40 Items

A dirty surgical mask in the gutter surrounded by dead leaves.

Elizabeth McDaniel

Analysis & Opinions - Medium

5 Lessons Learned in Pandemic Year 2

| May 24, 2022

Ask yourself, what would you say to someone if they told you in just over two years, a virus too small to see with the naked eye but brutal enough to kill a population the size of Delaware would sweep through the nation?

As leaders in one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States, we would say: this would be a travesty of epic proportions.

Photo of Gitanjali Rao arriving at the Kids Choice Awards on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Women in STEM Share Experiences

| Spring 2022

Throughout this spring, Belfer Fellow Dr. Syra Madad developed and hosted a Women in STEM event series to highlight women leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The aim of the series was to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions by women in STEM fields while educating and empowering young women, providing valuable advice, and sharing pearls of wisdom. This six-event series featured guest speakers that included America's Top Young Scientist Gitanjali Rao, former White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, leading figure in the U.S. space program Lori Garver and Spacecraft Operations Engineer Nagin Cox, Tiktok-renowned epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace, and many more.

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Tips on Talking to Kids on Mask Mandates Being Lifted in Schools

| Mar. 07, 2022

As more states remove mask mandates and schools decide to lift masking policies, it can be a confusing time for children. There may be feelings of fear and anxiety. Whether its elementary, middle school or high school aged kids, now is the time to begin talking about the transition, regardless of whether your child will continue to wear a mask or decide not to.

News - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Syra Madad Named to National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity

| Feb. 17, 2022

Belfer Center Fellow Syra Madad, an internationally  recognized leader and epidemiologist in public health and special pathogens preparedness and response, has been named to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). The NSABB is a federal advisory committee that addresses issues related to biosecurity and dual use research at the request of the U.S. government. The board has 25 voting members selected for their expertise in areas that range from biosecurity, molecular biology, and animal and plant health to infectious diseases, biodefense, law enforcement, scientific publishing, and other related fields.

Photo of a sign requiring masks as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus is posted on a store front in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. Philadelphia city officials have lifted its vaccine mandate for indoor dining and other establishments that serve food and drinks, but an indoor mask mandate remains in place.

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Analysis & Opinions - The Washington Post

Mask Mandates Are Falling Prematurely. We Can Still Keep People Safe.

| Feb. 14, 2022

A growing number of states that had adopted strict mitigation measures during the omicron surge have announced plans to lift indoor mask mandates, including in schools. Citing declining case counts and hospitalizations, governors in California, New York, New Jersey and elsewhere say they intend to leave the question of whether to require face coverings up to local governments.

While many of us in the public health community think it’s premature for this... it’s clear many Americans are ready to move on.....Now is the time to take a nuanced approach and lean on the other tools at our disposal to slow the spread of the coronavirus — even without masks.

A Syrian refugee receives the Chinese-made Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine at a medical center in the Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, about 80 km (50 miles) north of the Jordanian capital Amman, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021.

AP Photo/Raad Adayleh

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Applying Lessons from Other Global Crises to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Future Health Crises

    Authors:
  • Sabs Quereshi
  • Dr. Linda Mobula
  • Dr. Ambrose Otau Talisuna
  • Dr. Esther Tan
| Jan. 12, 2022

Over the course of the history of the humanitarian aid sector, thousands of humanitarian aid workers, including public health, medical and crises response experts from the United States and other nations have been deployed for decades developing and sharpening the technical skills needed in health crises. These experiences and skills can provide a framework to help strengthen health systems, risk communication and community engagement strategies, vaccine rollouts, recovery and overall public health funding in the U.S.

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Six Things to Do Regardless of Variant

| Dec. 10, 2021

Variants put the focus back on prevention. We may end up going through the entire Greek alphabet as more variants continue to emerge. This doesn’t mean we’re starting from square one. We’ve learned an incredible amount of information these past 2 years on the virus that causes COVID-19 to know variants don’t defy the laws of physics and magically circumvent our pandemic prevention toolbox.

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

How to Make Holiday Gatherings Safer: 6 Things to Keep in Mind

| Oct. 25, 2021

Last year’s holiday season occurred during a raging pandemic and no vaccines in our toolbox. This year’s holiday season has two clear advantages: (1) we have safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 and (2) we’re much more attuned to risk reduction measures like the availability of at-home testing, ventilation, and better masks that can make any type of gathering safer.

In this Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 file photo, Students wearing protective masks walk past a "Welcome Back" sign before the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School in Riverview, Fla.

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Back-to-School Pandemic Toolbox for Parents and Caregivers

| Aug. 24, 2021

Pediatric cases of COVID-19 are continuously rising in the midst of back to school re-openings. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions updated Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K - 12 Schools to keep children safe through a layered prevention strategy is essential for schools to follow and consistently implement.