Dr. Charles Moore, associate professor of Otolaryngology at Emory University School of Medicine and co-director of UHI, says:

“The Urban Health Initiative’s goal is to connect communities with academia, to provide an opportunity for learners, both in a school setting and in the community, to gain more knowledge about social determinants of health, to apply that knowledge, and to work together with community students to make a positive change.”

Dr. William Sexson:

“Many of the things we do relate to things that exist or that we are able to do in the garden or the community garden setting. Part of the reason we do that is because the garden is good for teaching about obesity and obesity-related diseases. The other really important thing is that because we have one of the few teaching gardens in the country, we can teach parents and families in a safe environment.”

Dr. Carolyn Aidman:

“Our teaching gardens, our container programs, our medical education programs, our community involvement are all being developed into models that can be put into tool kits and spread across the country. We are an educational institution, above all, as Emory University.”