Special Events

FEBRUARY 22, 2021 - WATCH RECORDING

Incarcerated populations within the U.S. have experienced disproportionately higher COVID-19 case and deaths rates compared to the general U.S. population. A July 2020 study published in JAMA found that state and federal prisons had COVID-19 case and age-adjusted death rates 5.5 times and 3.0 times higher, respectively, than the U.S. population, which makes vaccination critical for this group.

The prioritization and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine among individuals incarcerated was discussed by our panel of experts, led by Dr. Chelsea Clinton, in an event hosted by the Global Health Justice & Governance Program within PopFam. You can view the recording above, or via PopFam's YouTube channel.

Moderator
Chelsea Clinton, DPhil, MPH
Vice Chair, The Clinton Foundation
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Panelists
Robert Fullilove, EdD
Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Associate Dean, Community and Minority Affairs

Grace Lee, MD, MPH
Associate Chief Medical Officer for Practice Innovation, Stanford Children’s Health
Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine 
Vice Chair and Member, U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

Bruce Western, PhD
Chair and Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology
Co-Director, Columbia Justice Lab, Columbia University

Patricia Yang, DrPH
Senior Vice President for Correctional Health Services, NYC Health + Hospitals

Opening and Closing Remarks
Terry McGovern, JD
Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair, Population and Family Health
Director, Global Health Justice & Governance Program

 STRUCTURAL RACISM AND THE COVID-19 VACCINE

JANUARY 11, 2021 - WATCH RECORDING

Vaccine distribution for COVID-19 is a key step to mitigating the impacts of the pandemic, but its coordination can also exacerbate existing inequalities, both globally and domestically. Just as we have seen during past health emergencies, today’s crisis shows that vulnerable populations are often disproportionately impacted and at a higher risk for serious illness. To safeguard public health, current and longstanding mistreatment of communities of color that perpetuate racial and ethnic health disparities must be accounted for to ensure an equitable and transparent vaccine rollout.

In this recording, our panel of experts discuss how structural racism has influenced the response to COVID-19, and how the public health community can address these failures and implement solutions that truly champion health for all. You can view the recording above, or via PopFam's YouTube channel.

Moderator
Terry McGovern
Harriet and Robert H. Heilbrunn Professor and Chair, Population and Family Health
Director, Global Health Justice & Governance Program

Panelists
Machelle Allen, MD
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals

Latanya Mapp Frett, JD
President and CEO, Global Fund for Women
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Micaela Martinez, PhD
Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health