Author Archives: Christina Tsangouri

Posts by Christina Tsangouri

Public Health Problems

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

Public health efforts play a vital role in disease prevention, prolonging life and promoting health in the developed and developing world. Particularly in New York City, public health  has recently been a hot topic in areas such as public health ethics such as Bloomberg’s Soda Ban as an effort to combat obesity. It is therefore important that we understand the public health issues that our society faces in order to combat them properly.

One of the main public health problems the United States is currently facing is that there aren’t nearly enough doctors to care for the population. According to a study conducted by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services it is predicted that if the current system for delivering primary care was to remain fundementally the same by 2020 there will be a projected shortage of 20,400 primary care physicians. This problem of primary care providers can be traced to the fact that not many medical students choose primary care as their career path. Less prestige, high debt loads and a knowledge that primary care providers work in a non-sustainable business model which forces them to see an excessive number of patients per day in order to meet overhead and still garner an income about one half that of the specialist significantly discourages medical school graduates from selecting primary care as a career. Other reasons for the doctor shortage include that older primary care providers are retiring early and many others are closing their practices and seeking employment at local hospitals. Another reason for the projected shortage of primary care is the implementation of the Affordable Care Act due to which millions of formerly uninsured mena and women will have access to healthcare and will need to be absorbed in this fraying primary care network.

Another important problem in public health today is antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistant infections one of the biggest threats to global health. Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively control or kill bacterial growth and continues to multiply in the presence of therapeutic levels of an antibiotic. When an antibiotic is used bacteria that can resist have a greater chance of survival which causes a selective pressure for survival for the resistant strains of bacteria. The current higher-levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are attributed to the overuse and abuse of antibiotics. In some countries and over the Internet, antibiotics can be purchased without a doctor’s prescription. Even worse, patients often are prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily. Antibiotic resistancee threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Each year, approximately two million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, and at least 23,000 of those people die.

Another concerning problem in public health are food deserts. Food deserts are urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy and affordable food options. This lack of access to healthy food contributes to a poor diet and can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. USDA’s Economic Research Service estimates that 23.5 million people live in food deserts. About 13.5 million of those people are identified as low-income.

Gender Lens on Economic Growth Solutions

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

The disparity between the two genders is a major issue in our society today. Most women in the business world make 30% less than a man would for the same occupation. Only 19% of C-suite executives are women. In many developing countries there are approximately 50% less females than males in secondary education. Such statistics show that change is necessary for our society and economy to prosper.

In the class we heard from a few female guests that not only lead successfull organizations and firms but also worked towards creating opportunities for other women. One such organization was Arielle Kandell’s non profit New Women New Yorkers which has several initiatives in order to help women immigrants adapt to their host country and give them the tools and skills necessary to succeed and become leaders. Another fascinating organization was Kim Wales’ crowdfuncing firm called Wales Capital. Kim Wales explained how crowdfunding allows women to acquire capital in ways that would not have been possible for women.

Inspired by these ventures, my group and I designed our own solution to the problems that women face in the workplace. By analyzing the statistics stated above and talking to two anthropology students at the City College of New York who conducted research in women in male dominated majors, we saw that a major issue seemed to be the lack of women in leadership positions in business and in politics. We therefore decided to create the Society of Successful Women – a network for motivating women to pursue leadership roles, providing them with the necessary skills, and providing such opportunities. Looking at our campus here at the City College we saw that we have two highschools with 891 female students, approximately 8,750 female college students, and a myriad of highly accomplished and esteemed female professors in all the various departments. Our organization would work by creating a network between the college faculty, the college students, and the high school students. The college students would talk to the high school students, offering skill building and confidence workshops, encouraging them to pursue male dominated majors such as economics, business, politics, engineering, architecture, and other sciences. The City College faculty would serve as mentors to the college students, providing opportunities and advice, as well as leadership and skill building workshops. We hope for our network to grow within itself; the high school students becoming mentors when they enter college, and the college students expanding the network once they graduate and become professionals, providing our new wave of college students with opportunities and workshops, and even more importantly serving as role models.

As a beginning, in order to attract members we would host promotional events in the college, present at the two high schools AP Randolph and HSMSE, reach out to professors, and coordinate with the City College Alumni Association. At these events we will be distributing interest surveys in order to gauge how the City College community would respond to such an organization. A sample of what the Society of Successful Women will offer its members is a series of resume writing, college interview, and other skills based workshops, open discussions with professional women about the issues faced in the workplace, and social events for networking and skill building.

 

Questions for Kim Wales

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

What are some ways that you work towards bringing the gender gap in the business world?

Can you discuss your approach to crowdfunding?

Questions for Arielle Kandel

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

Can you tell us some more about the content of the workshops offered during your LEAD program?

What are some skills that you consider necessary for women immigrants to acquire in order to succeed in a new country?

Gender Lens on Economic Growth Problems

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

Although over the past years the gender disparity in education and the workplace has decreased it still remains an issue largely in need of radical change. Some problems relating to this gender disparity include the significant wage gap between men and women, gender inequality in education, and lack of women in leadership positions.

The statistics regarding the wage gap between men and women are alarming. On average, women earn 30% less than men in the same occupation. Women experience the pay gap in every state, with Louisiana at the end of the spectrum where women are paid only 66% of what men earn. Women face this issue in nearly every occupation regardless of whether the workplace is female-dominated, male-dominated, or gender balanced. The pay gap hasn’t budged in nearly a decade.

Another major problem is inequality in education. Although gender parity has been achieved when it comes to primary education, as students grow older the disparity widens. For example in Sub-Saharan Africa only 64 girls for every 100 boys pursue a college education. The gender inequality in education, where there is less female education at each level of male education, leads to less educated mothers which fail to provide intellectually stimulating environments for their children. This in turn results in a lower quality of students which leads to a lower quality labor force which ultimately results in lower economic growth. Another problem in education is the lack of women pursuing careers in STEM. Due to conditioning that starts at a young age, girls are led to believe that a technical education is something that is more suitable for men. As a woman in a STEM field, I can attest that the males largely outnumber the females in all of my classes. This huge aversity that women have developed towards pursuing a technical career leads to the world losing out on potentially great minds and this needs to change.

Lastly another major problem is the significant gap of women in leadership positions, whether it be in the business world or the political world. According to a study conducted of 1,660 business school graduates, which examined the nature of projects given to high potential employees, it was found that men received more of the critical assignments that lead to advancement than women. Even more alarmingly, data from Kinsey’s survey of 60 major corporations showed that only 19% of executives in the C-suite where women. In relation to the political world women remain vastly underrepresented in national and local assemblies. Although it has been shown that women’s participation in public office promotes cleaner government practices and less corruption the unequal rights and socioeconomic status of women limit their ability to influence decisions in their communities and national level.

These are all issues that should concern not just women but also men. As Hillary Clinton said in the UN Fourth World Conference on Women “As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace everywhere in the world, the potential of the human family to create a peaceful and prosperous world will not be realized.”

Sources:

http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

http://www.ravishly.com/2015/03/16/gender-equality-isnt-just-womens-issue-interview-elizabeth-nyamayaro-un-heforshe-founder

https://hbr.org/2013/09/women-in-the-workplace-a-research-roundup

Future of Work Problems

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

Our economy today is rapidly changing and with it so is the future of work. As the shift from a manufactoring economy to a service and knowledge economy continues along with the rapid growth of computing, the very nature of work and the workplace are being challenged. Below I discuss the problems that are created by these changes in the workplace such as computarization, the fall of the traditional workplace, and the growing threat of artificial intelligence to future employees.

One of the main problems regarding the workplace is that work does not happen in the office anymore. As Jason Fried discusses in the TED Talk “Why work doesn’t happen at work” the office is now a place of distractions and “work moments” of 30 minute intervals instead of uninterrupted stretches of productivity. Jason Fried states that the major problems with the current workplace are the M&Ms: managers and meetings. He explains that workers, especially those in creative fields need long uninterrupted hours to tackle problem effectively but instead are constantly interrupted by managers who want updates and uneccessary meetings that cost the company money and time.

Mobile communication and collaboration tools are allowing workers to collaborate and communicate in ways that no longer tie them to a common space. The growth of the internet and information technology has encouraged virtual teams and telework. This computarization along with the current problems regarding productivity at the traditional work environment is leading to the collapse of the workplace. Research done by Boris Grosyberg of the Harvard Business School where a variety of professions were analyzed, shows that top professionals depend on the organizations to make them starts. Although the traditional workplace might not necessarily be an environment where a lot of work actually gets done, it is nontheless a vital part of professional growth. The workplace is most of all a social place, where an individual develops a sense of identity and belonging, creates partnerships, and is motivated to succeed by like-minded peers. The first thing that will be lost if traditional offices go away will be creativity.

Another problem regarding computarization that is affecting the future of work is that artificial intelligence is advancing so rapidly that machines are poised to replace humans across a wide range of industries. There is already evidence that information technology has affected middle skilled employees such as secretaries, administration workers, repairmen, and manufactoring workers. Although for now there will be no androids sitting on your desk, computarization has already made it possible for companies to export jobs abroad, reshaped them so they can be done by less skilled contract workers or eliminated them entirely through the use of software. For example the job description of a secretary largely includes information sorting and managing which can easily be automated with software. And as our machines continue to become more intelligent and exhibit undrstanding, speaking, hearing, and seeing, it is only a matter of time before many low and middle level jobs becomes obselete.

Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/03/16/get-rid-managers/?ss=future-work

http://www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/history/herman/reports/futurework/execsum.htm

Future of Work Solutions

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

As the workplace and economy rapidly change the future of work becomes a rising concern for many today. In my previous post I outlined some of the problems regarding the future of work such as computerization, the decline of the traditional workplace, and the growing threat of artificially intelligent agents replacing much of the low and middle level skilled professions.

As the traditional workplace continues to become a thing of the past due to factors such as reduced productivity in the office and computarization and advancements in communication allow for telework and virtual teams, many of the benefits of the workplace such collaboration and creativity are also being lost with it. A solution to one of the primary causes of reduced productivity at work, which Fried calls M&Ms – managers and meetings, would be to take advantage of computarization to improve this issue. By switching from active communication such as face-t0-face interactions and meetings, more passive means of communication should be adopted such as email and instant messaging to communicate information and therefore diminish the distractions brought on by managers and meetings relaying this information. In order to remain relevant the future office must also focus on offering spaces and experiences that cannot be replicated elsewhere, therefore making the office the primary desired space for an employee to actually do work. A company should consider smart offices where physical spaces are augmented to improve human capacities and productivity such as desks with digital personal assistants with language processing skills that can also speak, or rooms that respond to the mood of the worker and automatically performing tasks such as dimming the lights and changing the room temparature.

Another concerning issue in the future of work is the growth of artificial intelligence which threatens to replace many low and mid level professions. Although artificially intelligent machines and software and poised to take over a lot of humans jobs I believe that this is not really a threat in the way that it is viewed. The future of work is surely going to much different than we know today; but I think that by viewing artificial intelligence as a tool instead of a threat is the true solution. Our machines need to start doing jobs that we do not want anymore, and free us from the drudgery in order for humans to focus on meaningful work. High level professions are much less threatened by automatization which is why educational institutions need to encourage higher learning and produce educated and intelligent individuals who will survive in this future. A fascinating solution to this problem is Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcing marketplace that allows individuals to coordinate the use of human intelligence to perform needed tasks that machines are unable to do.

Drawing from our classroom experiences with the speakers from the Center of Social Innovation and the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator I would like to discuss the idea of workspaces aiding entrepreneurs by providing a collaborative and creative environment as another solution towards the improvement of the workspace. I believe that the true future of work lies in such ventures, where diverse and intelligent people gather to hone their ideas in spaces that are conducive to productive work.

Sources:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/robot_invasion/2011/09/will_robots_steal_your_job.html

http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/artificial-intelligence-tool-threat/

http://nyc.socialinnovation.org/about

Questions for Debera Johnson

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

1. The Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator offers development mentorship as well as workspace and manufactoring capabilities. Would you say that the chief goal of BF+DA is to help entrepreneurs develop a business model or to actually design something worth creating a business for?

2. What are some of the resources you provide to the startups that join the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator in order for them to construct their business model?

 

Policing Solutions

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

Using the knowledge I have gained these past few days through class discussions, the precinct visit, and Brenden Beck’s presentation I was able to formulate some possible solutions for the policing problems that I identified previously. The problems that I brought up regarding policing practices were unreasonable and unnecessary use of force, police training, and racial profiling.

As I discussed previously, a major problem regarding the training police officers receive in the academy is that they are instilled with this notion of react first and prevent a problem before it is fully realized. This of course leads to rash reactions such as injuring or even killing innocents such as in the Michael Brown case. A solution to this problem would be improved police training by teaching officers to correctly analyze body movements and expressions in order to more accurately understand when a situation is about to get out of hand. An addition to improved police training would be to also encourage the use of pepper spray, tazers, and other non-maiming ‘weapons’ instead of guns. It should be also encouraged for police officers to try to keep order through discussion and negotiation instead of directly resorting to shooting.

Another major problem that I discussed was racial profiling practices such as stop and frisk. Not only is stop and frisk not effective, with less than 10% of stops resulting in arrests, they also wrongfully target those of color and low income neighborhoods, with approximately 80% of stops made on Blacks and Hispanics. A solution to combat wrongful stops would be to require officers to submit a report for every stop and frisk they perform, explaining the reason they stopped that individual and the outcome of the search. This would encourage officers to conduct searches only when they are justified. Another solution would be for a zero-tolerance policy for police misconduct associated with stop and frisk. Such a policy could be implemented through the use of cameras on police officers, which is something that is been discussed lately. Although requiring the entire police force to wear a camera could be very costly for the city, this idea should not be dismissed as impossible. Police executives should also convey to their departments a clear message about the purpose of the stop and frisk policy and lay out expectations for police conduct.

In order for police reform to truly be effective, the ultimate goal for any organization or community should be to understand the underlying factors behind major police problems. Police reform needs to start by rebuilding the trust between the police force and the communities they are meant to protect. Police officers need to be trained to conduct their duties in a respectful and appropriate manner such as in the case of searches or when confronted with a possibly violent situation. The community needs to start viewing the police force as people who are there to protect them. Only when both the police force and civilians bridge the mistrust created can there be true police reform.

Sources:

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2013/03/4-ideas-fixing-stop-and-frisk/5055/

http://www.ibtimes.com/eric-garner-chokehold-case-fuels-demands-police-reform-1733549

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/02/nypd-stop-and-frisk-keeshan-harley-young-black-men-targeted

Questions For Brenden Beck

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Christina Tsangouri

1. Is the primary goal of the Milk Not Jails campaign more based on incarceration reform or the growth of the milk industry?

2. Can you explain Milk Not Jails’ eight point policy plan?

Comments by Christina Tsangouri

"I especially agree with the problem about improper re-integration of prisoners into society. I believe that this is the true fundemental fault of the whole police system. People, and especially youth, who are incarcerated cannot properly become functional members of society. Spending even a few years in such an environment where someone is frequently abused, living in solitary, with no sort of educational stimuli can leave someoone with lasting scars. For example, the article we read on Browder perfectly portrays this instance, where this boy lost two of the most important years of his life in jail. He never finished highschool, was not able to go on to college and have a career like his past peers. Which is why I firmly believe that the system needs to be greatly reformed, because it is clear that such punishments such as jail time instead of making someone a better citizen in fact encourage the opposite. I also agree with the problem regarding the faulty training of police which often leads rash and unnecessarily violent reactions to situations that could be handled differently."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Problem 1 )
 
"I agree with your statement that a major problem regarding policing is abuse of power. It is truly shocking that such actions such as beating prisoners occur. Such instances where officers will abuse their power just adds to the growing problem regarding mistrust between and hate of police officers and civilians. The problem with the backlog of the court system in many impoverished communities such as the Bronx is also something of concern. Reading the story of Browder really shocked me because I had never realized how bad the system was, which is why I agree that it is also a major problem. In order for policing to be more effective, policies have to be implemented which target such problems like misconduct of police officers and unlawful brutality and also target problems on a bigger scale like better policies regarding how cases are processed. For example the six month policy that is discussed in the article about the backlog in the Bronx court system should be reformed so that someone who spends more than 6 months actually in jail not just on paper should have their case terminated."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post Policing Problems )