December 16, 2009
Freshmen studying Principles of Marketing with Andrea
Licari, D.P.S., took a different approach to Academic
Service-Learning during the fall semester. There were no soup
kitchens, no tutoring at elementary schools or volunteer work at
hospices. Instead these undergraduates tackled the challenges of
juvenile—or type 1—diabetes awareness in a real-world marketing
campaign.
Their objective: to educate a targeted population of children,
caregivers and medical professionals on the warning signs of this
often misdiagnosed disease.
Working with non-profit organizations to create sustainable change
for the common good is one of the hallmarks of a St. John’s
education. Through Academic Service Learning—in which a service
activity is incorporated into the curriculum—students better
understand, learn and retain classroom theories through community
service and experiential learning. At the same time, their
efforts on behalf of the disadvantaged reflect the University’s
Vincentian mission of service.
In this instance, more than 80 marketing students paired up in
teams to design a comprehensive strategy to reach the 10 million
people affected by diabetes each year and the additional 24 million
individuals who are unaware of their medical status or how to cope
with this illness. Students in Dr. Licari’s Discover New
York course for the Physician Assistant program as well as
those is Professor Thom McCarthy’s advertising research class
contributed to the effort.
“The students had to target specific groups,” says the CPS
Professor. “The goal of this presentation was to demonstrate an
understanding of the theories learned in class and to connect it
with this at-risk community. By learning how to market a product or
service, they were empowered to not only impact society’s
perception but in turn to alter society’s behavior.”
Getting the Word Out
Generally diagnosed in children, teenagers and young adults,
doctors are unclear what causes juvenile or insulin-dependent
diabetes, a disorder in which the body has difficulty regulating
blood sugar levels.
Dr. Licari invited two physicians highly recognized in the field of
juvenile diabetes—Drs. Robert Rapaport, Director of the Division of
Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Mount Sinai Medical Center,
and Dennis Cary, Director at North Shore-LIJ Schneider Children’s
Hospital—to kick-off the initial promotion with an hour-long
presentation on the facts and myths associated with the
illness.
“The doctors acknowledged the problem and our students were able to
execute a well-laid out campaign to Mount Sinai Medical College,”
notes Dr. Licari. “They were able to participate in a
service-learning project in which they effectively helped society
and witnessed how their contribution will make a difference.”
The freshmen unveiled their marketing plans to Dr. Licari and their
classmates in November, which was National Diabetes Awareness
Month. The “Picture Me” campaign submitted by Danielle Rodriguez
(group leader), Victoria Galperina, Elise Ourso, Joanna Trumino,
Paul Lamm, Rohan Bhasin, Dana Latipova, Angelo McEneaney and Kevin
Kulikowski was selected to present before a panel of experts at the
Juvenile Diabetes conference in 2010 at Mount Sinai Medical Center
in New York City.