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Pamela McDonnell
Media Relations
NYU Medical Center
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Email: Pamela.Mcdonnell@nyumc.org
NYU INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND RESEARCH RECEIVES TWO GRANTS FROM NYC COUNCIL TO PREVENT DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN TEENS AND CONTINUE ITS AWARD-WINNING HEPATITIS B PROGRAM
NEW YORK, NY – June 21, 2007 – The NYU Institute of Community Health and Research will receive a total of $2.7 million from the NYC Council for an innovative program targeting Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in NYC teens, and for continuation of its award-winning Hepatitis B Program.
Dr. Mariano Jose Rey, Founder and Director of the NYU Institute of Community Health and Research said, “The Institute is deeply appreciative of the longstanding support we have received from the New York City Council, in particular Speaker Christine Quinn, Majority Leader Joel Rivera and Council Member Alan Gerson, as well as from the Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. We and our community partners are honored to have The BODY Project included as an integral component of the Anti-Obesity Initiative sponsored by Majority Leader Joel Rivera and Council Member Thomas White, Jr. We are equally proud that Council Member Melinda Katz championed our B Free NYC Program as part of her Anti-Cancer Initiative, with assistance from Council Members Alan Gerson and John Liu.”
The BODY Project—Banishing Obesity and Diabetes in our Youth
The BODY Project was created by Antonio Convit, M.D., Director of the Institute’s Obesity and Metabolic Disease Programs, a member of the NYS Nathan Kline Institute and Medical Director of NYU School of Medicine’s Center for Brain Health. The Project will be done in collaboration with experts from NYU’s Child Study Center, Steinhardt School of Education, the Wagner School for Public Service, the NYU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, and the NYS Nathan Kline Institute.
In his earlier pilot study, Dr. Convit found lower IQ, lower math and reading scores and problems with attention and short-term memory in obese students whose bodies could not regulate their glucose properly. This data provides the first reported link between obesity-related abnormalities in glucose control and cognitive dysfunction in adolescents.
In NYC, where the rate of overweight and obesity is one-third higher than the national average, a significant portion of public school students may be underachieving due to an undiagnosed problem with their glucose regulation. In young people, this medical condition can be reversed by changes in diet and lifestyle. The BODY Project will screen, diagnose and intervene with NYC high school students found to be at risk for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The BODY Project will test an intensive, personalized intervention program designed to reverse the problem before Type-2 Diabetes sets in.
B Free NYC: The NYC Hepatitis Program
The Institute’s B Free NYC: The NYC Hepatitis Program has screened over 7,000 New Yorkers since its inception in 2004. Hepatitis B is estimated to affect 400 million children and adults worldwide, yet remains a relatively unknown, silent killer that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
B Free NYC is expanding and now raising awareness and screening and vaccinating members of NYC’s Asian, African, Central American, Caribbean, and Eastern European immigrant communities through the Institute’s network of over 120 community partners located throughout all five boroughs. American-born children have been vaccinated against Hepatitis B since 1982, but lack of preventive care has left many adults and foreign-born children without similar protection.
In 2006 B Free NYC published a landmark study indicating that the prevalence of Hepatitis B among NYC’s Chinese-born immigrants was 15%. In 2007 the Program was honored by the American Cancer Society and the Public Health Association of New York City. The Hepatitis B Team includes NYU physicians Mariano J. Rey, Henry Pollack, Alex Sherman, Thomas Tsang, and Hillel Tobias.
About NYU Institute of Community Health and Research:
The NYU Institute of Community Health and Research seeks to identify and alleviate the root causes of health disparities in vulnerable populations. It oversees Centers for Health and Human Rights, Latino Health, the Health of the African Diaspora, and the Center for Study of Asian American Health, designated a Center of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health. The Institute partners with community-based organizations throughout NYC to assess community health needs and provide free screenings and referrals for free follow-up care.
The Institute also oversees the School of Medicine’s International Health Programs; offers an outstanding free pipeline education program for public middle and high school students from minorities underrepresented in science and medicine; and sponsors community-based participatory research in genetics, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other key areas of medical research. The Institute has rapidly become a national model for its comprehensive approach to education, partnership development, patient care, and research.
For more information contact Janet Heit, Director of External Affairs, Institute of Community Health and Research, www.med.nyu.edu/ichr or call (212) 263-3385.
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