Irfan Hasan
MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy
2000
Coco Lim
MPA in Public & Nonprofit Management & Policy
2020
Kathleen Wetzel Apltauer
MPA
2009
Anjana Sreedhar
MPA in Health Policy & Management
2020
Adam Jack Davis
MPA
2020
Bibiana Guerra De Los Rios
Master of Urban Planning
2019
Diana Sera
MPA in Health Policy & Management
2014
Evaluating the Implementation and Cultural Appropriateness of a Parenting Support Program
Client
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Faculty
Rona Affoumado
Team
Rituparna Ganguly, Habibatou Kesselly, Renee McKain, Rosi Setyo Nugroho
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) aims to protect and promote the health of all NYC residents. Addressing health inequities and achieving racial justice is the foundation of DOHMH’s public health approach. The Bureau of Children, Youth, and Families within DOHMH recently piloted a parenting support program geared toward addressing disruptive or harmful behavior in children. DOHMH engaged a Capstone team to evaluate the implementation of the pilot program and assess its cultural appropriateness to the multicultural and urban population of NYC. The team conducted a statistical analysis of mental health practitioner survey data and conducted six focus group discussions with 38 practitioners to gain insights on their experience with the program thus far. The final report includes practitioners’ critiques and suggestions for program improvement and the team’s recommendations for additional support for practitioners, cultural competency training, and partner coordination.
Focus Areas
Capstone Year
Process Evaluation For Opening Act's District 79 Program
Client
Opening Act
Faculty
Quintin Haynes
Team
Aurora-Marie Bamba Terrazas, Emily Dorsey, Daphne Fequiere
Opening Act provides innovative, high-quality, and free theater programming to students at under-resourced NYC high schools, giving them opportunities to develop leadership, community, and commitment. In addition to its after-school programming in traditional high schools, Opening Act recently developed a new program for NYC’s District 79 alternative high schools, aiming to ensure that students whose studies were interrupted stay on track for high school graduation. Opening Act engaged a Capstone team to evaluate the implementation of the new program, which is adapted from the organization’s traditional approach to meet the needs of the District 79 student population and school environment. The team conducted a process evaluation involving qualitative analysis of data gathered from interviews, site visits, and program materials. The team compiled a final report with recommendations to ensure effective implementation of the District 79 program and its alignment with Opening Act’s mission, values, and needs of its student participants.
Focus Areas
Capstone Year
Analysis of Public Support Program Efficacy in Supporting the Disabled
Client
The Effect of Public Support Programs on Income Volatility
Faculty
Aram Hur
Team
Rebecca Augustin, Nichole Huff, Jaimie Vernon
| Income volatility—substantial variation in household income—impacts roughly a quarter of American families and disproportionately harms the disabled because they are more likely to have low income. A Capstone team undertook a research plan to assess whether existing public support programs are effectively improving income stability. Departing from current studies that fail to differentiate between specific sources of financial vulnerability the team examined how disability status and type affect program effectiveness. The scope of the team’s research included the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a program designed to help needy families become self-sufficient. The team analyzed data from the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation and found significant differences in TANF effectiveness for the disabled, with important variations across disability types. These findings imply that support programs need to allocate funding according to the degree of vulnerability to effectively address income volatility. |
Capstone Course
Capstone Year
Enhancing Performance Management Processes
Client
St. Christopher's
Faculty
Bob Criscuolo
Team
Ginny Calderon, Anne Dickerson, Sana Kayani, Opeyemi Osuntuyi
| St. Christopher’s is a residential treatment center for at-risk and devel-opmentally disabled youth. St. Christopher’s enlisted a Capstone team to evaluate its current employee performance management program relative to industry best practices, recommend ways to develop a comprehensive employee performance management program and process, and suggest evaluation tools. The team reviewed St. Christopher’s existing performance management program, surveyed and interviewed employees to assess perspectives on the current program, and formulated recommendations. The team identified industry best practices to enhance employee and management acceptance. The team’s recommendations included creating new evaluation tools; increasing the frequency of providing formal and informal feedback- exploring the use of an electronic feedback system; and ensuring buy-in from leadership, management, and union partners. The team proposed a new performance management model that will improve employee performance and ultimately enhance services provided to the youth population served by St. Christopher’s. |
Focus Areas
Capstone Year
Evaluating Member Engagement of a Nursing Education Program
Client
NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
Faculty
Susan Abramowitz
Team
Chhavi Arora, Adair Littell, Miriam Merkin, Christine Zhang
| NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing houses the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program, a nursing education and consultation program designed to improve geriatric care in healthcare organizations. The NICHE program provides resources for nursing and interdisciplinary teams to achieve organizational goals for the care of patients. These resources include critical leadership training alongside core nursing and gerontology curricula. Its growth in recent years has been coupled with an increasing need to evaluate its client engagement strategies to maintain its competitive positioning. NICHE enlisted a Capstone team to assess its ability to provide current and prospective clients with products and services that reflect the modern landscape. The team conducted a domain-specific literature review, qualitative research with staff and clients, and stratified analyses of the membership base. Their research and analysis results informed a set of recommendations for NICHE to consider a refreshed and evidence-based member engagement and marketing strategy. |
Focus Areas
Capstone Year