Community and Public Health Programs
Laitman Scholarship in Community Health
The Nanette Laitman Clinical Scholars Program in Public Health is funded by a $3 million gift from the Laitman family and a $1 million matching gift from Weill Cornell Medical College’s “Advancing the Clinical Mission” capital campaign. One of the scholars is based in the Division of Community and Public Health Programs:
Carla Boutin-Foster, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Professor of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Associate Professor of Public Health in the Division of Community and Public Health Programs, and Associate Attending Physician, is the Nanette Laitman Clinical Scholar in Community Health. She is also the supervisor and faculty advisor for Weill Cornell Community Clinic-Medical student free clinic and Co-Director of the Office of Multicultural and Minority Health. Recently, she was named Director of Diversity in Medicine and Science of the Medical College's newly established Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science. Much of her research focuses on cross-cultural, community, and preventive medicine. As part of her role as Laitman Scholar, Dr. Boutin-Foster is engaging in research and initiatives targeted at communities that are hardest to reach but that experience the highest burden of health disparities. She focuses especially on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and mental health. Specifically, she is developing academic partnerships within communities in New York City that have the poorest health profiles. These projects identify social, cultural, and political barriers to the effective dissemination of health messages in these communities and develop and evaluate community-based strategies such as curricula, conferences, or workshops that improve dissemination of health messages. Dr. Boutin-Foster is Director of a Comprehensive Center of Excellence in Disparities Research and Community Engagement (CEDREC), a consortium between Weill Cornell Medical College, Hunter College School of Nursing, City University of New York, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center; and the Center for Healthful Behavior Change at New York University School of Medicine. The Center is supported by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD).
