Our approach to health education and public health communications is rooted in research. Our resources and programs are built upon evidence-based frameworks that are developed, tested, and proven to be effective by academic partners. 

Our primary research partner team is based at Columbia University Medical Center and led by our founder, Dr. Olajide Williams. This interdisciplinary team constructed our evidence-based frameworks for health behavior change through NIH-funded research with randomized controlled trials.

The Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model weaves together music, hip hop culture, and the science of human attention. This allows us to establish cultural and emotional connections with educational resources to build health literacy and spark health behavior change. 

The Child-Mediated Health Communication Model focuses on developing young people as messengers and intergenerational advocates for health promotion with their families, peers and communities.

Articles

Creating a Scalable Physical Activity Breaks Resource Through the Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model: H.Y.P.E. The Breaks!

Ewelina M. Swierad, PhD, EdM, MA, MSc, Lori Rose Benson, MA, BA, Olajide Williams, MD, MS

Sage Journals

A Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model for Diverse Communities

Swierad, E.M. & Williams, O.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
2019, 16, 872.

Improving Community Stroke Preparedness In The Hip Hop Stroke Randomized Clinical Trial 

Eimicke J.P., Kong J., Leighton-Hermann, Noble J., Ogedegbe G., Quinn E., Teresi J., & & Williams O.

Stroke, a Journal of Cerebral Circulation
2018; 49: 972–979.

Development of a Menu Board Literacy and Self-efficacy Scale for Children

Eimicke J.P., Leighton-Herrmann Quinn E., Ramirez M., Sawyer V., Teresi J.A., & Williams O.

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
49: 2017; 867-871

Community-Level Measures of Stroke Knowledge among Children: Findings from Hip Hop Stroke

Hecht M.F., Leighton-Herrmann E., Noble J.M., Simmons C., & Williams O.

Journal of Stroke & Cardiovascular Diseases
2017 Jan; 26(1):139-142.

Child Mediated Health Communication: A Conceptual Framework for Increasing Stroke Literacy in Hard to Reach Populations

DeSorbo A., Gerin W., Hecht M., Hedmann M., Leighton-Hermann E., Noble J., Shelton R., Tolchin B., & Williams O.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice 2016 Vol. 9 : Iss. 4 , Article 7.

Abstracts

RCT Data on the Effect of Stroke Education on Children’s Knowledge and Self-Efficacy

Williams, O., Leighton-Herrmann Quinn, E., DeSorbo, A., Hedmann, M., Hecht, M., Eimicke, J., Kong, J., Teresi, J., Gerin, W., & Noble, J.

26th Annual European Stroke Conference. Berlin, Germany. May 2017

Hip Hop Stroke: Adapting a Facilitator-driven Evidence-based Multimedia Program into a Scalable Digital-only Version

Leighton-Herrmann, E., Hecht, M.,Hedmann, M., Noble, J., & Williams, O.

Stroke 2016; 47:ATP 189

Stroke Knowledge Among Children Is Associated With Measures of Economic Need

Noble, J., Simmons, C., Hecht, M. and Williams, O.

International Stroke Conference Annual Meeting. Nashville TN. 2015

Baseline Stroke Knowledge of 4th-6th Grade Children In New York City Public Schools Has No Appreciable Trend From 2005-2014

Noble, J., Simmons, C., Hecht, M. and Williams, O.

International Stroke Conference Annual Meeting. Nashville TN. 2015

Hip Hop Stroke: Developing a framework of child-mediated communication to address stroke literacy

Leighton-Herrmann, E., Noble, J., Feldman-Hecht, M., DeSorbo, A.,Hedmann, M., Huq, S., and Williams, O.

143rd APHA Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, 2015.

Public Awareness/Advocacy Barriers to calling 911 for acute stroke among minority women

Abel-Bey, A., DeSorbo, A., Valdez, L., Cohn, E., and Williams, O.

9th World Stroke Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, October 22-25, 2014

Research Team

Founder & Board Chair

Dr. Olajide Williams

Easy AD

Arthur “Artie Green” Lloyd

Dr. James M. Noble

Dr. Ewelina Swierad

Janhavi Mallaiah

Sandra Minchala

Gabriela Drucker

Vanessa Sawyer

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