Student Startup Ideas

What’s your elevator pitch? How will your startup be both a financial success and a boon to public health? This was the assignment of Fast Pitch, a Columbia Mailman School-hosted competition open to budding student entrepreneurs across the university. Organized by the Department of Health Policy and Management, the most recent competition saw 10 teams face off for the $5,000 Asha Saxena Prize for Entrepreneurship. Each team was allotted seven minutes to explain their startup’s value proposition and walk judges through the steps necessary to bring it to fruition. The winner was Chris Chin, an Executive MPH student at Columbia Mailman School. His nonprofit, Crosstalk Connections, seeks to ease the burden of support phone calls that are a core part of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous by automatically connecting someone in recovery with a supportive member of their recovery team.

Faculty Book .....

The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dustin Duncan, ScD, associate professor of Epidemiology, Stephen S. Morse, PhD, professor of Epidemiology, and Harvard’s Ichiro Kawachi, MB, ChB, PhD, are coeditors of The Social Epidemiology of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Oxford University Press). The book covers topics such as racism and stigmatization of COVID-19; gender and sexuality as they relate to COVID-19; disability and ableism during the pandemic; and the links between neighborhoods, neighborhood factors, and COVID-19 outcomes.

Columbia Mailman School Hosts

Historic Visit by Nine First Ladies

First ladies from eight African countries and experts from the Columbia Mailman School met in July for an executive education program to discuss current trends, critical research, and sustainable, evidence-based approaches to promote population health and well-being. They were joined for a roundtable discussion by U.S. first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who told her fellow leaders,

“Together, with the strength of the sisterhood that surrounds us, we can build a better future for all of us.”

The program was the inaugural Global First Ladies Academy, which works to catalyze positive impact and social transformation in communities around the world. It was launched by the Global First Ladies Alliance, whose president and founder is Columbia Mailman School Board of Advisors member Dr. Cora Neumann. First lady of Namibia Mrs. Monica Geingos said the meeting was perfectly timed: “First ladies aren’t elected, [but] we come with social capital. People listen to first ladies.” Hear more in the video: publichealth.columbia.edu/GFLA

“Having stipend support allowed me to focus on my long-term goals without having to worry about finances. I got to apply what I learned in my coursework and further my commitment to making a difference in marginalized communities.”

Suraya Mohidul, MPH ’23

“I’m so grateful for the financial support I received   for my field practicum in New York City.  My experience helped me feel that my work  was part of a larger, community-driven   movement—which is the kind of work that   drew me into public health.”

Gabby Khawly, MPH ’23