October-December 2020

IFH Newsletter
QUARTERLY NEWS FROM RUTGERS INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE POLICY AND AGING RESEARCH

INAUGURAL COMMUNITY AWARDS CAP OFF YEAR OF ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS

The Rutgers Institute for Health, community organizations with Rutgers
Health Care Policy and Aging Research, faculty to study important population health
is happy to announce Lazos America issues, build research infra-structure, and
Unida and Sai Datta Peetham are the support research translation.
inaugural recipients of the IFH Funds for The awards will provide funding for
Community-Academic Partnerships. Lazos America Unida’s community health
The annual awards aim to connect worker program for Latinx domestic
workers, and to support a study by Sai
Datta Peetham of the impact of COVID-19 Lazos America
in the South Asian Telugu community. Unida Director
“Building community partnerships is Teresa Vivar
a fundamental part of our work at IFH and (top), and project
we hope the awards will help strengthen faculty lead Karen
these bridges between the community D’Alonzo, PhD,
and academic research,” said IFH Director Rutgers School of
XinQi Dong. “Congratulations to Lazos Nursing (right).
Sai Datta Peetham America Unida and Sai Datta Peetham!”
Chairman Raghu Throughout the year, IFH has disparities,” said IFH Senior Research
S. Sankaramanchi been expanding existing partnerships Specialist Stephanie Bergren. “Through
(top), and project and working with organizations to host each of these activities, we have hoped to
faculty lead community forums on COVID-19 vaccines. provide information and tools for minority
Sunanda Gaur, MD, “The pandemic has challenged many communities to be empowered through
Rutgers RWJMS communities and led IFH to rethink how to science and for researchers to learn from
(right). engage with those most impacted by health the community about what really matters.”

HILL BRIEFING FOCUSES IFH RECEIVES $10M TO IMPLEMENT NEW JERSEY

ON ELDER ABUSE POPULATION HEALTH COHORT STUDY
DURING COVID-19 IFH has received $10 million more equitable state
in funding from the Robert Wood where all of our
On Dec. 3, IFH Director XinQi Dong Johnson Foundation and Rutgers diverse populations
joined fellow elder health and policy University to support the New Jersey have greater
experts for a virtual congressional briefing Population Health Cohort study – the opportunities to live
about preventing and addressing elder largest study to date to explore factors healthy, prosperous
abuse during COVID-19. that influence health and well-being lives,” said Maisha
The briefing was presented by the in New Jersey. Simmons, Director
National Health Collaborative on Violence “The Population Health Cohort of New Jersey
and Abuse, Futures Without Violence, Study will illustrate a deeper, more Grantmaking at
Elder Justice Coalition, Alzheimer’s contextualized understanding of New RWJF.
Association and the Alzheimer’s Jersey’s health inequities and the ways Read more
Impact Movement, and honorary in which specific groups experience them. about the study
This research represents a significant at go.rutgers.edu/
Continued on page 2 step in the journey towards a healthier, xeg0taq4.

IN THIS ISSUE • NEW FACES PAGE 3

• NEW GRANTS PAGE 2 • SCHOLARSHIPS PAGE 3
• FACULTY AWARDS PAGE 2 • EVENTS PAGE 4
@RutgersIFH
Grants & Faculty News
AWARDS & HONORS
RECENT GRANT AWARDS
Associate faculty member Emmy
Tiderington was honored Nov. 19 with a
Jersey City Women of Action Award. The BENJAMIN BATES, PETS, “IMMUNE CHECKPOINT INHIBITOR USE,
city’s annual awards celebrate women OUTCOMES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH HISTORY
who have made unique contributions to OF MELANOMA AND NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER,” ROBERT E. LEET
the city and the astounding work they do
AND CLARA GUTHRIE PATTERSON TRUST.
for the community.
JOEL CANTOR, CSHP, “CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NJ INTEGRATED
POPULATION HEALTH DATA PROJECT,” NJ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

TAMMY CHUNG, IFH, “NOSI SUPPLEMENT TO PITTSBURGH GIRLS STUDY -

COVID19,” NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE.

XINQI DONG, IFH, “PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA

AMONG OLDER ADULT CHINESE IMMIGRANTS: THE ROLE OF ACTIVITY
ENGAGEMENT, IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE, AND NEIGHBORHOOD
ENVIRONMENT,” UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH/NIH; “PATIENT NAVIGATION

Councilperson James Solomon and 2.0: ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF SCALING NAVIGATION THROUGH
Emmy Tiderington, PhD, MSW. CHECKLIST-BASED IMPLEMENTATION,” NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY/NIH;
“IMPLEMENTING A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY IN NJ” (MPI JOEL
Core faculty member Richard CANTOR), ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION.
Contrada, received the 2020 Excellence
in Health RICHARD MARLINK, RGHI, “UPI: CREATION OF A COVID-19 CLINICAL
Psychology TELEHEALTH PROGRAM FOR DISTANCE LEARNING, TELEMENTORING, AND
Mentoring TELEMEDICINE IN BOTSWANA,” US DEPARTMENT OF STATE; “EQUITABLE
Award from
RECOVERY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS IN VULNERABLE
the Society
for Health COMMUNITIES: A RESPONSIVE COVID-19 TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NEW
P s y c h o l o g y, BRUNSWICK,” JOHNSON & JOHNSON/RUTGERS UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION.
a division of
the American SOKO SETOGUCHI, PETS, “VALIDATING THROMBOEMBOLIC EVENTS IN
Psychological JAPAN,” PFIZER JAPAN, INC.
Association.
MICHAEL YEDIDIA, CSHP, “THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 RELATED SCHOOL
Richard Contrada, PhD The award
celebrates the CLOSURES ON CHILDREN’S WEIGHT STATUS,“ NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
generative role psychologist mentors play CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.
in the careers of others.

On Nov. Hillary Briefing from front

21, Su Wang, Samples,
associate core faculty
f a c u l t y member, congressional hosts, U.S. Rep. Suzanne
m e m b e r was honored Bonamici (D-OR) and Rep. Peter King
and medical at the 2020 (R-NY), co-chairs of the bipartisan Elder
director of Addiction Justice Caucus.
the Center for H e a l t h “Elder fraud and abuse, those aren’t
Asian Health Services new problems, but unfortunately the
received the Research coronavirus pandemic and economic
Carroll M. Conference crisis have made it even more prevalent
Su Wang, MD, MPH Leevy, MD Hillary Samples, PhD, MHS Oct. 16 with in communities across the country,”
Recognition an AHSR Bonamici said in a recorded statement
Award for exceptional services in the Investigator Award for her abstract, played during the briefing.
field of hepatology, from the Rutgers “Patterns of Psychosocial and Behavioral For more highlights or to
New Jersey Medical School Division of Therapy Received in Conjunction with watch video of the briefing visit
Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Buprenorphine Treatment.” go.rutgers.edu/qaho0do9.

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 New Faces at IFH

William T. Hu Melissa Marquez Rashida Smith

Login George Associate Professor
Assistant Professor Research Assistant Research Project Coordinator
Chief of Cognitive Neurology
Rutgers School of Nursing IFH IFH
Rutgers-RWJMS

Introduce yourself
in the IFH Forum
on Canvas:
go.rutgers.edu/
IFHForum
Bastian Steuwer Georgette Timoney Jonathan Whitmore
Postdoctoral Associate Senior Program Coordinator Data Analayst
CPLB CHSR CSHP

HOWARD LEVENTHAL SCHOLARSHIP GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS BEGIN

FOR TRAINEES RECIPIENTS On Nov. 13, IFH kicked off a 10-week grant writing workshop
Jaekyeong “Jamie” Kwon is series that meets virtually every Friday. Workshop participants
a third year doctoral student at are early career faculty and advanced postdoctoral fellows
Bloustein School of Planning and and associates who are working on clinical trial R-level funding
Public Policy. Her pronoun is she/ applications to NIH or similar agencies and foundations, and who
her. Jamie is studying the challenges are focused on the areas of behavioral, social, health services,
and benefits of car ownership for health policies and systems, intervention, prevention, outcomes,
people with disabilities in the U.S. and related topics.
She is currently focusing on the role
of social security income in getting a
car and the impact of car ownership
on social inclusion and health care
Jaekyeong “Jamie” Kwon
access for people with disabilities.

Joanna Paxton Federico

is a doctoral student in the
Department of History at Rutgers.
She specializes in the history of
childhood and public health in the
20th century US. Her dissertation
traces the varied approaches of
scholars and policymakers to youth
violence prevention in the wake of
the mass school shootings of the late
1990s. Joanna holds degrees from
Joanna Paxton Federico the University of Notre Dame and the
University of Louisville.

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Events & Community
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Dec. 19: Part 1 - COVID-19 community forum series in
Mandarin Chinese with the Center for Asian Health
• Jan. 12: NJ ACTS Special Populations Core 2021 Webinar
Series with presenter Johannes Haushofer, PhD
• Jan. 15: Policy forum on NJ Regional Health Hubs and
COVID-19, hosted by the Center for State Health Policy
• Jan. 23: Part 2 - COVID-19 community forum series in
Mandarin Chinese with the Center for Asian Health
Find times, links and more events at go.rutgers.edu/ifhcalendar.

Above: IFH Director

XinQi Dong speaks
to faculty and staff
during a Dec. 3
journal club about
findings from
Janssen’s early phase
vaccine trials.
Right: Dr. Dong
enrolled in a phase 3
COVID-19 vaccine
trial on Nov. 16.

Above: The Rutgers Above: Recipients of the David Mechanic

Asian RCMAR team Scholarship, Brandon Kramer, and
presents a special Catherine Babikian, presented their
symposium, “Stress, research as doctoral students on “The
Trauma and Resilience Molecularization of Race in Testosterone
Among U.S. Asian Research,” and “Histories of Care: The
Older Adults: Findings Politics of Nurse Migration in 20th Century
from the Rutgers Britain,” respectively during a special Brown
Asian RCMAR,” for Bag Seminar on Sept. 24.
the Gerontological
Society of America’s
2020 Annual Scientific
Meeting on Nov. 6.
Right: A Rutgers
Communications
camera crew films Dr.
Dong and Bob Atkins,
core faculty member
and New Jersey Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Health Initiatives
112 Paterson Street
director, on Sept. 23
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
for an IFH video.
ifh.rutgers.edu

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