News and Events
NYC Voices Community Film Festival
The NYC Voices Community Film Festival, hosted by FORWARD Community Engagement Action Corps and supported by the Lerner Center, welcomed over 50 attendees and facilitated a panel discussion with 10+ filmmakers. The Festival showcased five short films focused on a variety of public health topics, including aging and loneliness, doula care, heart surgery, and STI stigma. Following the short films, Dr. Thomas LaVeist, Dean of Tulane’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, debuted his feature film, “The Skin You’re In: Addressing Racial Health Inequities. Additional special guests included Mino Lora, Executive Artistic Director and co-founder of the People’s Theatre, and Dr. Michael A. Joseph, Vice Dean of Education at Mailman.
Congratulations, Gina!
Gina Wingood is the recipient of the MSPH 2026 Judson Wolfe Excellence in Teaching Award. This award is bestowed upon one outstanding faculty member in recognition of their excellence in teaching and ability to inspire and lead students towards distinction in public health scholarship and practice through creative, engaging, and innovative teaching methods, and who continually supports student success in the classroom and student growth as public health professionals. Congratulations, Gina!
Healthy Monday: Nutrition Trivia for National Nutrition Month
March 30th, 2026, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Stop by the ARB 10th Floor Lobby on Monday, March 30st between 11:30 am - 1:00 pm to spin the Nutrition Trivia wheel and win prizes to celebrate National Nutrition Month!
Digital Portfolio Workshop
Tuesday, March 24th, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Virtual
Join the Lerner Center for a Digital Portfolio Workshop, in which we will be developing professional webpage that easily shares health communications materials with potential employers, colleagues, and your network!
Health Messaging Student Competition
Promoting Positive Behavior change to Advance Public Health for All
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026 by 5PM
The Lerner Center is hosting a Health Messaging Competition, and all Columbia Mailman students are invited to enter! Share your creativity and passion to improve public health for all! Students are asked to create a health communication product (e.g. video, GIS mapping, data visualizations, social media posts, podcast, poster, etc) and campaign designed to promote behavior change that advances public health for all. Topics may include: nutrition and food security, physical activity, tobacco cessation, disease prevention, environmentalism, mental health, and more!
Finalists will be awarded monetary prizes and will be entered into a multi-school, “Lerner Centers Health Messaging Student Competition,” in which submissions will be judged alongside products from students at Syracuse University and the CUIMC Integrative Therapies Program. Additional prizes will be awarded to top winners.
To register, please email Olivia Cull at ohc2103@cumc.columbia.edu.
Health Messaging Student Competition Award Ceremony
Date and Time TBD