Community Spotlight

The first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how important it is that we in public health can engage effectively, creatively, and constructively not just with one another, but especially with professionals from outside our field. The Community Spotlight assignment gives students an opportunity to practice this type of engagement with those in other disciplines and engage with organizations or individuals who could be potential or future partners in addressing public health issues. Students explore ways of collaborating with professionals in other fields to make impactful changes, and thereby, gain experience to draw upon throughout their careers as effective public health leaders.

Sample Assignments

Rethink Food - 2023 Interview for the Personal Leadership Course

Participants: Emily Ronayne Murphy, Gabriella Hartz, Janie Roy, Gia-Nhi Yannie Hoang, Cathy Zhang, and Karen Seo

Dr. Mark Hyman - 2023 Interview for the Personal Leadership Course

Participants: Mark Hyman, Maya Fried, and Xi Zhang

J-Sei - 2023 Interview for the Personal Leadership Course

Participants: Margot Baillet, Colette Renee-Wong Kirkpatrick, Emily Lumbis, Simren Menon, Gopna Shekaran, and Diane Wong

Additional Community Spotlight assignments are posted on Academic Commons, a program of Columbia University Libraries.

Join the email list to learn how to become a Community Spotlight partner or when the next Spotlight is posted to Columbia University's Academic Commons. 

Community Spotlight is a collaboration between Prof. Heather Butts, Troy Hoffman, and the Digital Learning Studio.