The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH) has been collab-orating with local and international organizations for more than 30 years to tackle health disparities in Brooklyn, New York, and the surrounding communities.
Through their after-school program, AAIUH Health Science Academy, the institute provides advanced instruction and career exploration in health sciences to students in grades 6-12 who have limited access to such opportunities, exposing the next generation to the possibility of becoming health care professionals.
Continuing their work beyond the academic calendar, AAIUH runs summer health sciences programs designed specifically for students of color. This year, more than 65 people enrolled across programs of instruction in anatomy, physiology, and health disparities, with initiatives including the Brooklyn Health Disparities Summer Internship Program for high schoolers, the Cabrini Health Science Workforce Development Program for college students, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation partnership that offers clinical research experiences to foster diversity in biomedical research.
AAIUH also convenes conferences, produces documentaries, and publishes articles, books, and newsletters.
However, the most unique demonstration of their commitment to “meet people where they are” is their partnership with over 170 Brooklyn-area salons and barbershops to deliver essential health information to underserved communities in the spaces they frequent and trust.
Additionally, they work with more than a dozen local middle and high schools to provide training programs in health care and STEM fields.
Efforts also focus on areas of Brooklyn that have some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and HIV, exploring ways to deliver health care services more effectively. AAIUH addresses key social factors affecting health such as race, socioeconomic status, and environmental conditions by developing and managing community-centered programs focused on finding real solutions.
AAIUH’s namesake, former tennis star Arthur Ashe, announced the creation of the institute in December 1992 — just two months before his death. Ashe recognized that the disproportionate incidence of morbidity and mortality from preventable diseases within ethnically diverse communities was inextricably linked to inadequate health care and health education in vulnerable urban districts.
Now, more than three decades later, AAIUH carries out the vision of its founder, whose words grace the institute’s homepage: “To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can.”