When Emory Hillel received a grant from the international parent organization to start a social-justice initiative, Hillel leaders say, applying it to the field of public health seemed like a natural choice for a school located on Atlanta's Clifton Corridor.

An Oct. 17 roundtable with Pediatrics Professor Raymond Schinazi was the inaugural event of Hillel's new JHealth program, which seeks to connect Jewish pre-health students with local health professionals and give them experience in public-health advocacy.

Emory Hillel Director Michael Rabkin said social justice programs should provide Jewish students with opportunities to explore their connection to the religion.

"Public health is the venue at Emory because Atlanta is the public health capital of the world," he said.

JHealth will have three major components, Hillel Senior Program Director Elizabeth Goldberg said. Students who are accepted into the program will attend monthly roundtables with health professionals who will talk about how they built successful careers; be paired with professional mentors; and join or start advocacy campaigns on the public health issue of their choosing, such as eating disorders or substance abuse.

Goldberg said a major point of discussion at the roundtables will be social justice as a Jewish value.

"We'll be talking about the work students are doing and about their career choices and how it relates to their Jewish identity and values," she said.

The grant received by Emory Hillel is part of the Everett Family Tzedek Initiative announced by Hillel in March. Tzedek, or social justice, is a central value of Judaism.

Rabkin said JHealth is based on pikuach nefesh, the obligation to save a life in jeopardy. It will address universal health issues, he said, not just ones that affect primarily Jews, such as the genetic disorder Tay-Sachs.

Hillel Co-President Joe Greene, a College senior, said JHealth is modeled after JBiz, a year-old Emory Hillel program that provides guidance to business students through roundtable and mentoring components.

About 20 students attended last week's roundtable with Schinazi, Rabkin said.

Schinazi was one of the Emory scientists who collaborated to develop the AIDS drug Emtriva, for which the University sold the production rights for $540 million last year.

He said he told the students at last week's event about his work on that project, as well as his interest in science growing up and his experiences at the Yale School of Medicine.

"When you start a career, you don't know what to do, usually," Schinazi said. "The goal is to share your experiences so [students] can learn from it, and maybe encourage them to aspire to higher goals."

Hillel will accept 15 students into the JHealth program. The application deadline is Thursday at noon, and the application is available at www.emoryhillel.com/jhealth.

Greene said Hillel leaders are thinking about ways to involve students who are not accepted.

- Contact Susan McMillan at

semcmil@learnlink.emory.edu