CPH In the Media: May 2020 Roundup

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

Related to the COVID-19 –

Grace Bagwell Adams, an associate professor of health policy and management, provided context to Georgia’s increased testing efforts for the Red & Black. She was also quoted in a recent Atlanta Journal Constitution story on whether the state is ready to handle contact tracing needed to keep up with spread. CPH’s forthcoming contact tracing curriculum was also mentioned.

Bagwell Adams was interviewed for the Historic Athens’ series on COVID-19. The Facebook Live video is available here.

Bagwell Adams spoke about the importance of representation in the U.S. Census in feature on UGA Today. The story received pickup from WUGA FMWGAU RadioThe Albany Herald and The McDuffie Progress,

Justin Bahl, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, was quoted in an NPR story on coronavirus mutation and whether that’s dangerous.

José Cordero, Patel Distinguished Professor of Public Health, appeared on a recent 11 Alive Why Guy segment asking why there is no cure for the common cold. He was also quoted in a story by Politico asking whether a second wave of COVID-19 might lead to new stay-at-home orders.

Epidemiology professor Mark Ebell’s ongoing study seeking to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 cases was covered by UGA Today, Online Athens, WGAU Radio and others.

Andreas Handel, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, was co-author on a study from UGA’s Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, which projects 1,500 additional deaths in Georgia if individual safety precautions aren’t observed. The study was covered by UGA Today, White County News and others.

Handel also commented on a recent Georgia Tech study for Georgia Health News, which also predicts a spike in COVID deaths in Georgia, and he is quoted in articles in Wired and Wired UK asking who would have priority to receive a coronavirus vaccine.

Janani Thapa, an assistant professor of health policy and management, shared her perspective on how health disparities are contributing to COVID-19’s heavier impact on Black communities in new Georgia Health News story. The story received additional coverage at WABE 90.1 FM, The Newnan-Times Herald and The Albany Herald.

A recent study by Thapa and the Economic Evaluation Research Group mapping incidences of COVID-19 around the state of Georgia found the highest rates in Georgia’s rural counties. The findings was covered by AJC, CBS 46, WABE 90.1 FM, Yahoo News, 11 Alive, Georgia Patch, WSB TV and WGAU Radio (#1  #2).

Andrea Swartzendruber, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, spoke to 11 Alive on why there will most likely not be a post-pandemic baby boom.

Guidance from environmental health science professor Travis Glenn on how to use heat to disinfect masks received additional coverage this month at Forbes, News18, Auto123, The Nation Thailand, Thai PBS World, Motor1, Paultan.org and Asia One.

Travis also spoke to WUGA FM about how, where, and when to wear face masks.

Faculty member George Khalil,who has been twice deployed by the CDC in the fight against COVID-19, was profiled by WGAU Radio.

Stuart Feldman, interim head of the Department of Health Policy and Management, was quoted on the power of telemedicine in article in the Athens Banner Herald on the steps the healthcare industry in Georgia is taking to reopen while decreasing the spread of COVID-19.

Toni Miles and José Cordero in the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics were quoted in a Grady Newsource piece exploring the impact on COVID-19 on Athens’ aging working class.

A program launched by MSW-MPH student Kim Wolf, where pets virtually visit residents in long-term care facilities, was featured by UGA Today and covered by GPB News and The Albany Herald.

Two student teams mentored by faculty from the UGA Institute of Gerontology – Community Connections and WellCalm – were among the top finalists who competed in UGA’s COVID-19 Virtual Design Sprint. Additional coverage of the event via WGAU Radio.

CPH undergraduate ambassador Will McGonigle and his friends were featured in The Atlantic’s Friendship Files series, sharing how their love of the show Survivor morphed into game to stay connected in quarantine. The story received additional coverage in The Red & Black.

Alumnae Heather Bornstein (MPH ’17, health policy and management) co-authored an op-ed in The Daily Memphian examining how an increase in the number of homeless due to evictions could intensify the spread of COVID-19.

Other mentions 

Health promotion alumnae Kinsey Close (BSHP ’08), now a registered clinical nurse specializing in labor and delivery, was recently featured by AJC Pulse.

Posted May 31, 2020.