MOMENTUM SUPPORTING OUR WORK TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS AND GRANTS FROM LEADING DONORS CONTRIBUTED TO A TOTAL OF $53 MILLION RAISED FOR THE SCHOOL IN THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2023.
Susan Lasker Brody, MPH ’97, a dedicated alumna, supporter, and longtime member of the Board of Advisors included provisions in her estate plans of $15 million. The gift will honor her legacy and realize her long-held vision of creating a Center for Population Mental Health at Columbia Mailman School.
Jonathan Lavine and Jeannie Lavine donated $5 million to endow the Lavine Family Directorship of the Climate and Health Program. Their gift is a strong affirmation of the School’s long-standing dedication to studying, educating on, and ultimately mitigating the health effects of climate change. Read more about the pro-
Exploring a Fundamental Question: What Is Health? According to the World Health Organization, health is more than the absence of disease. But to better define it, Daniel Belsky, PhD, associate professor of Epidemiology in the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, is working with an interdisciplinary team which received a Centennial Grand Challenges grant. HOW DOES YOUR PROJECT DEFINE HEALTH? BELSKY: Realized health is the ability of people to do things they want and that
society expects of them. We’re trying to understand the biology that underpins that—this is intrinsic health. We’re not focused just on the cellular or tissue level; we want to broadly describe what is required for organisms to experience health. YOU PROPOSE HEALTH IS GOVERNED BY THREE MAIN FACTORS. CAN YOU ELABORATE? BELSKY: Energy is crucial to all bodily functions, from movement to healing.
Structure is fundamental to the function of DNA, proteins, cells, tissues, and organs. Communication is key to the coordination of biological processes. Intrinsic health is a function of these three factors. It’s not dependent on physical attributes. Someone who doesn’t have the use of all their limbs can still have exceptional intrinsic health. Think of a sprinter who runs on blades.
gram on page 18.
WHERE ARE YOU WITH THIS PROJECT NOW?
Jack Rowe, MD, and Valerie Rowe, PhD, gave $5 million to address the
statistical modeling techniques. The goal is to test proof of concept for the network of energy, communication, and structure as a fundamental building block of what people experience as health. Ultimately, we want to develop a simpler way to measure intrinsic health, ideally a blood or saliva test.
School’s highest priorities. Their gift will allow the School much-needed flexibility to seize emerging opportunities, adapt to evolving needs, and invest in key strategic initiatives—including student scholarships; diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; and strengthening ties with the local community. John W. "Jack" Rowe is the Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy
BELSKY: We’re mapping our theory of intrinsic health onto some exciting new
HOW COULD THIS TEST BE USED? BELSKY: It could provide a metric for health surveillance or an endpoint for
a clinical trial. This is useful when we’re testing complex interventions that affect multiple health states, such as access to primary care, better water quality, or policies that address social determinants of health. It could become a standard test. I think we’d all like to know our own intrinsic health.
and Aging and a professor of Health Policy and Management at the School.
Alan Batkin and Jane Batkin donated $2.5 million to endow the Jane and Alan Batkin Professorship in Child Health and Well-Being, underscoring the School’s commitment to addressing the unique public health needs of children and adolescents and advancing the right of all young people to grow up in healthy, safe, thriving environments and communities. TO DISCUSS THE POWER OF A LEADERSHIP GIFT TO COLUMBIA MAILMAN SCHOOL, CONTACT LAURA SOBEL, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF DEVELOPMENT, AT LS3875@CUMC.COLUMBIA.EDU.
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COLUM B I A P U BLI C H E A LT H
2023–2024 EDITION
