Demonstrating Leadership and Innovation in College Health

Several members of the Columbia Health team participated in the recently concluded American College Health Association’s Annual Meeting, held in San Diego, CA from May 31 – June 4, 2022. The Annual Meeting is the premier conference of the industry, bringing together nearly 2,000 professionals from across the country dedicated to advancing the health of college students and the campus community. 

A leading presence 

Columbia Health team members played a crucial role in holding the Annual Meeting. Interim Director for Alice! Health Promotion Padma Entsuah led the Program Planning Committee and hosted the Newcomer’s Orientation as well as the Keynote Address featuring Robert E. Fullilove, Associate Dean for Community and Minority Affairs and Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.  

In addition, team members supported internal ACHA initiatives through membership in multiple ACHA committees. Padma is a member of the Higher Education COVID-19 Community of Practice Steering Committee and Committee to Advance Health Promotion Resources, along with former Executive Director of Alice!, Raphael Florestal-Kevelier. Raphael was also a member of the Racial Marginalization and Health Inequities Task Force, Board of Directors, Campus COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Initiative, and Health Promotion Section along with Senior Health Promotion Specialist at Alice! Health Promotion, Gina Orlando. 

Team members were also selected to aid the future of ACHA. Chief of Administration Michael McNeil was elected as Vice Chair of the American College Health Foundation Board of Directors and Gina Orlando was elected as Program Planner-Elect for the Health Promotion Section. 

Sharing innovation in the field 

In health equity 

Kelly Gorman (Alice! Health Promotion) and Gina Orlando hosted a pre-conference workshop entitled “Dismantling White Supremacy and Healing Racial Trauma: Ending Racist Practices in College Health,” sharing strategies that can be incorporated to center anti-oppression on participants’ campuses. Raphael Florestal-Kevelier, with others, hosted a pre-conference workshop entitled “Dismantling the Inherent Privilege of Self-Care,” discussing community of care frameworks to increase the accessibility of self-care for oppressed communities in higher education.  

In gender-affirmative care 

Myriam Marques (Medical Services), Richard O’Keefe (Medical Services), Kori Bennett (CPS), Bonnie Li (Administration), and Julia Perault-Fletcher (CPS) presented the poster “Transgender and Gender Expansive (TGE)-Affirmative Care for University Health Professionals: A Pilot Training Program,” detailing the pilot program the Transgender and Gender Expansive Team at Columbia Health developed to train college health professionals on gender-affirmative care. The poster won this year’s “Advancing Health Equity Award.” 

In opioid education 

In collaboration with Supriya Makam (student, Columbia College), and Zamfira Parincu (student, General Studies), Michael McNeil and Bonnie Li (Administration) presented the poster, “Opioid-Use Related Stigma: From Pre-Health and Health Students' Perspectives,” sharing research to inform health student curriculum development that addresses stigma against opioid users. 

Michael McNeil and Bonnie Li also presented a session entitled “Collaboratives and Compelling Justifications to Implement Student Naloxone Programs,” sharing a research framework to support the implementation of naloxone training and opioid education programs on campuses. A session participant from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater shared that the team’s presentation at last year’s annual meeting changed her and her campus’ public safety leadership stance on offering such training.  

Contributing to the field of college health 

Columbia Health is committed to advancing the well-being of the Columbia community and leveraging this expertise to contribute to learning and success in the classroom and beyond. We are proud of our team’s role in building equitable systems that advance the well-being of campus communities around the country.