Professors and graduate students package fresh produce as part of a recent community event supported by MOSAIC.
Photo courtesy of MOSAICO
When Goleen Samari PhD, MPH, MA joined Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health as a professor in 2018, she quickly encountered an unexpected challenge.
“I literally had long lines for my office hours,” Samari said. The health of the nation.
At the time, she was one of the few women of color in the university’s Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, a disparity that is reflected throughout much of the school. Many students from diverse backgrounds gravitated to Samari seeking mentorship and a sense of belonging.
When senior professors warned her not to accept too much one-on-one tutoring, Samari and her colleague Stephanie Grilo, PhD, decided to build something more sustainable. Together, they launched the Student Mentoring program and Igniting Community.
Known as MOSAIC, the program has expanded since its launch in 2019 from 20 students to more than 300 students schoolwide.
MOSAIC addresses concerns that graduate students of color frequently raise, including limited institutional support, difficulty building relationships with faculty, gaps in career preparation, and challenges finding community. While open to all students, the program is designed with a particular focus on first-generation students and those from racial and ethnic minority groups.
“We know that some of these student groups continue to be underrepresented in the public health workforce,” said Grilo, an associate professor at the Mailman School of Public Health. The health of the nation. “When students don’t feel that sense of community and belonging… it affects both their academic success and their overall well-being.”
Graduate students of color often report higher rates of isolation at school, which impacts their mental health and overall relationships with advisors and peers. MOSAIC works to address common challenges faced by graduate students in a community setting.
Each fall, the program hosts a meet-and-greet luncheon for faculty, administrators, and students, helping to break down barriers commonly experienced in academia. In the spring, MOSAIC organizes a day of service that attracts hundreds of participants.
Other events held by MOSAIC vary each semester based on the needs expressed by students. Some have focused on interviewing, writing resumes, crafting an effective speech, and navigating applied practice experience.
Affiliated faculty from all departments contribute by holding monthly office hours, offering guidance on topics ranging from job searching to academic issues.
Anisa Mian, MPH, a member of MOSAIC’s first cohort, said the program addressed challenges that higher education often overlooks, including finding an advisor and creating an academic poster to accompany a thesis. It also helped her connect with her peers.
“I’m a student of color, so it was really nice to have a community of students that I knew I could share specific types of experiences with,” she said. The health of the nation. “It kind of created that safe space where you didn’t have to explain yourself.”
Graduate students who participated in MOSAIC say the program improved their overall experience, including department satisfaction, sense of belonging, and feeling of connection with each other and with faculty.
“This type of mentorship will strengthen the public health workforce…and really strengthen our school,” Grilo said.
Building on the success of MOSAIC, Samari and Grilo are working to help expand the program to other schools of public health. In October, they co-authored a paper in Frontiers in public health detailing how to implement the program and ensure its long-term sustainability.
Samari, who now serves as an associate professor in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, began a MOSAIC program there in fall 2024.
“In this time when it’s very difficult to find a community, MOSAIC is really a nice space where you can help students feel more connected to their teachers,” Samari said. “As a faculty member who has been to multiple public health schools and programs, MOSAIC is the place I have found most inspiring.”
For more information, visit bit.ly/columbiamosaic.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
