About the Episode
In our seventeenth episode of the second season, Co-Host J.R. Jamison sat down with Bob Atkins, Director of the New Jersey Health Initiatives of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They chat about Bob’s journey from registered nurse to co-founder of a youth-development nonprofit to faculty member at Rutgers-Camden, and how these experiences have influenced Bob’s work as a grant-maker throughout the state of New Jersey. They also make a stop off in Pop Culture Corner to talk books, podcasts, and the importance of seeing yourself reflected in the world.
Guests
Dr. Bob Atkins is an Associate Professor of Childhood Studies at Rutgers University-Camden, and he serves as the Director of the New Jersey Health Initiatives of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Bob’s work has explored three questions about the health and development of youth living in high-poverty neighborhoods: 1) What social and institutional processes mediate the relationship of high-poverty neighborhoods to the health and well-being of youth living in those neighborhoods? 2) How does childhood personality influence the emergence of health-damaging behaviors in adolescence? 3) What do youth in high-poverty neighborhoods do to promote, maintain, or restore their own health? Bob is also the Co-Founder and President of the Camden STARR Program, a nonprofit youth development program which sought to improve the life chances of youth living in Camden.
Your Hosts
Andrew Seligsohn
President
Emily J. Shields
Executive Director, Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact
J.R. Jamison
Executive Director, Indiana Campus Compact