De-Brief: Conversations Around COVID
De-Brief: Conversations Around COVID
About the Series
With the spread of COVID-19, information is coming at us from every direction. The changing news landscape is difficult to navigate. De-Brief: Conversations around COVID provides an opportunity for the community to ask questions and engage with experts in public health, life sciences, sociology, the history of science. Each week, we welcome a new expert from the University of Minnesota to help address your questions and concerns surrounding COVID-19.
Undergraduate students in the Science Communication (SciComm) Lab host the series. The CBS Student Board co-sponsors the series.
Past Events
De-Brief: Population Dynamics and COVID-19
Thursday, May 7 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. CT via Zoom
Guest: Evan Roberts, Ph.D.
Dr. Evan Roberts is an assistant professor of population studies and sociology in the College of Liberal Arts. His research focuses on long-term changes in health and employment in America and New Zealand since the 19th century. Recent publications focus on the connection between health and ethnic or income differentials. Dr. Roberts will answer questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic may change our population dynamics, health, and employment trends.
De-Brief: Deja Vu in the Public Health Response to COVID-19
Thursday, April 30 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. CT via Zoom
Guest: Jill DeBoer, MPH
Jill DeBoer is the deputy director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing public health programs and responses at the Minnesota Department of Health and University of Minnesota including HIV/AIDS, 9/11, bioterrorism, H1N1 pandemic, Ebola, and now COVID-19. Ms. BeBoer will answer questions about the public health response to COVID-19, and the roles of local, state, and federal health officials.
De-Brief: COVID and the Economy
Thursday, April 23 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. CT via Zoom
Guest: Christopher Phelan, Ph.D.
Dr. Christopher Phelan is a professor of economics in the College of Liberal Arts and specializes in macroeconomic theory. His economic policy papers are often featured by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, with topics ranging from economic inequality and fairness to the influence that banks have on economic activity and inflation. Dr. Phelan will answer questions and share his understanding of the impact that COVID-19 will continue to have on our economy and why. View Recording
De-Brief: COVID, Flu, Plague: Spillover & its Consequences, Then and Now
Thursday, April 16 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. CT
Guest: Susan Jones, Ph.D.
Dr. Susan Jones, a professor in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, specializes in the history and ecology of past pandemics. Her current research focuses on the historical ecology and impact of diseases that pass from animals to humans, including a recent paper detailing the USSR’s effort to eradicate the bubonic plague and the reasons why it failed. Dr. Jones will answer questions about past pandemics, including the 1918 flu and bubonic plague (Black Death and a later pandemic around 1900), and discuss why studying them can help us understand how the COVID-19 pandemic might play out. View Recording
De-Brief: A Disease Ecology Perspective on COVID-19
Thursday, April 9 | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. CT via Zoom
Guest: Clarence Lehman, Ph.D.
Dr. Clarence Lehman is a professor of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior with expertise in disease ecology. His experience studying the behavior of populations led to his involvement in the mathematical modeling of diseases. Dr. Lehman will answer questions about COVID-19 from an ecological perspective and share his insight to help participants better understand the science behind the novel coronavirus.