On March 5, 2025, CUNY ISPH hosted a visit from Dr. Sara Willems, a leading expert in public health and primary care from Ghent University. The visit focused on exploring and building collaborations and exchanges between CUNY and Ghent University, a key objective set forth by CUNY Central. The vibrant day of exchange and ideas included presentations by Dr. Willems, ISPH investigators, key CUNY SPH faculty, CUNY SPH staff, representatives of CUNY CARES, and faculty from the CUNY School of Medicine. Opportunities for collaborations were discussed throughout the day, including exchanging CUNY and Ghent University PhD students and faculty and sharing datasets and methods.
ISPH Executive Director Denis Nash started the day with a warm welcome and introductions. Dr. Willems then presented her research on health equity, where she explored critical areas such as healthcare organization, access to care, social determinants of health, and the role of social capital in mitigating health disparities. Her presentation included an overview of WGC Watersportbaan, a community health center in Ghent where she is the Executive Director.
Select CUNY SPH faculty presentations gave Dr. Willems an inside view into some of the critical research on population health and related outcomes that ISPH investigators and CUNY SPH faculty focus on. ISPH investigator Christian Grov discussed his co-lead AMETHST study, covering recruitment techniques and recent findings. ISPH’s newest investigator, Mustafa Hussein, presented “Social Inequality in Health: Mechanisms and Drivers in the Health Insurance and Labor Markets,” and talked about his co-lead study showing that there are higher injury rates among NYC food delivery gig workers who are dependent on the work as their primary job. ISPH partner Luisa Borrell presented new methods in her presentation, “The Hispanic Paradox: An intersectional MAIHDA analysis of birthweight inequities in NYC.” Finally, Terry Huang, Director of the Center for Systems and Community Design, touched on three projects: a built environment policy initiative on community parks redesign, diabetes management in several sites in Brooklyn, and system dynamics modeling.
Later in the day, representatives from some CUNY community-based health impact initiatives presented their impacts, including Maya Lloyd, Student Career Program Manager in the CUNY SPH Office of Experiential Learning and Career Services, who talked about examples of student placements at fieldwork sites in the Bronx. Patti Lamberson, Deputy Director of Healthy CUNY, along with Hamilton Esteban, Project Director of CUNY CARES gave an in-depth presentation on the pilot program that connects CUNY students in the Bronx to health care, mental health, food, and housing services so they have what they need to succeed in school.
Faculty from the CUNY School of Medicine later joined to discuss possible projects in collaboration with CUNY ISPH and Ghent University.
The day was wrapped up with a call with CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes along with ISPH Executive Director Denis Nash.
