The COTC will build on a long tradition of collaboration and bidirectional communication between researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the East Harlem community. Over the past 5 years, the Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment conducted a very successful community-based intervention in East Harlem that resulted in the reduction of children's exposure to pesticides. In the current proposal, the Center welcomes the opportunity to focus some of its resources on developing and implementing strategies to translate and disseminate important scientific information to the community through the creation of the new COTC. The COTC will serve as an organizational structure through which scientific information can be distributed to the broader community. The main goal of the COTC is to develop, implement and evaluate strategies to translate scientific findings on children's environmental health into information that can be used by the local community, policy makers and clinical professionals. The COTC will achieve this goal by developing a clear understanding of community needs and resources and using effective outreach strategies that leverage on existing collaborations.
The specific aims of the COTC are, 1) to translate the work of the Centers for Children's Health and the Environment into information that can be used by community residents, policy makers and health care providers to protect children's environmental health by compiling fact sheets and an annual report; 2) to empower community residents, policy makers and health care providers with information that is relevant to children's environmental health and to offer opportunities for interaction regarding these issues at scientific conferences; and 3) to provide educational opportunities for parents of young children in East Harlem on topics related to children's environmental health using the wealth of expertise that already exists in the local community and in the Mount Sinai Medical Center by offering workshops in the community. The COTC will be integrated seamlessly into the life of the Children's Center since its proposed activities fit within the scope of work that has always been part of the Center's mission. The COTC will work especially closely with the CBPR by fostering community-based partnerships for its outreach efforts and serving to translate the work of the Center as a whole into information that the community can use to protect health of children in the urban built environment.
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