Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
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Diverge Health Launched to Build Upon a Decade of Experience Serving Underserved Patients in New York
BOSTON, March 15, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, Binoy Bhansali, Manmeet Kaur and Anne Robinson announced the formation of Diverge Health - a new value-based care company that comprehensively supports primary care providers to better serve patients on Medicaid.
The company is building off the success of New York-based City Health Works, founded by Kaur in 2012 to partner with primary care practices and deploy local community health worker-led, technology-enabled health coaching services to high-needs patients. Patients enrolled in the program saw a greater than 45 percent reduction in year-over-year cost of care, a 50 percent reduction in emergency room visits, and significant clinical improvements overall while boasting a net promoter score of 90.
"Having spent the last decade proving that City Health Works' model delivers extraordinary results for patients, our workforce and clinic partners, it is a privilege to join Diverge Health and build upon this success," said Manmeet Kaur, co-founder and chief population health officer at Diverge Health. "I'm excited to partner with a deeply experienced set of colleagues to meaningfully scale and adapt City Health Works' solution across the nation."
In 2023, Diverge Health acquired the intellectual property of City Health Works. The company will take lessons learned from City Health Works and deploy its model as a component of a broader offering to primary care providers in multiple markets this year.
"Healthcare providers that support the most vulnerable populations in our country require a different model to be able to holistically address patients' needs," said Anne Robinson, chief people and network development officer at Diverge Health. "I am thrilled to be able to leverage my past experiences in risk-based primary care to be a part of an organization that affords these providers the resources required to best engage patients in their health journeys."
Robinson joins Diverge Health from VillageMD, where she most recently served as executive vice president of growth and led a team that delivered a 400 percent increase of VillageMD's provider network in one year. Anne also spent five years as VillageMD's chief people officer, where she expanded an early, founding team to more than 6,500 employees during her tenure.
"We are grateful to have an opportunity to build an impactful organization that serves practices and patients across the country," said Binoy Bhansali, co-founder and chief executive officer of Diverge Health. "Primary care providers serving low-income patients have the toughest of jobs. They are doing their best to care for a high-needs population without adequate infrastructure to fully support patients' needs. Many don't have the financial wherewithal to take on value-based contracts with health plans. Diverge Health was built to serve these practices. We equip them with highly trained community health teams, clinical solutions and data to produce better outcomes for their patients."
Prior to founding Diverge Health, Bhansali headed diversification efforts at SCAN, a $4+ billion nonprofit healthcare organization serving older adults across the country. In partnership with the company's leadership and corporate development teams, he helped spearhead SCAN's combination with CareOregon alongside entry into the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), in-home primary care, in-home chronic disease management and street medicine for individuals experiencing homelessness. Bhansali also served as a partner at venture capital firm Sandbox Industries, where he invested in healthcare services companies focused on serving low-income patient populations.
Diverge Health is backed by well-known healthcare venture funds, including Triple Aim Partners and GV (Google Ventures).
About Diverge
Founded in 2022, Diverge Health supports primary care providers to extend their reach and better serve vulnerable patients. For more information, visit divergecares.com.
About Triple Aim Partners
Triple Aim Partners builds healthcare companies that improve the quality, experience and total cost of healthcare in partnership with outstanding entrepreneurs. Since 2019, the organization has co-founded and launched seven impactful companies. Visit tripleaim.com to learn more.
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Contact Information:Regina Vaccari
Owner/Principal, Vaccari Communications
regina@vaccaricommunications.com
(702) 337-1781
Original Source: Diverge Health Launched to Build Upon a Decade of Experience Serving Underserved Patients in New York
