CPH In the Media: March 2020 Roundup

UGA College of Public Health news and media mentions for the month of March 2020:

Related to the COVID-19 –

José Cordero, head of the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, shared advice on how pregnant women can protect themselves and their babies from COVID-19 on Telemundo’s morning show, Un Nuevo Día.  He was quoted AJC and Flagpole articles and an 11 Alive “Why Guy” report examining the risks of coronavirus transmission and best practices for avoiding infection. 

Cordero also appeared on 11 Alive and WTHR 13 addressing public health concerns associated with limited testing for the novel coronavirus.  He also appeared in various news reports  (11 Alive “Why Guy”, 11 Alive, WMAZ , 11 Alive, 11 Alive ) examining the latest updates on Georgia’s current COVID-19 cases.

Curt Harris, director of the Institute for Disaster Management, provided tips for school leaders currently responding to the COVID-19 outbreak in an interview with School CEO. Harris, along with CPH dean Marsha Davis, also helped to explain the logic behind social distancing in an article for UGA Today.  Additional coverage at the The Albany Herald, Athens CEO, McDuffie Progress, and ASPPH Friday Letter.

Adam Chen, associate professor of health policy and management, spoke to the Global Times about ongoing efforts to address the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Chen was one of 450 U.S. public health and legal experts who signed an open letter to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and other federal, state and local officials, calling for a “fair and effective COVID-19 response.”

Chen also shared his insights in an article by the South China Morning Post and editorial on Sixth Tone, both of which explored some of the reasons why China’s public health system failed to control the outbreak.

Mark Ebell, a physician and professor of epidemiology & biostatistics, shared tips with The Red & Black about how individuals can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.  He also spoke to the Flagpole magazine on how mandatory social distancing could mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on our healthcare system.

Grace Bagwell Adams, associate professor of health policy & management and principal investigator of the Athens Wellbeing Project, gave a presentation during a special session of the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission on March 19, which provided data and analysis on local population health metrics and healthcare supply in Clarke and surrounding counties. The meeting and Bagwell Adam’s presentation was covered articles in the Flagpole magazine (#1, #2)  and The Red & Black (#1, #2)  Bagwell Adams, in an interview featured on WUGA FM, spoke at length about healthcare challenges faced by Athens-Clarke County in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bagwell Adams also addressed some policy options available to the state of Georgia and its efforts to stop the spread of Coronavirus in the state in news pieces published by the Douglas County Sentinel and Marietta Daily Journal.  She also shared some social distancing “do and don’t”s in an article by The Red & Black.

Justin Bahl, an evolutionary biologist and associate professor of epidemiology & biostatistics, was quoted in a NPR story exploring how the novel coronavirus is mutating.  Additional coverage at the Latin Post and Non Perele.

Kerstin Emerson, a clinical associate professor in the Institute of Gerontology, spoke to the Georgia Health News about concerns that social distancing, while a vital tool for helping seniors avoid COVID-19, might be exacerbating loneliness in seniors. Additional coverage at The McDuffie Progress, Albany Herald, and Rome News-Tribune.

Other mentions 

Andrea Swartzendruber, an assistant professor of epidemiology who studies crisis pregnancy centers, spoke to Vox about a recent study from the University of California San Francisco, which found that CPCs don’t provide many of the services needed by low income patients.

Students Lee Brackman (MPH, environmental health) and John Parker (MPH-MD, disaster management) won UGA’s Quick Pitch Competition for developing a tablet that disinfects and boosts the electrolyte content of water. Additional coverage at the ASPPH Friday Letter.

Posted March 31, 2020.