"Combating Obesity/Diabetes in the South Bronx"

We have been awarded a grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health philanthropic organization in the country, to create a new model of consumer journalism for low-income populations in the South Bronx.

This area has the highest proportion of adults with diabetes of any neighborhood in the city, and many of the area's children are obese and will become diabetic. They lack information about their disease and resources to help them.

Students will investigate obesity and diabetes in our target neighborhood and produce print products and interactive tools. In addition to regular class work on the project, students who want to do more will be able to apply for research assistant stipends under the grant.

Urban Health Workshop

For the next few years the Graduate School of Journalism will host an urban health workshop for journalists interested in covering health in the urban environment. The Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), which represents journalists covering health and medicine, presents the conference. New York institutions such as Montefiore Medical Center, the New York Academy of Medicine and media organizations such as the New York Times and Consumer Reports help sponsor the event.

Students have served on the planning committee and have recommended speakers for the program. They get to attend the workshop and receive a one-year membership AHCJ.

Shadowing a Medical Resident for a Day

As part of the second course in the concentration, "Separating Hype from Reality," students will spend a day following a resident at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. They will learn what it's like to be a doctor-in-training and then will write a profile of the doctor they work with.

Observing Field Research

Students have traveled to sites served by the New York Academy of Medicine's outreach program to watch researchers interview residents with AIDS and other diseases.

Field Trips

We have been to Rockefeller University where the general counsel has lectured on clinical trials and informed consent. We have gone to Montefiore Hospital to observe its outreach program for teenagers who are obese or have diabetes. And we have visited The Commonwealth Fund, another philanthropic organization interested in health, to learn about their groundbreaking studies comparing the quality of health care in the U.S. with other countries.