the opportunity to earn college credit through the College Now program.
The grant will also showcase Lehman College’s scholarship and research in the Bronx and promote community health forums with public health and health services practitioners, such as the Director of Health of the Office of the Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, the Division of Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and other community partners.
