About Us

2023-24 Update

The cyclopedia program is on a hiatus so we can focus on its sister walking program Cada Paso (Every Step).

See the recent report we filed about last year’s activities with that program.
The Summer fundraising campaign has just been completed. Thanks to everyone who was involved! 

Please see the new Justin Downs Memorial Fund which was recently created. 

2022 Update

Cyclopedia is a 4-week summer positive youth development (PYD) program. This is an evidence-based model for improving resilience to toxic stress, and our program evaluations demonstrate predicted success. We work with multiple community organizations and local leaders to translate our community science into policy recommendations addressing environmental health factors that underlie the community disparities.

This season we are primarily focusing on the Cada Paso walking program with families. Look for updates here.

Click for highlights from the 2021 Season
Click for highlights from the 2020 Season

We have been honored with recognition and awards, including:
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Resident Community Service Award
November 2010
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Anne E. Dyson Child Advocacy Award
Cyclopedia: Empowering Urban Adolescents Through Bicycling, October 2010
Community Pediatrics Advisory Council (CPAC) Grant
Cyclopedia: Empowering Urban Adolescents Through Bicycling, July 2010
AAP Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Resident Funds Grant
Cyclopedia: Empowering Urban Adolescents Through Bicycling, June 2010

Cyclopedia is a bicycling program that combines physical activity with collaborative online documentation for the purpose of empowering urban adolescents to become engaged and healthy members of their communities.

The lack of habitual outdoor activity that is often referred to as “nature-deficit disorder” manifests as increasing rates of obesity, behavioral problems, teen pregnancy and other adverse health outcomes; Cyclopedia’s objective is to prevent these problems from happening.

Each ride has an explicitly local theme pertaining to the neighborhoods our riders live in.

This website is the collaborative documentation of all the rides: we post photographs and writing, we map our routes and we combine the information into interactive “ride maps.”

Cyclopedia was started by pediatric residents in the Pediatric Link to the Community (PLC) program at the University of Rochester in 2009. We partnered with the Rochester Boys and Girls Club to launch our inaugural season in 2010. Our first season saw 19 riders accumulating nearly 800 miles and over 70 hours of program time on 14 rides. Our East Harlem program launched in 2012.  Hundreds of riders, and thousands of miles, photographs and words later…here we are!  Enjoy the ride.


Multiple rides from the 2019 season.

Badges

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NYC East Harlem Trips

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Rochester Trips

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Our leadership consists of:
East Harlem
Cappy Collins, MD, MPH; environmental health pediatrician, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Alberto Rivera; Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center, Beacon After School Program

Rochester
Shawn Brown; Teen Coordinator, Rochester Boys and Girls Club
Marcus Cooper; Rochester Boys and Girls Club
Marc Lavender, MD; physician, University of Rochester

Research Advisor:
C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH; pediatrician, University of Rochester
Technical Director:
John Culhane

Intern Alumni:
2012: Kara Metcalf
2013: Emma Bick, Jenne Ingrassia, Danny Piening
2014: Emily Bai, Danielle Niderman, Juleon Robinson
2015: Jude Appiah, Georgia Bancheri, Claire Castellano, Stella Chong, Katie Litman, Katelynn Pan
2016: JiaMei Huang, Lauren Lee, Celeste Matsui, Emera de los Santos, Akeem Williams
2017: Judy Lee
2018: Orianna Xu, Lauren Eisner