Community Outreach, Engagement, and Advocacy

Who We Are

• Community outreach, engagement, and advocacy to the diverse population we serve is of high priority for our department. We have developed a highly active program, spearheaded by Greta Strong, Ed.D.  We seek to educate the diverse communities in our city regarding important medical issues and Weill Cornell Medicine’s (WCM) leadership in neurological research. Ten of our studies leverage the NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), making use of central cores including outpatient facilities, outreach, bioethics, and biostatistics.
• Our department continues to draw on the Institution’s many strengths to increase the community’s awareness of our programs and services by reaching out into our highly diverse communities here in New York City and its surrounding areas.  Our community collaborations have been with government and community leaders, community- and faith-based organizations, including community boards, education, social, and business-related groups. 
• We partner with New York Presbyterian Hospital Lower Manhattan, Weill Cornell Medicine, and Pace University to successfully put on a series of lectures in the spring and fall. The focus of this collaborative partnership is to provide health education, promotion, screenings, and opportunities for research study participation to the Lower Manhattan community and the community-at-large. These bi-annual, co-sponsored seminars are free, open to the public, and cover relevant health topics. On average, attendance ranges anywhere from 25 to 200 people.
• We select the general topics for the seminars with an aim of addressing health issues that are most impacting the community. The topics are timely and reflect the clinical and research strengths of the Institution. Speakers are WCM’s clinical faculty, researchers, or allied health professionals, who are selected based on their level of expertise on a given topic.

Highlights of Our Program  

• Our past collaborations have been with the Manhattan Borough President’s office in planning “Up with Aging: A Healthy Brain Aging Health Fair for New York City’s Older Adult Population”.  This was designed to invigorate the lives of older adults and alter the negative attitudes toward aging that are common among older adults. The focus of the event was brain fitness and the vital connection between brain health and successful aging. This public event attracted over 700 Manhattan residents aged 60 and above. It consisted of two components: Staying Sharp: Ask the Experts about Keeping Your Brain Young, a 90-minute moderated panel discussion between leading neuroscientists about the way the brain works, and an Expo, which featured cutting edge interactive activities and information about brain fitness, successful aging, and senior empowerment. The panel was moderated by then Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. It was presented by the Dana Foundation and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in partnership with AARP. The Staying Sharp program has been in 49 cities around the country and almost 42,000 people have attended the program since it began in 1994. Its take-home message was refined to emphasize the four factors of brain health, which are taken from the 2006 NIH summary: increased mental activity, increased physical activity, increased levels of social engagement, and control of vascular risk. It was live-streamed and reached hundreds of seniors and other interested New Yorkers. Dr. Matthew E. Fink, Chair of Neurology was one of the panelists.
• We also collaborated with the Manhattan Borough President’s Office on “Caregiving 101:  The essentials of caring for others and (yourself)”. Other co-sponsors were: Fordham Law School, Caregiver Action Network, Presbyterian Senior Services – Circle of Care, Caring Kind Well Spouse Association, NYC Health and Hospitals/Harlem, Visiting Nurse Services of New York, Music and Memory, Health Advocates for Older People, Dorot, and JASA. Over 800 people attended the event. Dr. Matthew E. Fink, Chair of Neurology was one of the panelists. 
• In Lower Manhattan and Upper East side communities, we partner at wellness day events  with organizations such as the Boston Consulting Group, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Conde Nast, Dana Foundation for Brain Health, Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York, Jewish Community Center, Lenox Hill Senior Center, MetroNorth Railroad, National Launch of the All of US Program at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York Public Library, New York City Department of Transportation, 92nd Street Y, 100 Black Men, Inc., New York,  Pace University, Seize the Cure for Epilepsy – Bronx YMCA, Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Houses, US Court of International Trade, U.S. Department Health and Human Services, WorldWide Association of Small Churches, Metropolitan College of New York, Carter Burden Network, Webster Library, Sumitomo Corporation of America, Lenox Hill Neighborhood Health Center, Bronx Epilepsy Foundation, Lazard Ferres & Company, Golden Age Community, American Lung Association, Chinese American Medical Society, the Clinical Translation Science Center’s Heart-to-Heart Program at God’s Battalion Church of Prayer and conducted broadcasts at Far Rockaway and Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Centers. 

Virtual Lectures

• With the advent of COVID, our doctors participated in virtual lectures. A collaboration was formed with the New York State Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Service Agency, an all-volunteer NYS EMS Agency certified and credentialed team of pre-hospital providers (EMTs, Paramedics), who render aid, providing lifesaving treatments at no-cost to patients. Their use of updated evidence-based protocols and online medical direction allow for the consistent delivery of quality care.  Our neurologists gave presentations which were instrumental to the upkeep of their protocols for quality care. 
• Our longstanding lecture series was presented virtually in collaboration with New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, WCM, Battery Park Seniors, and Pace University’s Office of Government and Community Relations.  Topics presented were Stroke Tips, Optimizing Brain Health for Healthy Aging, and Healthy Sleep.  Together with the Patient Resource Center at WCM, we presented timely topics such as Healthy Sleep: Even More Important During Pandemic Times and Peripheral Neuropathy.  We also presented on Sleep Health at a virtual lecture series for Trinity Church, Wall Street.
• We also formed a collaboration with the New Canaan, Connecticut Public Library Adult Programming Center.  Our neurologists presented on Memory Disorders (1) Alzheimer’s disease epidemiology.  It is extremely common, and it is the main reason we think it is "normal" to lose memory as we get older. (2) How we recognize Alzheimer’s disease: Clinical symptoms and pathology. (3) Risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (modifiable and unmodifiable risks); what you can do that may reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.  (4) Current and possible future treatments for Alzheimer disease. (5) How to prepare for Alzheimer’s disease (emotional, financial, legal, and logistical). 
• Concussion - Concussions and other head injuries-how to protect yourself and keep your brain healthy (Defining and identifying concussion and other mild traumatic brain injuries and how to maintain brain health.) Keeping a young audience in attendance in mind, this talk was presented in an easy-to-understand format and also covered concussion in sports and sleep health. 
• Neurologists in the Department of Neurology expanded their presence on news Websites such as NY1spectrum, Ohio News, Conversation Radio, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Dr. Oz, Viacom, Financial Times, Digital Industry Wire, The Atlantic, Health Care News Reports, and Dana Brain Foundation podcasts. 

Support Groups 

Our support groups are the Hope for Stroke Support Group and Parkinson’s Disease Support Group.

Awareness Days, Weeks, Months

World Encephalitis Day, Sleep Awareness Week, World Multiple Sclerosis Day, Brain Awareness Week, Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Essential Tremor Awareness Month, Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness, Brain Tumor Awareness Month, Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Peripheral Neuropathy Awareness, American Stroke Awareness Month, Huntington’s Disease Awareness, Neurofibromatosis, Dementia Awareness Week, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, Aphasia Awareness, Headache Awareness Week,  Healthy Aging Day/Month, Migraine Awareness Day, National/International Ataxia Awareness Day, World Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness, Brain Aneurysm Awareness, Dystonia Awareness Month, National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month Dyspraxia Awareness Week, International Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Awareness Day, National Epilepsy Awareness.

Back to Health Podcasts

Back To Health is Weill Cornell’s Medicine source for the latest in health, wellness, and medical care for the whole family. Our team of world-renowned physicians at Weill Cornell Medicine, conduct in-depth conversations covering trending health topics, wellness tips, and medical breakthroughs.  With the spotlight on a collaborative approach to patient care, the series presents cutting-edge treatments, innovative therapies as well as real-life stories that answer common questions for both patients and their caregivers.  Weill Cornell Medicine understand that medicine is complex and can be overwhelming.  You can subscribe to the podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

https://weillcornell.org/patient-education/podcasts/back-to-health