Updated on Apr 24, 2026 | AIGH, Featured
Biraj Man Karmacharya, MBBS, PhD, MS, left, and Ram KM Shrestha, MD, review scientific posters at Research Day.
Dhulikhel Hospital in Dhulikhel, Nepal, recently hosted the first AMPATH Nepal Research Day, coming alive with ideas, energy, and a shared sense of purpose.
Supported by AMPATH Nepal and held in collaboration with Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the day was a celebration of research, partnerships, and people. The theme, “Innovation Through Collaboration,” was not merely a slogan; it was the lived experience of everyone involved.
Archana Shrestha, PhD, MPH, Co-Director of AMPATH Nepal, first had the vision of establishing Dhulikhel Hospital’s own Research Day for clinicians, researchers, students, and partners to share knowledge and inspire one another.
More than 200 participants attended AMPATH Nepal’s first Research Day.
Watching that vision turn into reality was incredibly rewarding. The response exceeded our expectations, with 38 oral presentations, 62 poster presentations, and 263 participants gathered under one roof. The audience included researchers, clinicians, medical residents, students, and dignitaries from Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, the Arnhold Institute, and AMPATH Nepal, reflecting the strength of our national and international partnerships.
As the Project Coordinator, this journey was deeply meaningful to me. From organizing and coordinating the event to hosting sessions, keeping time, troubleshooting behind the scenes, and even performing on stage in a dance with fellow researchers, every role reminded me that successful events, like successful research, are built through collective effort. Months of hard work culminated in a day filled with learning, teamwork, joy, and growth.
Members of the Arnhold Institute’s AMPATH Nepal team celebrate the start of Research Day.
The journey began three months before Research Day, with planning that was both ambitious and meticulous.
To manage the scale of the event, we formed 20 committees, each entrusted with specific responsibilities that together ensured the seamless execution of the day. Every detail mattered, from participant registration and scientific session alignment to logistics, documentation, cultural performances, and live streaming. What stood out most was how harmoniously these teams worked, communicating across roles and stepping in for one another whenever needed. That collaboration was innovation in its truest form.
Celebrating collaboration and connection as core elements of impactful research
The opening ceremony set the tone beautifully. As we began with a lamp lighting and the Nepali national anthem, the atmosphere was filled with pride and anticipation. Along with my co-host, Sagar Adhikari, MDS, BDS, I had the honor of welcoming our esteemed guests and participants. Dr. Archana Shrestha’s opening remarks reminded us that progress happens when ideas, institutions, and individuals come together with a shared purpose. Speakers Ram KM Shrestha, MD, founder and Executive Director of Dhulikhel Hospital; Dr. Biraj Man Karmacharya, MBBS, PhD, MS, Administrative Director of Dhulikhel Hospital; and AMPATH Nepal Director Rose House, MD, further highlighted the importance of collaboration in strengthening research and health systems in Nepal.
The Department of Community Programs perform a cultural dance, emphasizing the importance of human connection in research
The keynote sessions truly embodied the theme of innovation through collaboration. Namita Ghimire, PhD, Chief of Ethical Review and Monitoring and Evaluation from the Nepal Health Research Council, offered invaluable insights into ethical governance, national and international research collaboration, and the evolving research landscape in Nepal. Her reflections emphasized that innovation must always be grounded in ethics and accountability.
Tim Mercer, MD, MPH, Director of AMPATH México/MAPAS, shared compelling experiences from his work, illustrating how partnerships across borders and communities can transform health systems. His discussion on community engagement, mental health integration, and addressing non-communicable diseases reinforced the idea that sustainable innovation grows out of collaboration with the people we aim to serve.
Beyond scientific rigor, the day also celebrated culture and connection. The welcome dance performed by the Dhulikhel Hospital Department of Community Programs was a joyful reminder that creativity and innovation flourish together when people unite. Moments like these added warmth and humanity to Research Day, reminding us that collaboration extends beyond academia into shared experiences and collective pride.
The takeaway: Meaningful research ecosystems are not built by individuals alone
As a project coordinator, the responsibilities were many and often demanding, but they were balanced by the incredible support of the entire team. Every challenge was met with cooperation, every success shared collectively.
This Research Day reinforced my belief that meaningful research ecosystems are not built by individuals alone, but by teams that trust one another and work toward a shared vision. I am deeply grateful for everyone who came together to achieve this milestone for AMPATH Nepal.
As we look ahead to our second Research Day in 2026, I hope this inaugural event continues to inspire stronger partnerships, ethical and impactful research, and a future where shared knowledge leads to shared progress.
Prapti Giri, BDS, MPH, is the Program Coordinator for AMPATH Nepal.
Updated on Mar 25, 2026 | AIGH
Co-creation with community members using human-centered design methods to adapt the Adolescent Chamas+ program.
The Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai leads the adolescent health initiative within its AMPATH Kenya partnership, and has a strong focus on reproductive health for women and adolescents.
“Collaboration with our Kenyan colleagues is at the core of what we do, and they are critical partners in so many things that are going on in the AMPATH Kenya reproductive health program,” says Wan-Ju Wu, MD, MPH, AMPATH Kenya Associate Site Director in Reproductive Health, and Assistant Professor of Global Health, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Centering Adolescent Voices to Design Chamas+
Dr. Wu recently represented AMPATH Kenya’s Maternal Newborn and Child Health Innovations team at the FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Cape Town, South Africa. She presented the team’s work on building life skills and financial literacy for pregnant and parenting adolescents through a pilot program called Adolescent Chamas+.
Adolescent Chamas+ is adapted from AMPATH’s longstanding Chamas for Change program, which uses community-based support groups–known as chamas–as health, social, and financial resources for pregnant women and new mothers. Women who partipicate in the program are more likely to attend prenatal visits, deliver in a health facility, and breastfeed exclusively. In addition to health education about pregnancy and caring for their babies, participants gain financial skills and participate in microfinance.
Adolescent Chamas+ builds on this model to address the distinct health, social, and financial challenges that pregnant adolescents face. Its goal is to teach pregnant and parenting adolescents in western Kenya about health and personal finance and connect them to social support so they transition to adulthood with education and a path to leading healthy lives. Young people co-designed the program, using a human-centered design approach, to meet their unique needs.
Wan-Ju Wu, MD, MPH, presenting a team member’s poster at the FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Cape Town, South Africa.
“Adolescents have unique vulnerabilities,” says Dr. Wu. “Girls especially are often not seen as agents of change or are not heard when they describe what they need. The purpose of the Adolescent Chamas+ model is to listen to the needs of the community you are designing for and making sure their voices are integrated into solutions that will impact them.”
Building Gynecologic Surgery Capacity at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, Kenya, aims to address western Kenya’s reproductive health needs through facility and community-based care, education, and research programs. Through the Arnhold Institute’s AMPATH Kenya partnership, Dr. Wu works closely with the department to advance collaborative projects.
Dr. Wu is collaborating with MTRH gynecologists to grow minimally invasive gynecologic surgery services including laparoscopy, which is performed through small key-hole incisions on the abdomen. This is the standard of care for most gynecology surgeries in high-resource settings. The team is using a systems-level quality improvement approach by engaging a multidisciplinary team of nurses, surgeons, biomedical technicians, and emergency department staff.
“There is good data that minimally invasive surgery is linked to decreased stay in the hospital, decreased infection risk, and decreased blood loss,” Dr. Wu says. “These benefits are particularly relevant to low resource settings because there are less blood products and less space in hospitals. Also, many people in Kenya do so much more manual labor, and women especially also have physical responsibilities related to childcare. So getting back to the home and to work sooner is really important.”
Providing Reproductive Health Education and Training Through Project ECHO
In addition to improving care through peer support programs and enhanced women’s hospital services, Dr. Wu and gynecologists at MTRH are strengthening reproductive health knowledge for providers in peripheral health centers.
In 2024, the AMPATH Kenya partnership launched the Reproductive Health ECHO program, using the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) platform to train reproductive health providers in obstetrics and gynecology through monthly virtual sessions. A subject matter expert from MTRH presents a topic, which is followed by a case presentation and discussion. These sessions reach more than 100 participants across the region each month.
“Project ECHO is well-received and has good attendance,” Dr. Wu says. “The next step our team is looking forward to is translating the knowledge from education and training to measurable improvements in health care quality and practice.”
About the AMPATH Kenya Partnership
Mount Sinai leads the adolescent health initiative within AMPATH Kenya—a 35+ year partnership between Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, the Kenyan Ministry of Health, and the AMPATH Consortium of global academic partners.
Chloe Tenn, MSc is the Digital Communications Manager for the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mar 13, 2026 | AIGH
A participant engages in practice simulation.
Dhulikhel Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, has long been a leader in innovative medical education in Nepal. Among its recent transformative initiatives is LEAD Nepal, a program designed to strengthen simulation-based clinical education through a collaboration with Mount Sinai’s Simulation Teaching and Research (STAR) Center and Mount Sinai’s AMPATH Nepal Partnership.
The Role of Simulation in Health Care Education
Traditional medical education relies heavily on lectures and bedside observation. Yet in critical situations—such as emergency response or trauma care—health care teams rarely have opportunities to practice real-time decision-making. Simulation-based learning fills this gap by recreating realistic clinical scenarios in a controlled environment, allowing teams to practice skills, test judgment, and learn without risk to patients.
LEAD Nepal—short for Leadership, Education, and Advanced Debriefing—enables participants to safely make clinical decisions, strengthen technical and communication skills, and reflect through structured debriefing sessions. The initiative was supported with pilot funding from the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai to advance engagement with its AMPATH Nepal partnership and was led by Jared Kutzin, PhD, DNP, MPH, RN, Senior Director of the STAR Center, and Prithuja Poudyal, MD, pediatric neurologist at Dhulikhel Hospital.
Following a series of virtual preparatory sessions, a three-day intensive in-person workshop was held twice at Dhulikhel Hospital. Mount Sinai STAR faculty trained more than 40 clinicians and educators to design, implement, and evaluate simulation-based learning programs. Participants gained hands-on experience using technologically advanced mannequins, task trainers, and digital tools to enhance their teaching practices.
To support this work, the Arnhold Institute’s Education Program transported a full-sized simulation mannequin to Nepal for Dhulikhel Hospital’s simulation lab. The mannequin replicates vital signs such as breathing, pulse, and blood pressure, and can simulate conditions including cardiac arrest, shock, and stroke. Participants also used moulage—makeup and props—to recreate realistic scenarios such as snakebites and burns. Simulations ranged from childbirth complications to heart attacks and cardiac arrest, with faculty participating across disciplines including pediatrics, emergency medicine, critical care, dentistry, and physiotherapy.
From behind a two-way mirror, participants facilitate their self-designed simulation as colleagues carry out the scenario.
What Is LEAD Nepal?
LEAD Nepal is designed as more than a one-time training. It is a comprehensive educational initiative that strengthens simulation-based medical education while building leadership capacity among educators. The program aims to reshape how clinicians learn, teach, and lead through experiential, simulation-driven training.
The LEAD framework reflects the program’s core focus areas:
- Leadership—Empowering clinicians to guide teams in high-pressure environments and lead educational change.
- Education—Enhancing teaching through hands-on learning and training facilitators in best educational practices.
- Advanced Debriefing—Fostering reflective practice, emotional intelligence, and continuous improvement after simulations and in everyday clinical care.
Together, these pillars strengthen clinical skills while cultivating a culture of learning and educational leadership across Dhulikhel Hospital.
Building Leadership Through Reflection
A defining feature of LEAD Nepal is its emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork and reflective learning. After each simulation, participants engaged in advanced debriefing sessions guided by trained facilitators. These discussions encouraged self-reflection and group dialogue to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. Faculty also received structured feedback on their debriefing techniques, strengthening their confidence as educators.
Participants are taught makeup and moulage techniques to add realism to their scenarios.
At the core of LEAD Nepal is the belief that technical excellence cannot be separated from leadership and communication. Debriefings incorporated evidence-based approaches such as “plus-delta analysis”—what went well and what could be improved—and “advocacy-inquiry,” a questioning method that promotes critical thinking. Conversations frequently extended beyond technical skills to explore teamwork, ethical dilemmas, decision-making under stress,
Updated on Mar 3, 2026 | AIGH
Members of the Birth Support Working Group, who authored the report, at the launch event.
The Arnhold Institute for Global Health’s New York City Partnership has launched Born Inside: Birth Experiences During Incarceration and the Need for Doula Care, a report that highlights the importance of doula care for people who are incarcerated and giving birth.
The report was developed by the Birth Support Working Group, a collaboration between the Women & Justice Project, Hour Children, NYC Health+Hospitals/Elmhurst, and the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at Mount Sinai. Insights from the report directly informed the doula program at Rikers Island and its community counterpart, Growing HOPE.
The New York City Partnership’s HOPE doula program provides physical, emotional, and educational support to patients at NYC Health+Hospitals/Elmhurst and NYC Health+Hospitals/Queens from pregnancy through one year postpartum. In 2024, the program expanded with the launch of Growing HOPE, providing doula care to people who are “justice-involved” (currently or formerly incarcerated) or affected by housing insecurity—populations that experience some of the highest health needs and complications.
To understand how to support pregnant people in prisons and jails, members of the Birth Support Working Group held in-depth conversations with 10 people who gave birth while incarcerated, learning from their insight and expertise. By amplifying their voices, the report offers an empowering platform for participants to share their experiences firsthand and make recommendations to doulas, hospitals and health care providers, and policymakers on how to improve care and support for those incarcerated during pregnancy and childbirth.
One woman featured in the report said, “I’m really excited about them making this [doula program] available for women, because I know how I felt when I was there. And I was so scared in that delivery room by myself, I even was grabbing up to the doctor, you know, just to try to hold his hand because I was so terrified.”
At the launch event, presenters shared a mural in East Harlem designed by mothers incarcerated at Rikers Island and painted by their children. Credit: “If Walls Could Talk” by Katie Yamasaki.
The official launch of the Born Inside report at the Elmhurst Hospital auditorium in November 2025, featured a panel of formerly incarcerated women and health care providers who shared insights about the realities of the birthing experience. The session closed with recognition of the hardworking doulas who deliver high-quality, culturally sensitive care to a community of women who are often overlooked or underserved.
In October 2025, Sheela Maru, MD, MPH, Director of the New York City Partnership and Associate Professor of Global Health and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Krupa Harishankar, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Global Health and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, presented the report with fellow members of the Birth Support Working Group at the 3rd Annual Global Prison Nursery Network Symposium: Pregnancy and Postpartum in Prison: Healthcare, Law, and Lived Experience.
The report’s authors and participants hope the insights will further inform practice and policy that advance maternal health and improve the birthing experience for people who are incarcerated, including implementation of the CARE Act, an active bill in the New York State legislature.
The report’s recommendations include:
• Funding community-based alternatives to incarceration tailored to pregnancy and parenting.
• Developing and implementing policies and programs that prioritize the expertise of people who have given birth during incarceration.
• Providing access to high-quality doula care, reproductive health care, and mental health services throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Ensuring safe and healthy conditions for pregnant people in prisons, including upholding anti-shackling laws.
• Protecting and upholding the autonomy of incarcerated birthing people to make their own choices about their health and their children’s health.
The doula program at Rikers Island and its community counterpart Growing HOPE, which provides care continuity for people giving birth who were formerly incarcerated, have served more than 100 patients with plans to expand. This program demonstrates the impact of tailored, compassionate doula care as a realistic, scalable model with the potential to be adapted to improve the health of “justice-involved” pregnant people nationwide.
As another report participant reflected, “Having them [doulas] in the delivery room with you, having them be there to advocate for you, having them be there to reassure you, just that mental emotional support, having someone you can trust, I think is just so important for pregnant women and the child.”
Chloe Tenn, MSc, is the Digital Communications Manager for the Arnhold Institute for Global Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dec 2, 2025 | AIGH
Robert Johnson, MPhil, left, and Julio Landero, PhD, work together in Dr. Landero’s trace metals lab at Mount Sinai, where Mr. Johnson is learning specialized techniques to help improve public health in Ghana.
Robert Johnson, MPhil, an environmental scientist from Ghana, and Julio Landero, PhD, a chemist at Mount Sinai, each nod enthusiastically as the other describes how collaboration is essential to their shared passion: understanding how the tiniest chemical particles affect the health of whole human populations.
Through the Arnhold Institute for Global Health’s Ghana Partnership, Mr. Johnson came to New York in October to learn about Dr. Landero’s lab, which is one of the most advanced in the world at detecting trace amounts of metals in biological samples. Dr. Landero, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, works with environmental researchers to understand how these metals might affect human health, and he sees great value in working across disciplines and continents, especially in places where labs like his do not exist.
Collaboration Is Key for High-Quality Environmental Science
“In Africa, there are few or no studies with enough human samples to study the effect of metals on people, especially trace metals,” Dr. Landero explained. Setting up a chemistry lab like his takes immense resources, he continued, describing the precision and high level of technical expertise—not to mention the specialized equipment and infrastructure—that it takes.
But collaboration is key, he emphasized, adding that, “There are unbelievable gaps and disconnects between people doing fundamental chemistry and people who have the samples and the knowledge of the problems.”
Illustrating Dr. Landero’s point, Mr. Johnson related that he first became interested in environmental toxins while working for an agricultural company in Ghana, when he saw the chemical fertilizers the farmers used.
“I was beginning to wonder how these substances were affecting the population, and I didn’t have a platform to explore these things,” he explained.
Hoping to make a difference for people exposed to these chemicals, he went to work for the Ghana Health Service at the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC), which has a longstanding partnership with Arnhold Institute researchers. Soon, through an educational exchange set up by the Institute’s Ghana Partnership, he had the opportunity to come to New York to learn from Dr. Landero.
Mr. Johnson acknowledges the tough learning curve to understand the procedures and equipment in the trace metals lab.
“In the lab here, things are very hands-on, and the quality control methods are really top notch,” he said. He emphasized the precision it takes to ensure scientists are getting accurate results from the lab equipment. Dr. Landero concurred: “You need training and experience, or it’s very easy to get the wrong answer.”
Real Solutions That Help People
Mr. Johnson knows that many methods available to Dr. Landero are beyond the capability of his lab at NHRC, but he has nonetheless taken away important principles to implement to improve the accuracy of his work in Ghana. For example, he has learned sample collection and storage methods that reduce the chances of contamination, so that he can prepare samples to ship to Dr. Landero’s lab for analysis as part of the ongoing collaboration between the Ghana Health Service and Mount Sinai.
The pair agrees that knowledge and resource exchanges like this one will make a difference for people in Ghana and around the world.
Mr. Johnson emphasizes that understanding the impact of trace metals at the molecular level can be very useful, even critical to public health. Citing research published out of Dr. Landero’s lab on how copper is related to the growth and aggressiveness of cancer cells, Mr. Johnson said, “These are practical things, and they make the work they do here very exciting. In the lab we’re talking about ions and all that, but at the end of the day, we get to see real solutions that impact real human beings.”
Alexandra Coria, MD, is the Senior Technical Communications and Research Translation Specialist for the Arnhold Institute for Global Health and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Global Health and Health System Design at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Nov 7, 2025 | AIGH
The Arnhold Institute for Global Health’s New York City (NYC) Partnership is excited to announce the recipients of its 2025 Pilot Project Awards. These awards, selected through a rigorous review based on the National Institutes of Health guidelines, provide up to $25,000 in pilot funding for one year to implement projects that address community health needs in Queens. They are awarded to collaborative teams from Mount Sinai, NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H)/Elmhurst and NYC H+H/Queens for research, care improvement, and training projects.
Previous award recipients have addressed a wide range of health concerns affecting Queens community members. For example, a project funded in 2024 is examining barriers to health care for Latinx immigrant workers in Queens. A participant in this project noted, “I follow my grandmother’s remedies…to avoid going to the doctor because it’s very expensive, and if you already have your bills to pay and you add another one for going to a doctor, you won’t be able to make ends meet with what you earn.”
Led by Homero Harari, ScD, Associate Professor, and Laura Sirbu, MD, Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai’s Department of Environmental Medicine, as well as Adina Valceanu, MD, an internist at NYC H+H/Queens, the project is responding to the community’s needs by aiming to improve health care access and outcomes for these workers.
“There has been a great response from our population,” Dr. Harari says. “We hope that our project will unveil ways to further enhance the collaboration between Mount Sinai and the NYC H+H network and improve occupational health care in working New Yorkers.”
The projects selected in 2025 also aim to address community needs and improve health outcomes. The five projects are:
Dave A. Holson, MD, MPH
They Don’t Believe Us: Changing the narrative for patients with sickle cell disease with an acute painful episode presenting to the emergency department through the implementation and evaluation of a standardized pain protocol
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that causes severe, chronic pain due to abnormally shaped blood cells that block blood flow to organs and tissues. It affects about 8,000 people in New York City and is most common among people with African ancestry. When people with SCD can no longer control their pain at home—known as an “acute pain crisis”—they go to the emergency department (ED). These patients often experience long wait times to receive pain medications in the ED and feel their reported pain is not taken seriously. This project aims to improve the timeliness of addressing pain in patients with the disease in an acute pain crisis seeking care at the NYC H+H/Queens ED. The team will survey physicians, nurses, and staff to gauge their understanding, comfort, and approach to managing SCD pain crises in the ED. They will also show study participants a video about sickle cell disease to highlight the stigma associated with the disease and hold group discussions. The team hopes to implement, evaluate, and improve pain protocols for these patients.
Devin Madden, PhD, MPH
Hope Bodega: An Equity-Centered Resiliency Research Project and Intervention
Hope Bodega uses storytelling to combat social isolation and discuss mental health. By using community members’ stories about hope, grounded in their cherished objects, Hope Bodega offers insights into marginalized communities’ relationships to adversity, resilience, and well-being. This project will formally analyze participants’ stories and evaluate Hope Bodega’s impact on well-being in collaboration with NYC H+H/Elmhurst’s Women and Children’s Division and the Institute for Health Equity Research at Mount Sinai, along with Queens-based community advocates focused on reproductive justice, and a community-based partner, Ancient Song.
Sarah Nowlin, PhD, MSN, RN
Postpartum Transitions in Healthcare (PATH)
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP)—like gestational hypertension—can lead to physiological changes that increase long-term risk of cardiovascular disease and may contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in health. This project will test a text message-based tool called Postpartum Transitions in Healthcare (PATH). PATH, which will be co-designed with its target community, aims to better engage postpartum people in health care. It will send automated text messages with science-based postpartum health advice to women with HDP receiving care at NYC H+H/Elmhurst. It will also reward behaviors like attending scheduled appointments, to help postpartum people stay in care and take good care of their health. If this small pilot shows that PATH works, the team will use the data to inform the design of a larger future trial.
Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID~Español (HOPE-LC~Español)
Eric Watson, PhD, and Amelia Hicks, PhD
Long COVID is a chronic condition that disproportionately affects the Hispanic/Latinx community due to their greater exposure to COVID-19 and barriers to health care. It can lead to difficulties with memory and attention, fatigue, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and stress related to the unpredictability of symptoms and their impact on work, family, and quality of life. Treatment options are needed to address the psychological impact of living with Long COVID. This project will culturally and linguistically adapt a group therapy program developed by Drs. Watson and Hicks called Harnessing Optimism and Perseverance in the Face of Long COVID (HOPE-LC) to address the emotional and behavioral challenges for those living with Long COVID.
In partnership with NYC H+H/Elmhurst and NYC H+H/Queens, the team will translate the program into Spanish to reach underserved Spanish-speaking communities in Queens. They will refine program materials, engage community advisors, and implement a telehealth-based health care strategy tailored to the needs of the under- and uninsured Spanish-speaking population. If the program works to treat the psychosocial effects of Long COVID, the team will use the data to scale up the program.
The Impact on Health Care Utilization and Care Experience Following the Medicaid Expansion Among Older Immigrant Adults in New York State
Ellerie Weber, PhD, MBA, and Mehak Paul, MBBS, MPH
In 2024, New York expanded Medicaid eligibility to include low-income, undocumented New Yorkers aged 65 and older. This project will examine the impact of Medicaid expansion on health care utilization and the care experience for these newly eligible patients at NYC H+H/Elmhurst. The study team will analyze medical record data to understand how these patients use health care. They will also interview patients, social workers, and Medicaid managed care executives to understand their perspectives and experiences during the Medicaid expansion. This project will provide insight into the patients’ experiences, measure potential impacts on their health and health outcomes, aid in advocacy for further Medicaid expansion, and improve policy implementation.
The NYC Partnership is a collaboration among the Arnhold Institute for Global Health, the Global Health Institute at NYC H+H/Elmhurst, NYC H+H/Elmhurst and NYC H+H/ Queens. The NYC Partnership looks forward to working with these teams!
Payal Ram is the Program Manager for the New York City Partnership at the Arnhold Institute for Global Health and the Department of Global Health and Health System Design at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Global Health Institute at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.
