Mindy Thompson Fullilove facts for kids
Mindy Thompson Fullilove (born October 15, 1950) is an American social psychiatrist. She studies how where people live and their surroundings affect their mental health. Currently, she is a professor of Urban Policy and Health at The New School.
Dr. Fullilove studied at Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University. She has researched diseases like AIDS in communities that are not well-off. She also looks at how the environment affects mental health. Her work explores how things like violence, segregation, and urban renewal impact people's minds.
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Early Life
Mindy Fullilove grew up in Orange, N.J.. Her father, Ernie Thompson, helped organize workers in Jersey City. He was the first Black field organizer for a union. Her mother, Maggie, was a white woman from Chippewa Lake, Ohio. She worked as a union hall secretary. Dr. Fullilove's parents worked together to make schools in Orange fair for all students. She attended a Unitarian Universalist Church when she was a child.
Education
Dr. Fullilove graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1971. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She then received a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Columbia University in 1974. In 1978, she earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Columbia University. She became a Board Certified psychiatrist in 1984. She also has a special certificate in Landscape Design.
Career
Dr. Fullilove is a member of several important medical and public health groups. These include the New York Psychiatric Society and the American College of Psychiatrists. She also belongs to the American Psychiatric Association.
From 1983 to 1990, she was a professor at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. In 1990, she joined Columbia University as a professor. She taught about psychiatry and public health. In 1999, she became a full professor. She stayed at Columbia until 2016.
Today, Dr. Fullilove is a Professor of Urban Policy and Health. She teaches at the Milano School of Management, Policy, and Environment at The New School. There, she works on a project called 400 Years of Inequality. This project looks at events that have caused inequality in the United States since 1619.
Other Work
The CLIMB Project
In 2004, Dr. Fullilove helped start the CLIMB Project. CLIMB stands for City Life is Moving Bodies. This project helps people in Upper Manhattan be more active. It encourages physical, social, and civic activities. It also works to make sure parks are safe and open to everyone. The project has brought in millions of dollars for improvements. For example, $30 million was invested in 2016 to update Highbridge Park.
University of Orange
In 2007, Dr. Fullilove and others started the University of Orange. This is a free learning center in her hometown. It helps people get involved in their community. It also encourages active participation from citizens. She is currently the President of the Board of Directors for this university.
Interdisciplinary Research Leaders
Dr. Fullilove is part of a special program called Interdisciplinary Research Leaders. This program helps build healthier communities. Her project is called "Making the Just City." It focuses on helping people stay in their neighborhoods. This is important when areas face changes like gentrification.
Honors and Awards
- 2016 Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects
- 2011 Purpose Prize Fellow
- 2005 Producer, “Urban Renewal Is People Removal,” Best Short Documentary, Trenton Film Festival
- 2004 Jeanne Spurlock Minority Fellowship Achievement Award of the American Psychiatric Association
- 2003 National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences
- 2002 Doctor of Humane Letters, Bank Street College, New York, NY
- 2000 Investigator Award
- 1999 Honorary Doctorate, Chatham College
- 1998–1999 Maurice Falk Fellow at the Center for Minority Health, U. Pittsburgh GSPH
- 1979–1982 American Psychiatric Association–National Institute of Mental Health Minority Fellow
