Center for Disease Control Visits Sikh Gurdwara as Part of NYU’s Partnership with UNITED SIKHS to Enhance Diabetes Prevention in Sikh Community

Richmond Hill, NY: The Sikh Sangat(Congregation) at Gurdwara(Sikh Temple) Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center in Richmond Hill warmly received the delegation from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta and members of the Prevention Research Center (PRC) at NYU who visited the community as part of an initiative aimed at education and prevention of diabetes in the Sikh community on May 26, 2010. The partnership, part of UNITED SIKHS’ Empowerment and Education Initiatives, strengthens the organization’s commitment to community health as a focus area.

In early 2010, NYU School of Medicine announced the launch of the NYU Health Promotion and Prevention Research Center (PRC), one of 35 such programs nationwide made possible by a five-year, $4.1 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Under the leadership of Mariano Rey, MD, senior associate dean for community health affairs and director of NYU Langone’s Institute of Community Health and Research, the center’s mission is to build and enhance community capacity and leadership for health promotion and disease prevention across diverse populations. “Connecting research to our communities is a primary focus of NYU School of Medicine and we are thrilled to have been invited to join this network of distinguished institutions in the CDC Prevention Research Centers program, ” said Vivian S. Lee, MD, PhD, MBA, senior vice president, vice dean for science and chief scientific officer.

Members of CDC, NYU PRC, Gurdwara Committee and UNITED SIKHS at Gurdwara Makhan Shah Lubana in Richmond Hill, NY

UNITED SIKHS is one of the community partners that will play an instrumental role in implementing this initiative that includes research as well as directed interventions. Team members from the organization will be part of a core research project by the NYU PRC to develop, implement, and test community health-worker programs for diabetes prevention in diverse communities of New York City, where UNITED SIKHS will particularly focus on the Sikh and South Asian population in and around Richmond Hill, NY.

Members of CDC delegation included Eduardo Simoes, MD, MSc, MPHS, Director of the Prevention Research Center Program at CDC, Barbara Gray (team lead) and David Flegel from the Research and Dissemination Team, Jo Anne Grunbaum, Evaluation and Research Team, Michele Hoover, Project Officer for NYU PRC, and Danielle Ross from Program Operations and Management Team. Members of the NYU PRC Team who visited the Gurdwara included Dr. Nadia Islam, Research Director, NYU PRC & Deputy Director, Center for the Study of Asian American Health, and Jennifer Zanowiak, MA, who is the Research Coordinator, NYU PRC.

Hardayal Singh, UNITED SIKHS Advisor, said, “We are grateful to NYU and CDC for this opportunity, and for the expertise, training and resources available to us through this project so that we can support members of our community who have limited access to health information or information about health resources available to them. UNITED SIKHS is strongly committed to community health, and this partnership allows us to enhance our capacity when undertaking health based projects.”

UNITED SIKHS would like to acknowledge the support of the committee members at Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center for their welcome and hospitality, particularly Mr. Jarnail Singh (President), Mr. Mohinder Singh (Founder President), Mr. Dilbag Singh (Former Chairman), Mr. Gurmeet Singh (Head Cook, Community Kitchen), Sikh Clergies Mr. Jaspal Singh and Mr. Balwant Singh Preet.

For more information on the NYU PRC, please visit: http://prevention-research.med.nyu.edu/

To read a previous press release on UNITED SIKHS’ health focus, please visit:

https://www.unitedsikhs.org/PressReleases/COMVCE-12-02-2008-00.htm

ssued by:
Birmohan Singh
Operations Coordinator
646-688-3525