The Bridge: Hofstra MPH Newsletter

2020 is proving to be one of the toughest times for our nation. Amidst the global wide COVID-19 pandemic, we have also been reminded of issues that have, and continue to, plague our country. The issues of racism, injustice, discrimination, and inequality are deeply rooted in our history. Despite the civil rights-era activism and legislation, these issues are still prevalent today. This has recently been highlighted both by COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. We are living through a multilayered public health crisis and action must be taken. As public health professionals, we implore you and encourage you to let your voices be heard and take action. We ask you to engage in conversations; conversations which will be uncomfortable, but necessary. We ask you to educate not only yourself, but your peers. We need to come together, learn from one another, and mend the damage inflicted on persons of color, especially the black community. This situation will

  Thanh Pham MPH Candidate’20 On Sunday, I participated in a CARAVAN FOR JUSTICE protest sponsored by both Nassau and Suffolk County NAACP. They called it the “New York State Conference” and everyone met up at the Nassau County Courthouse (Mineola) and drove to the H Lee Dennison Building Parking Lot (Hauppauge). I really appreciated the NAACP of Long Island organizing this peaceful solidarity to demand change and accountability. They emphasized protecting their communities by social distancing in a caravan for justice. Because unfortunately, we are currently experiencing 2 pandemics: COVID-19 and Racism.  It really moved me seeing lines on top of lines of cars in the county courthouse parking lot. People were walking around asking to take pictures of your signs or they were taking their time and decorating their cars. One woman was walking around and asking people if they were registered to vote. I had a bunch of people ask my co-worker and I if they could take to take

“Public Health and Social Justice during COVID-19”   Shivali Vashisht MS., MPH. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, I joined the public health workforce. When my final semester began back in January, I was excited to transition from my benchwork research role and start manifesting a public health career that would recognize the intersections of basic science and population health. Little did I know, the upcoming months would bring the threat of infectious disease and global loss as a lived reality. I was humbled to be onboarded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) as a Research Scientist assisting with the COVID-19 response during April 2020.             The NYCDOHMH is constantly crafting new approaches and adapting programs to respond to the pandemic. I most recently helped with piloting contact tracing and surveillance investigations with the Bureau of Communicable Diseases (BCD).  Contact tracing is a core public health function w