Community Engagement Core Resource (CECR)

The Community Engagement Core Resource (CECR) promotes academic-community partnerships and public engagement in translational health research through outreach, education, informatics, training, and funding programs.

The Columbia Community Partnership for Health (CCPH), CECR’s off-campus physical home in Washington Heights, provides free activity space for health related programming to Columbia University researchers and not-for-profit organizations serving upper Manhattan. In addition, CCPH connects residents to health and social services, operates a bilingual health library, and facilitates access to health research.

CECR collaborates across Irving Institute resources, as well as with other CUIMC centers and multi-sector stakeholders in New York City.

Services and Programs

CECR fosters community-engaged research through:

Leadership

Rafael A. Lantigua, MD
- Co-Director; Professor of Clinical Medicine; Associate Dean for Community Service, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH
- Co-Director; Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
Olajide Williams, MD
- Co-Director; Professor and Chief of Staff of the Department of Neurology; Vice Dean for Community Health, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Elizabeth Cohn, PhD, RN
- Community Engagement and Research Liaison
Alejandra N. Aguirre, DrPH, MPH
- Assistant Director