March 24, 2020

In this time of crisis and uncertainty getting the facts is critical. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic also raises important new questions about science, society, and equity that we need to address.

From March to May 2020, the Dornsife School of Public Health hosted 16 webinars featuring public health experts who took part in insightful discussions of what we know, what we don’t know, the latest news, and the implications of the pandemic for all of us.

Starting the week of September 22, 2020, the Emerging Issues in the Coronavirus Pandemic Webinar Series will begin again. 

Watch past sessions:

Misinformation and the Role of Risk Communication During COVID-19

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

More than ever there is the need for accurate and reliable information from credible sources. With new evidence emerging nearly every day, the public is in need of clear information and guidance to take appropriate precautions and reduce uncertainty.

Panelists:

• Tom Hipper, MSPH, MA, Program Manager, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Dornsife
• Jennifer Manganello, PhD, Professor, University at Albany's School of Public Health

Moderator:

Philip Massey, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor at Dornsife

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Emergency Departments on the Front Line of Public Health

This session features two emergency medicine physicians whose careers have integrated the perspectives of patient care and public health.

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

Panelists:

• Priya E. Mammen, MD, MPH, Emergency Physician, Public Health Consultant
• Theodore (Ted) Corbin, MD, MPP, Professor in both the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine and the Department of Health Management & Policy

Moderator:

James Buehler, MD, Clinical Professor and Interim Chair, Health Management & Policy at Dornsife

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New Approaches to the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection – Update on Laboratory Diagnosis of COVID-19

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

Panelists:

• Debra L. Powell, MD, MS, FIDSA, Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases, Medical Director for Infection Prevention at Tower Health
• Alan T. Evangelista, PhD, D(ABMM), Director, Microbiology and Virology, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children

Moderator:

Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, FACP, Associate Professor and Director, Center for Public Health Readiness & Communication at Dornsife

Watch webinar

View Dr. Evangelista's presentation slides

View Dr. Powell's presentation slides

Population Mental Health and COVID-19

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2020 at 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

This webinar broadly discussed how the pandemic could have consequences for the mental health of populations and detailed government and health system responses to these consequences in Philadelphia. 

Panelists:

• Wanjiku F.M. Njoroge, MD, Psychiatrist and Program Director, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Sosunmolu Shoyinka, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS)

Moderator/Presenter:

Jonathan Purtle, DrPH, MPH, MSc, Assistant Professor, Health Management and Policy, Center for Population Health and Community Impact at Dornsife

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Protecting Human Rights During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 from 12:30 - 1:30 PM EST

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, declared that COVID-19 is “fast becoming a human rights crisis.” As the pandemic continues, health and human rights experts and advocates are acting quickly to protect human rights within this public health emergency. 

This webinar focuses on public health advocacy seeking to protect populations and communities most left behind.

Panelists:

• Joseph Amon, PhD, MSPH, Clinical Professor and Director of the Office of Global Health at Dornsife
• Ariana Sawyer, Human Rights Watch – Asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico Border
• Rajat Khosla, World Health Organization - Women, girls, and sexual/gender minorities
• Tamara Taraciuk Broner, Human Rights Watch – Venezuela and the need for humanitarian response
• Belkis Wille, Human Rights Watch – Refugees fleeing conflict (Greece, Turkey)

Moderator:

Nina Sun, JD, Assistant Clinical Professor and Deputy Director of Global Health at Dornsife

Watch webinar

Ethical Challenges in the Public Health Management of COVID-19

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST

Panelists:

• Holly Tabor, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University
• James Colgrove, PhD, MPH, Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Moderator:

Michael Yudell, PhD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Community Health and Prevention at Dornsife

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Local Maternal and Child Health Organizations

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2020 from 4:00 PM-5:00 PM

This Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Speaker Series presentation will include representatives from four local MCH organizations.

The discussion will center around the COVID-19 pandemic and how the organizations have been impacted, strategies being used to respond and stay connected to MCH populations, and barriers encountered. Time will be allotted for Q&A and sharing of strategies.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on People Who Use Drugs and Harm Reduction Efforts in Philadelphia

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM

This webinar provided insights into the impact of COVID-19 on people who use drugs (PWUD) and harm reduction efforts by local experts who are on the front lines of this crisis in Philadelphia.

Panelists:

• Clayton Ruley, Director of Community Engagement and Volunteer Services, Prevention Point Philadelphia
• Carol Rostucher, President, Angels in Motion
• Ben Cocchiaro, MD, MPH, Adjunct Fellow, University of Pennsylvania's Center for Public Health Initiatives
• Chris Moraff, Journalist

Moderator:

Stephen Lankenau, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Dornsife School of Public Health

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Where Will We Go After Coronavirus? Opportunities to Strengthen an Overwhelmed EMS Public Health Safety Net

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 is EMS’s 9/11. 

It presents an opportunity to revisit what EMS needs to serve communities well, while at the same time protecting the mental and physical health of those who respond. Fire-based EMS departments can run out of ambulances on any given day under normal conditions. The coronavirus pandemic is shining a light on a system under incredible stress and at the breaking point.

Panelists:

• EMS Battalion Chief Dan Froelich, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department
• Lieutenant Robert Borse, Dallas Fire-Rescue and IAFF 58 
• Dr. William Jenaway, Congressional Fire Services Institute Board of Directors President
• Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, President & CEO Public Safety Data Standards Institute
• Deputy Director Robert McClintock, Deputy Director of Fire & EMS Operations, Technical Assistance and Information Resources International Association of Fire Fighters
• Mr. John Montes, Emergency Services Specialist, National Fire Protection Association 
• Mr. Casey Grant, PE, Executive Director, DSRAE LLC & Executive Director (retired) Fire Protection Research Foundation 

Moderator:

Jennifer Taylor, PhD, Director, Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) at Dornsife School of Public Health

This webinar was coordinated in partnership with the Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends. Learn more about the FIRST Center's work here: "A Strained 9-1-1 System and Threats to Public Health"

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COVID-19 and Cities

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Panelists:

• Usama Bilal, PhD, MPH, MD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Dornsife and Urban Health Collaborative
• Jen Kolker, MPH, Clinical Professor, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice, Health Management and Policy at Dornsife

Moderator:

Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Urban Health at Dornsife and Co-Director of the Urban Health Collaborative

This webinar was coordinated in partnership with the Drexel Urban Health Collaborative.

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Why Do We Need Clinical Trials of Treatments and What Will They Tell Us?

Date: Monday, April 13 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Panelists:

• Charles B. Cairns, MD, FACEP, FAHA, Dean of the College of Medicine at Drexel University
• Leslie McClure, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Dornsife

Moderator:

Jim Buehler, MD, Clinical Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Health Management and Policy at Dornsife, former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia

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Can We Expect a Vaccine Any Time Soon?

Date: Thursday, April 9 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Panelists:

• Marian W. Wentworth, President and Chief Executive Officer, Management Sciences for Health
• Lydia L. Ogden, PhD, MPP, Founder and Principal, All Access Health, LLC

Moderator:

Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Dornsife

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The Global Impact of Pandemics

Date: Monday, April 6, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Panelists:

• Joe Amon, PhD, MSPH, Clinical Professor and Director of the Office of Global Health, Community Health and Prevention
• Jim Buehler, MD, Clinical Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy, Former Philadelphia Health Commissioner
• Alex Ezeh, PhD, Dornsife Professor of Global Health, Community Health and Prevention

Moderator:

Ana V. Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at Dornsife

This webinar was coordinated by Drexel's Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs in honor of National Public Health Week.

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What Can We Learn From History and Prior Public Health Emergencies?

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Panelists:

• Janet Golden, PhD. Professor of History, Department of History at Rutgers University
• Dominic A. Sisti, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy at University of Penn

Moderator:

Michael Yudell, PhD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Community Health and Prevention at Dornsife

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Implications of the Pandemic for Health Equity

Date: Monday, March 30 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Panelists:

• Sharrelle Barber, ScD, MPH, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Dornsife
• Amy Carroll-Scott, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention at Dornsife

Moderator:

Ana V. Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at Dornsife

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Status Update on the COVID-19 Pandemic: Where Are We and What Might Be Next?

Date: Thursday, March 26

Panelists:

• Michael LeVasseur, PhD, MPH, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Dornsife
• Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, FACP, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Director, Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication at Dornsife

Moderator:

Jim Buehler, MD, Clinical Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Health Management and Policy at Dornsife, former Health Commissioner of Philadelphia

Watch webinar