This previous summer, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to participate in the Summer Public Health Scholar Program at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. As part of the larger CDC John R. Lewis Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program, this program aims to increase the diversity of the public health workforce and provide immersive and comprehensive experiences to those entering their journey in public health. As part of the program, we were assigned to different field placements in New York City. I was assigned to work with the Uptown Dreamers, a community youth-serving program in Washington Heights. I quickly learned that this field placement was nothing that I expected. There was no set location, nor were there any staff, or even a formal organization. The Uptown Dreamers was run by a singular man by the name of Dave Crenshaw, endearingly known as “Coach Dave” by the local community. Coach Dave is the embodiment of a community hero. As I walked through the streets of Washington Heights, we could not go more than a block without waving to somebody he knew or starting a conversation with a neighbor. Born and raised in this neighborhood, Coach Dave began the Uptown Dreamers as a basketball team for young girls. Since then, it has evolved into an informal program, taking in youth for physical activities and training them to become leaders. I had many responsibilities as an intern for Coach Dave, as I helped him take kids to field trips, taught reading and writing lessons, conducted community surveys, and more. I developed great friendships with these kids— I will never forget kayaking with them in the Hudson River or hearing their tips about how to navigate the subway system. In my public health classes, we learn about theories. We learn how to calculate incidence rates of disease, how Medicare works, and how social factors influence health. Although Coach Dave has no formal background in public health, he taught me the essence of public health: community. Everything that we did had major implications to public health, whether I knew it or not. We tutored these kids, we brought families to community events, we ran track and field drills. All of these things we did were not programs or policies, yet they improved the health and livelihood of the members of the community. I was amazed at the ways in which people showed up for others— from donating food to allowing us to convene in their own backyards. It was clear to me that building relationships and creating trust was the mark of a true leader in public health. Coach Dave has a mural in the neighborhood with a quote that says, “The single mother with sole purpose and priority is the MVP of this neighborhood, it is what holds us together.” This quote reminded me of the very reason that I am passionate about maternal, child, and adolescent health. I am indebted to the love and sacrifices of my mother— and coming from this experience, I realize that the love for one’s community can be returned tenfold.
First photo: Coach Dave neighborhood mural. Second photo: Christian Lizaso (second from the left) with Uptown Dreamers team (Left to Right: Dr. Robert Fullilove, Christian Lizaso, Isabella Damaso, Rod’Kendrick Harrison, Coach Dave Crenshaw)
Maternal and Child Health Leadership Competencies:
2. Self-Reflection
9. Teaching, Coaching, and Mentoring