A unique feature of the Center is that the community will be active participants in the research process. "A community advisory board will aid in the development of our programs by helping us to identify those who can benefit the most," Dr. Boutin-Foster says. "This approach could serve as a model for future initiatives focused on health disparities and other public health concerns."

"These community projects aim to empower individuals to make and sustain lifestyle changes that improve their health," says CEDREC Co-Director Dr. Mary Charlson, the William T. Foley Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and chief of Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluative Sciences Research at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The Center is composed of four cores: a research core led by Dr. Alvin Mushlin, chairman of the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe of NYU Langone Medical Center; a research training core led by Dr. Mary Charlson; a community engagement and outreach core led by Dr. Erica Phillips-Caesar, assistant professor of integrative medicine at Weill Cornell, Dr. Walid Michelen (Lincoln) and Dr. Kathleen Nokes (Hunter); and an administrative core, led by Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster.

Source: New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College