Cyclopedia is a bicycling program that combines physical activity with collaborative online documentation for the purpose of empowering urban adolescents to become engaged and productive members of their communities by strengthening their connections with their physical and social environments.
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 over 800 miles and over 70 hours of program time on 14 rides.
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
Our community partners include:
Boys and Girls Club of Rochester
R Community Bikes
Rochester Cycling Alliance
Pediatric Links to the Community (PLC), Pediatrics Department, Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong
Our leadership consists of:
Eric Biondi, MD; pediatrics resident, University of Rochester
Shawn Brown; Teen Coordinator, Rochester Boys and Girls Club
Cappy Collins, MD; pediatrics resident, University of Rochester
Marc Lavender, MD; community physician, Rochester, NY
Karen Sethi, MD; pediatrics resident, University of Rochester
