Headline Health: A Legendary Harlem Newspaper’s Public Health Connection
On a recent sunny morning, the Columbia Dental School Mobile Clinic was parked in the heart of Harlem, around the corner from the Apollo Theater, directly outside the headquarters of Amsterdam News, the storied Black-owned and -operated newspaper which has published continuously since 1909. Inside the mobile-home-sized clinic, Columbia Dental students provided free dental screenings to local residents.
One part of a larger partnership between Columbia Mailman and Amsterdam News, the dental screenings took place on November 9 alongside the newspaper’s 2026 Black Health Summit, an event which featured a discussion of community solutions to gun violence, among other health topics. The event also highlighted the organization’s fundraising efforts to transform its headquarters building into a public-facing educational institution and community hub.
The partnership dates to 2021, when Heather Butts, Columbia Mailman Associate Dean for Field Practice, and John Winkleman, a member of the Health Policy and Management faculty, engaged with the paper to examine its coverage of public health issues. The following year, Ellen Park, MPH’23 completed an APEx summer internship at the newspaper where she got the chance to write articles debunking public health misconceptions. In parallel, Lana Shanab, MPH’24, and other students launched the Columbia Mailman Journalism Club with Butts serving as faculty advisor.
In 2024, Amsterdam News published a special issue titled Staying Healthy and Safe with articles by then-students Radhika Purandare, MPH’24, Vivian Tsao, MPH’24, as well as Butts and others. Butts, who is an associate professor of health policy and management, has written extensively for News on topics like prostate cancer, food insecurity, and maternal health.
During this time, the School and Amsterdam News formalized their partnership, which has three prongs: health-related news articles, health screenings, and APEx opportunities. Next summer, students will get a chance to flex their journalistic muscles while supporting a regular program of health screenings (dental care is just the beginning). They will also get to build on a COVID-19 vaccine portal created by Park and Katriya Boonkrataung, MPH’22, in 2022, adding information on measles, mumps, and rubella; hepatitis B; human papillomavirus; and more.
Speaking directly outside the Amsterdam News headquarters, Butts enthused about the launch of the health screenings. “We’re super excited to be here at what will be the first of many events like this for the community. Amsterdam News is a pillar of the community and respected worldwide for its incisive reporting. It’s an honor to do this work with them.”
The partnership is one part of a larger vision that brings together education and community service at Columbia Mailman, through the APEx program and more. “Education and community work are inextricably linked,” Butts affirms.
“Today was such a powerful example of the partnership Dr. Butts and I, along with our respective teams, have built,” said Siobhan “Sam” Bennett, president and CEO of the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation. “Connecting our Amsterdam News readers with Columbia Mailman’s vital health services and education—while giving Columbia students the chance to engage directly with the community they will serve as future health care professionals—is the very definition of a win-win!”
Community Dental Care as Primary Prevention
Under the supervision of India Keys, part-time Assistant Clinical Professor at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, a team of seven third-year dental students took turns conducting dental screenings, providing oral health education, and helping connect patients with the follow-up care they needed. Appointments were booked solid.
Amsterdam News screening was one among many. The Dental School’s Community Dentcare Program partners with a variety of neighborhood organizations to provide health screenings and dental services at sites in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. The program is led by Amy Herbert, associate professor and director of Community Engagement and Partnerships.
Dental student Kayla Lavelle gave her impressions: “In this rotation, we’re able to connect with people who live around us. We do a lot of dental work, but also get to laugh with our patients, who are also our neighbors. We put a premium on prevention. When you look in somebody’s mouth, it’s a window into the rest of their body. Taking care of oral health is an important way to prevent all kinds of health issues.”
While Lavelle and her classmates get to know the community, the community gets to know the students, too. For some, the event was a rare chance to get their teeth looked at. Says Lavelle, “It’s a chance to connect people to care who otherwise would likely not be going to a dentist. Being active in the community is one of the most important things we can do.”