During this global public health crisis, the UAB School of Public Health (SOPH) is striving to continue its mission: to make positive and lasting change in the public’s health. Faculty have participated in media interviews answering critical questions around coronavirus related to their areas of expertise. Investigators are exploring scientific aspects of the pandemic and have formed research working groups to increase efficiency and interdisciplinary collaboration. Others are working on important issues in the community, such as locally relevant disease modeling, guidance and training, and community support. We invite you to read more about what the UAB School of Public Health has been doing during the COVID-19 outbreak here.
COVID-19 Roundtable
Every week, a large group of SOPH Faculty and Staff meet on Fridays for the COVID-19 Roundtable Meeting. These meetings include COVID-19 forecasting updates, important news as well as relevant presentations by faculty and staff from both within the SOPH as well as UAB Medicine or other units on campus. View the Roundtable meeting archive here.
SOPH in the Media
Fox 54
Where are we with the Omicron variant?
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
AL.com
Alabama nears 100 pediatric COVID hospitalizations as omicron surge continues
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
CBS 42
WATCH: UAB public health expert provides update on omicron, COVID-19
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
AL.com
Omicron hasn’t peaked in Alabama, UAB public health expert says
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
AL.com
Second delta wave appears headed toward the southeast, but few signs in Alabama so far
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
CBS 42
WATCH: UAB doctor provides latest Omicron, COVID-19 update
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
The Dallas Morning News
How a vaccine side-effect database sowed doubt in vaccinations
SOPH Expert: Bertha Hidalgo
Yahoo Finance
Don’t hesitate, get a COVID booster now: epidemiologist urges
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
CBS 42
Alabama respiratory therapist compares healthy lungs versus COVID-19 infected lungs
SOPH Expert: Russell Griffin
WalletHub
2021's States that Vaccinate the Most
SOPH Expert: Henna Budhwani
Reckon
‘There are no microchips’: What to do about delta, kids, vaccines and misinformation
SOPH Expert: Henna Budhwani
AL.com
Amid virus surge, rising vaccination rates offer hope
SOPH Expert: Suzanne Judd
WHNT
WATCH: UAB offers new way of looking at COVID-19 vaccine by examining past shots for diseases
SOPH Expert: Dean Paul Erwin
Los Angeles Times
With Delta surging, America is dangerously divided over vaccines
SOPH Expert: Henna Budhwani
AL.com
Different politics, same doubts: Why African Americans and conservatives in Alabama have low vaccination rates
SOPH Expert: Henna Budhwani
Articles and Manuscripts
View All COVID-19 Academic Publications
What has the SOPH been doing during the COVID-19 outbreak?
In the Community
SOPH faculty are serving as a sounding board/think tank for the Jefferson County Department of Health: SOPH Faculty are providing evidence-based decision making and guidance regarding orders for isolation, quarantine, sheltering in place, testing, etc. These efforts include Dean Paul Erwin and Drs. Suzanne Judd, Lisa McCormick, and Kevin Fontaine.
The COVID-19 Testing in AL’s K-12 Schools Program: In collaboration with ADPH and Alabama’s State Department of Education, the School of Public Health began leading the COVID Testing in Alabama’s K-12 Schools Program in August 2021. The program is fully funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, and offers free, weekly, on-site testing to students, faculty, and staff of public and private schools as a method of maintaining in-person learning. This program is led by Principal Investigator and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Organization, Martha Wingate, DrPH. Learn more by visiting sites.uab.edu/covidalk12.
COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Case Investigation: Through a 2020 contract with ADPH, the School of Public Health continues to employ a team of COVID-19 case investigators, made up of employees in UAB’s Survey Research Unit, as well as students from across UAB’s campus, to conduct contact tracing in Alabama. Through November 2021, more than 189 undergraduate, medical, and graduate students at UAB, and a similar number of part-time staff, have completed some 45,000 case investigations for ADPH. Led by Principal Investigator Andrew Rucks, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Health Policy and Organization, Bianca Ume, a student at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, and Daniel Williams, M.D., a retired internal medicine physician and supervisor in the Survey Research Unit, the team continues to face daily opportunities to fight for the public’s health in 65 of Alabama’s 67 counties.
The Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control (ARC IPC): In 2021, UAB was awarded nearly $2 million by ADPH to support the establishment of the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control (ARC IPC). The mission of the ARC IPC is to provide consultation and support services to boost infectious disease prevention and control efforts across Alabama. The Center, based out of the School of Public Health, brings together subject matter experts from across UAB and Alabama to assist ADPH’s Infectious Disease and Outbreaks Division in addressing issues related to the management of and response to emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Led by Lisa McCormick, DrPH, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Director of the ARC IPC, the goal of this center is to provide training and technical assistance across the state’s healthcare and public health systems with a goal of increasing the current workforces’ skills in areas needed to detect, respond to, control, and prevent infectious disease outbreaks. Learn more by visiting sites.uab.edu/arcipc.
In the School
Dean Erwin has been providing a weekly video and e-mail for all SOPH faculty, staff, and students, summarizing new information on the outbreak, communications from the Provost’s and President’s offices, UAB policies, etc. This video is a synopsis of the COVID-19 Round Table meeting of leadership in the SOPH, which takes place every Friday at 11:00 a.m.
The School’s Emergency Management Team meets regularly, with increased or decreased frequency depending on COVID-19 case numbers in the community. Chaired by Kody Spruell, the committee reviews communications received and sent, new/changing policies, activities with JCDH and ADPH, updates/changes to our Continuity of Operations Plan, inventory of PPE in the building, and other matters related to COVID-19.
Videos
ARC IPC: Omicron's Impact with Dr. Suzanne Judd
January 8, 2022
About: The Omicron variant continues to shatter records in the U.S. We’re learning more about the new variant, and, so far, it seems to spread faster but cause less severe illness than previous variants. There is a lot of speculation about the Omicron surge and its aftermath. To help us answer these questions, and for a look at how 2022 might unfold, we invited Dr. Suzanne Judd to join us for this podcast. Dr. Judd is the Director of the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a Professor in the School of Public Health at UAB.
ARC IPC: Omicron, Booster Shots, and Staying Healthy in 2022 with Dr. Rachael Lee
January 7, 2022
About: The U.S. recently reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond. The U.S. also has the highest seven-day average of daily new cases in any country tracked by Johns Hopkins. Even though Omicron has only been around a short period time, it has quickly made its mark. We have invited Dr. Rachael Lee, Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases and UAB Health Epidemiologist, to talk about all things related to the Omicron variant.
ARC IPC: COVID-19 in Children, Podcast with Dr. David Kimberlin
September 23, 2021
About: Standard Precautions and Beyond: Conversations in Infection Prevention and Control. Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joined the podcast to discuss COVID-19 in pediatric patients, how to keep children safe from the Delta variant and to answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children.
ARC IPC: COVID Insights from Alabama, Seminar with Dr. Rachael Lee
September 1, 2021
About: This seminar is hosted by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance (ARC IPC). Rachael Lee, M.D., MSPH, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and healthcare epidemiologist for the UAB Health System, will be sharing insights on the state of COVID in Alabama, including vaccination rates and vaccine hesitancy, current trends in hospitalizations and deaths, and current variants. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of presentation.
OPHP Seminar: The Impacts of COVID-19 on the Homeless Population
November 5, 2020
About: Ms. Carrie Leland, Executive Director at Pathways: A Woman's Way Home, presents on the mission and work of Pathways Home, a United Way agency that provides a range of services for homeless women and children. She shares challenges and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as discuss how the pandemic has impacted future planning and service delivery.
Moderated by: The Office of Public Health Practice, School of Public Health
OPHP Seminar: The State of COVID-19 in Alabama
September 3, 2020
About: The number of coronavirus cases reported in the United States topped 5 million on August 9, 2020. This tally had doubled since late June and, as of August 10th, accounts for approximately a quarter of all cases reported worldwide.
Moderated by: The Office of Public Health Practice, School of Public Health
COVID-19'S Impact on Food and Shelter Insecurity
May 11, 2020
Panelists include:
- Amanda Storey, Executive Director of Jones Valley Teaching Farm
- Carrie Leland, Executive Director of Pathways: A Woman's Way Home
Moderated by: Shauntice Allen, PhD, and Faith E. Fletcher, PhD.
COVID-19's Impact on Women: A Conversation with Medical and Public Health Experts
April 27, 2020
Panelists include:
- Zoe Julian, M.D., MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
- Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., MPH, Division Director of Adolescent Medicine, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Moderated by: Shauntice Allen, PhD, and Faith E. Fletcher, PhD.
COVID-19's Impact on the Black Community: A Conversation with Health Experts and Faith Leaders
April 6, 2020
Panelists include:
- Rev. Dr. Christopher Hamlin, Tabernacle Baptist Church, UAB 1917 Clinic
- Dr. Thomas Beavers, New Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church
- Dontrelle Young-Foster, Housing Authority of the Birmingham District
- Dr. Selwyn M. Vickers, Dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Moderated by: Shauntice Allen, PhD, and Faith E. Fletcher, PhD.
SOPH Coronavirus Panel Discussion with Experts from JCDH and UAB
February 7, 2020
Wesley G. Willeford, Medical Director of Disease Control at the Jefferson County Department of Health and an infectious disease physician, provides an update on the 2019 Coronavirus while Jianming "James" Tang, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, UAB Schools of Medicine and Public Health, presents Racing Against Time to Save Health Workers in the 2019-nCoV Front Lines.