Lesley L. Rennis
Professor
Chairperson
Health Studies
EMAIL: lrennis@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: N-799R
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 776-6564
Associate Professor Lesley Rennis earned an MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and an Ed.D. in health education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and has gained over 18 years’ experience in public health research and evaluation. In 2014, Rennis was selected as a BMCC Presidential Scholar to work with a senior faculty mentor and develop a grant proposal to support her work in health education. She also co-coordinated an interdisciplinary Faculty/Staff Interest Group that provided workshops and resources to enhance the physical and mental well being of faculty and staff at BMCC, exploring topics such as such as stress relief, smoking cessation, and weight management. As a professor of health, community health, and public health courses, Rennis guides students to explore issues from both a societal and individual perspective. Her students examine their own health-related behaviors and develop an awareness of how the United States compares with other countries in its approach to public health, situating health behaviors, and views in a historical context. Prior to joining the BMCC faculty, Rennis spent more than 13 years in public health research and evaluation, serving as Vice President of Health and Social Services at the Abyssinian Development Corporation, a nonprofit community development organization in Harlem. She has also taught at the Columbia University School of Public Health, Teachers College, and the College of Mount St. Vincent, emphasizing to students in each setting the impact of health decisions on their ability to achieve personal, professional, and academic success.
Expertise
Urban Public Health, Health Promotion, Complementary and Alternative Therapies, Community/Public Health Workforce
Degrees
- Ed.D. Teachers College, Columbia University, Health and Behavior Studies
- M.P.H. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Population and Family Health
- B.S. Michigan State University, Microbiology
Courses Taught
- This course in health educations offers a comprehensive approach that provides students with the knowledge, skills, and behavioral models to enhance their physical, emotional, social, intellectual and spiritual health as well as facilitate their health decision-making ability. Areas of specialization include: alcohol, tobacco and abused substances, mental and emotional health, human sexuality and family living, nutrition, physical fitness, cardiovascular health, environmental health and health care delivery. HED 110 fulfills all degree requirements for HE 100. Students who have completed HED 100 - Health Education will not receive credit for this course.
- This course academically examines topics that health education professionals have identified as: 1) critical to the health and wellbeing of specific populations, 2) relevant to the current state of the nation's health and healthcare system, 3) representative of recent trends in health practices/theory, or 4) a significant health concern attributable to personal health behavior(s). This course provides for an in-depth analysis of the array of topics germane to the health field. Each semester one or more topics will be offered through this course.
Prerequisite: HED 100 or HED 110 - This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the psychological, physical, and social understanding of the stress response. The course will explore the divergent ranges of the human stress response, while emphasizing the use of positive stress in an academic setting. Opportunities will be provided for students to learn concrete scientific measures, gain practical insights, and adapt viable stress management techniques. The purpose of the course is not to advocate any one particular technique, but rather to enable students to make informed decisions about stress management approaches toward enhancing health.
- This course will examine the history of health and illness from a population perspective. The course will present students with past, present and future key public health topics and their application to public health strategies to prevent or minimize health problems among culturally diverse populations and across the lifespan. This course will present students with foundational knowledge in public health by examining policy, practice, and methods in the United States and abroad. Prerequisite: HED 110
- Health educators promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. This is accomplished primarily through the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the field of community health education and an opportunity to develop skills in needs assessment and program planning. We will review the importance of health behavior as a contributor to current public health problems. Students will learn how to use the planning frameworks for conducting needs assessments and designing and evaluating health promotion programs. Theories of health behavior will be introduced and their applications explored. Examples of health education and health promotion programs will be presented from health care, community, school and workplace settings.
Prerequisite: HED 110 or [HED 100 with an earned grade of "B" grade or above]
Research and Projects
Publications
Peer –reviewed Articles
- McNamara G, Rennis L, Hansen H, Grace L. (2019) Personality and diet among community college students. Health, Wellness, and Society. In press.
- Rennis L, McNamara G, Seidel E, Shneyderman Y. (2015) Google it!: Urban community college students use of the internet to obtain self-care and personal health information. College Student Journal. 49(3), 414-426.
- McNamara, G., Rennis, L. & Carlson, L. (2014). Impact of socio-environmental factors on college students’ vending food and beverage purchasing behaviors. The Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 3(3), 89-100. ISSN: 2160-1933.
- McNamara G, Rennis, L, Wiseman, C. (2014). Measuring college students’ sustainable practices, beliefs and attitudes. International Journal of Sustainability Education, 9, (3), 31-46.
- Ethan D, Rennis L, Samuel L, Seidel E, Basch C. (2014). A review of college-level health textbooks for coverage of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Health Education Journal, 72(2), 217-227.
- Fullilove M, Green-Rennis LL, Hernandez-Cordero L, Fullilove, R. (2006). Obvious and not-so-obvious strategies to disseminate research. Health Promotion Practice, 7(3): 306-311.
- Green-Rennis L, Fullilove M, Fullilove R. (2005). Remembering the lizard: Reconstructing sexuality in the rooms of narcotics anonymous. Journal of Sex Research, 42(1): 28-34.
- Green-Rennis L, Fullilove M, Evans D, Shepard P. (2002). Hey, mom thanks: Use of focus groups in the development of place-specific materials for a community environmental action campaign. Environ Health Perspectives, 110 (suppl 2): 265-270.
- Evans D, Fullilove M, Green-Rennis L, Levison M. (2002). Awareness of environmental risks and protective actions among minority women in Northern Manhattan. Environ Health Perspectives, 110 (suppl 2): 271-275.
Book Chapters
- Green LL, Fullilove MT, Fullilove RE. (2014). Remembering the lizard: Reconstructing sexuality in the rooms of narcotics anonymous. In JA Inciardi & K McElrath, (Eds.), The American Drug Scene, 7th Edition, (pp. 361-371). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Green-Rennis LL, Hernandez-Cordero L, Schmitz K, Fullilove M. (2013). “We have a situation here!”: Using situation analysis for health and social research. In AE Fortune, WJ Reid, RL Miller, (Eds.), Qualitative Research in Social Work, 2nd Edition, (pp. 192-212). New York: Columbia University Press.
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
New York University Faculty Network Summer Program
CUNY Community College Research Grant
BMCC Faculty Leadership Fellow
BMCC Teaching Academy, Master Teacher
PSC-CUNY Research Award Program, Health Sciences Panel Chair
BMCC Presidential Scholars Award
NIDA Women & Gender Junior Investigator Award
