Anahí Viladrich, Director & Principal Investigator
Viladrich (PhD, MPhil, MA) is an award-winning medical anthropologist and sociologist with long-term research experience and publishing record on gender, immigration and health in Argentina (her home country) as well as the US. She received a PhD with Distinction and a MPhil in Sociomedical Sciences (anthropology) from Columbia University in 2003, and a MA with honors from the New School University in 1999. She is currently a full-time faculty member in the Urban Public Health at Hunter College, where she directs the Immigration and Health Initiative. Her current interests include immigrant health and health disparities, social networks and ethnic niches in New York City (including the tango world), and ethnomedical health systems. She is currently finishing a book on Argentine immigrants in NYC, based on her thesis dissertation that was awarded with the Marisa De Castro Benton Prize at Columbia University in 2003.
E-mail: aviladri@hunter.cuny.edu
Nicholas Freudenberg, Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Freudenberg is a Distinguished Professor in the Urban Public Health program at Hunter College. His professional interests include urban public health promotion, HIV prevention, public health policy, criminal justice & public health and evaluation of community interventions. Please follow this link for a complete professional bio
E-mail: nfreuden@hunter.cuny.edu
Ming-Chin Yeh, Research Associate
Dr. Yeh received a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a MEd from Columbia University; a MS from New York University; and a BS from Taipei Medical College, Taiwan. Dr. Yeh joined Hunter College, Program in Urban Public Health, Nutrition and Food Science track as an assistant professor in Fall 2003, upon completion of his training at the Yale University Prevention Research Center. His research involves developing innovative intervention strategies to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in multi-ethnic populations. Another research interest focuses on weight management for those who are overweight or obese. Recent publications appear in the International Journal of Obesity, American Journal of Health Promotion, Preventive Medicine, and Behavior Modification. He has also coauthored two chapters in The Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion (Kluwer Academic, 2003).
E-mail: myeh@hunter.cuny.edu
Nancy Bruning, Research Associate
A native New Yorker and second-generation immigrant, Bruning is a graduate of Hunter’s Urban Public Health Program with an MPH in Community Health Education. Bruning joined IAHI in 2005 to study dietary patterns and physical activity among Latinas. Bruning is an established writer, author and educator. She has written and edited over 25 books on alternative medicine, healthy living and health promotion. Currently her primary focus is promoting “active living” and reducing the prevalence of sedentary behavior especially among disadvantaged urban populations. This perspective is reflected in her master’s essay, “Steps to Get New Yorkers Moving” which was published by the Public Health Association of New York City (www.phanyc.org). She has substantial experience in community work through her activities in various non-profit organizations working in immigrant-rich communities such as Washington Heights and East and Central Harlem.
E-mail: nbruning@aol.com
Wilhelmina E. Grant, Outreach Coordinator and Research Associate
Wilhelmina E. Grant is a dynamic, energetic native New Yorker and resident of Harlem. Before joining IAHI in 2008, she was the Program Coordinator at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, and was previously the Director of Community Outreach for SHARE, Self-Help for Women With Breast or Ovarian Cancer, a New York City based not-for-profit organization. While working with SHARE, Wilhelmina developed new and innovative approaches to
teaching others about early detection by organizing health and beauty
fairs, facilitating peer leader trainings and coordinating outreach
efforts to underserved populations throughout New York City. Wilhelmina's outreach work has also extended to the media, where she
appeared in approximately 25 television, radio and magazine interviews. In June of 1997, Wilhelmina served as a panelist in the First Breast Cancer Survivor Forum held
at the White House with Vice President AI Gore and Mrs. Tipper Gore.
Research Assistants, 2008: MPH Students, Urban Public Health Program, Hunter College of the City University of New York
Jean Peng
Jill Raufman
Rachael Weiss
