Judith Wylie-Rosett: Paying It Forward
In her quiet way, Judith Wylie-Rosett is a master promoter. Her twin passions are public-health promotion and career promotion—of her junior colleagues.
Judith Wylie-Rosett, Ed.D.
That's not to say that Dr. Wylie-Rosett hasn't come far in her own career. She joined the Einstein faculty as a research assistant in 1971, and became the head of health promotion and nutrition research in the department of epidemiology & population health in 1998.
Throughout five decades at Einstein-Montefiore, she has studied the role of diet and physical activity to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke; obesity-related chronic disease and nutritional intervention; and how to encourage healthy lifestyles in black, Latino and Asian communities.
Dr. Wylie-Rosett with colleagues/mentees (from left) Dr. Earle Chambers, Dr. Alyson Moadel-Robblee and Dr. Carmen Isasi She became involved in studying cardiovascular risks for Asians living in New York City's Chinatown while mentoring the principal investigator—who is from China—on her research and career goals. Initially a co-investigator, Dr. Wylie-Rosett became the principal investigator when Dr. Jing Fang changed jobs and asked her to continue the project.
A leader in national research projects for decades, Dr. Wylie-Rosett was an investigator in the Diabetes Prevention Program, the Women's Health Initiative, and the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial—large multicenter trials at Einstein that changed the way doctors treat type 2 diabetes and postmenopausal health issues.
More recently, she and Dr. Elizabeth Walker received a $2.9 million National Institutes of Health grant in December 2016 to launch the New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research, one of only eight such centers nationwide.
But her interest in cardiometabolic risk isn't merely academic; one of her grandmothers died from diabetes and the other from heart disease. To reach the public more directly, she has also worked with the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association to develop nutrition-related recommendations.
Cultivating Young Talent
While growing up in Farmington, Arkansas, she learned from her parents that talent needed to be nurtured. "You don't have a greater right to your talents than anyone else," they told her. "You must share them with other people."
Dr. Wylie-Rosett has been doing so by providing "career mentoring" to younger colleagues in writing grants, finding research funding and addressing interpersonal issues. "I don't tell people what to do," she explained. "We discuss their options and I help them weigh each one so they can come to their own decisions."
She added, "There is something very exciting about seeing somebody conquer a problem, and I feel joy when I see something go well for someone I've mentored."
Thomas Rohan, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., D.H.Sc., chair of epidemiology & population healthDr. Alyson Moadel-Robblee, professor of clinical epidemiology at Einstein and director of psychosocial services at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, noted, "When I felt a colleague was being unfair, Judy helped me figure out how to approach the situation diplomatically and collaboratively." She also helped Dr. Moadel-Robblee position herself for academic promotion.
"A National Treasure"
Dr. Moadel-Robblee joined Drs. Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani and Carmen Isasi, both associate professors of clinical epidemiology & population health, to organize a "mentorship appreciation party" for Dr. Wylie-Rosett earlier this year.
Calling her a "national treasure," department chair Dr. Tom Rohan extolled her unique gifts, noting, "You truly are a model faculty member—extraordinarily generous with your time and help for colleagues…an exceptional mentor and highly collaborative worker. I couldn't really ask for anything more, except, perhaps, more Judys."
The more than two dozen attendees presented her with a walnut chair hand-hewn by Amish artisans, accompanied by a homemade card with messages of appreciation.
"She has been a gentle but consistent guide who truly wants the best for those lucky enough to be mentored by her," said Dr. Moadel-Robblee.
Posted on: Tuesday, September 19, 2017