Jide Williams, MD and Rafael Lantigua, MD will serve as key partners in New Office of Academic and Community Partnerships (OACP)

Olajide Williams, MD, Vice Dean for Community Health, and Rafael Lantigua, MD, Associate Dean for Community Service, will play a strategic and essential role in the new multi-disciplinary office to build bi-directional community partnerships between Northern Manhattan/Washington Heights and CUIMC, led by Sandra Harris. Drs. Williams and Lantigua are Co-Directors of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research’s Community Engagement Core Resource (CECR).

In partnership with over 30 community, governmental, non-profit, and faith-based collaborators across Upper Manhattan, CECR works to promote public engagement in translational health research through outreach, education, training, and funding programs. CECR will be closely connected to OACP as they rally support for community-oriented work and research taking place across the medical center.

Read Dean Armstrong’s full announcement on the appointment of Sandra Harris as Vice President for Community Affairs & Partnership Engagement in the newly established Office of Academic and Community Partnerships.

_________

Dear Colleagues:

Service to our community is fundamental to who we are at CUIMC. That commitment manifests in diverse partnerships that leverage our strengths and the strengths of our neighbors to create better health throughout Washington Heights and Northern Manhattan. Today, as part of that ongoing mission, I am excited to announce that Sandra Harris will help oversee this important work as Vice President for Community Affairs & Partnership Engagement in the newly established CUIMC Office of Academic and Community Partnerships.

Bringing together personnel from the offices of Government and Community Affairs, Community Service Programs, and the Vice Dean for Community Health, OACP will serve as the central office for advancing the medical center’s community service mission. As we have worked through strategic planning efforts, a priority that arises again and again is to build and strengthen bidirectional relationships in our neighborhood. This new office will serve as the front door to those important connections, both for people within CUIMC and partners in the community. For CUIMC constituents, OACP will be a rallying point and support system for the incredible amount of community-oriented work happening throughout the four medical center schools. And for our neighbors, it will be a place to find guidance, support, and resources to create new mutually beneficial partnerships in the lab, clinic, and classroom. Altogether, OACP is part of a broader coordinated effort to strengthen the community-facing research, clinical care, and service missions of CUIMC—all in service to supporting better community health.

I am so pleased to have Sandra leading the way. She has served Columbia University for 25 years in various roles, most recently as Associate Vice President of Government and Community Affairs. In this capacity, Sandra has been responsible for maintaining community relationships, developing new partnerships, and promoting university programs that directly impact the health and well-being of the Northern Manhattan community. We are so grateful to have Sandra and her deep experience to help lead this work in its next evolution. We look forward to her partnering with Vice Dean for Community Health Olajide Williams, MD, MS, and Associate Dean for Community Service Rafael Lantigua, MD, as we look for new ways to strengthen ties to our community.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ross Frommer for his service as head of the Office of Government and Community Affairs. As GCA evolves into OACP, Ross will continue in an expanded role as Vice President for Government Affairs at CUIMC. Going forward, Ross will be partnering more closely with colleagues on the Morningside campus to help positively influence policy and maintain partnerships with policymakers and elected officials. Government Affairs and OACP will continue to work together closely on projects of mutual interest.

Please join me in thanking Sandra, Jide, Rafi, Ross, and all of our community-facing colleagues for all they do in this space. We look forward to strengthening our connections with our neighbors and seeing what we can accomplish together.

All my best,

Katrina Armstrong, MD

Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University