Dr. Farzanna Haffizulla’s Protecting Intellectual Property through Trademark Registration

Trademark Registration for Caribbean Diaspora Healthy Nutrition Outreach Program (CDHNOP) and “In the Kitchen with Dr. H” for Dr. Farzanna Haffizulla

Florida is home to over 1.6 million Caribbean immigrants and a substantial proportion of this population has been found to be susceptible to obesity and related conditions such as cardiac diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and stroke. To mitigate this issue, NSU initiated the Caribbean Diaspora Healthy Nutrition Outreach Program project under the leadership of Farzanna Haffizulla MD, MACP, FAMWA.

 

 

Dr. Haffizulla is an Associate Professor and past Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU KPCOM) after having served as the Assistant Dean for Community and Global Health and founding team member at NSU’s College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD).

Studies have shown that diets of the Caribbean population are often heavy in fats, sugar, and sodium and this is one of the key causes of greater risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other health complications among this population. To address this issue, Dr. Haffizulla developed the CDHNOP, which is a targeted, culturally appropriate educational communication campaign focused on improving nutrition among the region’s Caribbean immigrant population. This campaign uses a traffic light pattern based on the National Institutes of Health’s “Go, Slow, Whoa” materials to educate people about which food items are healthy and which are not. “Go” foods are the least processed and most healthy foods such as fruits, whole grains, and vegetables, while items such as sweetened milk and refined grained foods are considered as “Slow” foods. The least healthy foods such as chips, fast foods and soft drinks which contain unhealthy fats, added sugars/salts are categorized under the “Whoa” foods. This program shows NSU’s commitment towards health equity and its focus on the local community https://nsucaribbeanhealth.com/  To promote culturally suitable healthy nutrition and culinary habits, Dr. Haffizulla started various initiatives including her cooking show titled “In The Kitchen with Dr. H”. She uses this show as another avenue for educating the community about making Caribbean dishes healthier while continuing to preserve its cultural elements.

 

 

NSU’s Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization (OTTC) worked with Dr. Haffizulla to register the trademark and design for both the CDHNOP and “In The Kitchen with Dr. H” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect her intellectual property for both these initiatives. NSU’s OTTC assists faculty and other members of the university community to protect their intellectual property and commercialize their innovations so that they can make a positive social impact. You can learn more about the OTTC’s efforts to protect the university’s intellectual property, such as the CDHNOP trademark, and various innovations from NSU researchers that are available for commercialization by visiting https://www.nova.edu/ott/index.html.