Our Work to Address COVID-19

Since the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in Wuhan, China in late 2019, Columbia Public Health has been working on multiple fronts to respond to the spread of the virus.

Featured News

Photo of a woman cooking at a stove with her young child and her family sitting a dining table in the backgroundCOVID Is Changing How We Are Exposed to Household Health Risks
The pandemic is changing behaviors that could lessen or increase exposures to household environmental chemicals linked to poor health outcomes.

Covid-19: Continuing the Fight
Armed with lessons learned during the initial emergency response, our faculty are working to prepare communities from Manhattan to Mali to handle the next public health disaster.

Illustration of two rows of prescription pill bottlesCOVID Lockdown Did Not Lead to a Rush on Opioid Prescriptions
While some feared that New Yorkers would re-fill prescriptions to stockpile opioid medications in the early weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, New York State opioid prescriptions declined in the period around March 2020.

Two maps of New York City with areas shaded in red tones, labeled "Exposure" and "Transmission"Contact Tracing Data Sheds Light on COVID-19 Spread in New York City
Researchers were able to use New York City contact tracing data to produce a detailed map of SARS-CoV-2 spread.

Our Community

Photo of Tom Devine and a map of New ZealandMy Summer on the Frontlines of Remaking the New Zealand Health System
Tom Devine spent his summer practicum working in his native New Zealand as the nation’s public health system was completely overhauled on July 1.

Governor Hochul Honors Prof. Kai Ruggeri for Military Service During the Pandemic
Kai Ruggeri, assistant professor of health policy and management, was awarded a New York State Medal for Meritorious Service.

A University-Community Partnership Established at the Height of COVID Stands the Test of Time
The program offers regular opportunities for the Northern Manhattan community to attend workshops designed to address and end the digital divide that impacts access to health care.

Nine Ways Columbia Mailman Has Responded to the Pandemic
The Columbia Mailman School community has been on the front lines of the public health response to COVID-19.

 

Learn from our experts

COVID-19 and Public Health: Two Years and a Changed Profession

Featuring Columbia Mailman School faculty Anabel Cole, MS, MPH, Jessica Justman, MD, Terry McGovern, JD, Nischay Mishra, PhD, and Michael A. Joseph, PhD, MPH 

HIV & COVID-19: When Pandemics Collide

Featuring Kevin De Cock, MD, FRCP (UK), DTM & H, Formerly with the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Kenya, Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, MPA, ICAP at Columbia University and Columbia World Projects, Shannon Hader, MD, MPH, UNAIDS and United Nations, Gregg Gonsalves, PhD, Yale School of Public Health and Yale Law School, and Rejoice Nkambule, MPH, the Ministry of Health Eswatini

Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines: What Happens Next

Featuring Robert Galvin, MD, Blackstone; Magda Schaler-Haynes, JD, MPH, Columbia Mailman School; and Olajide A. Williams, MD, MS, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Hip Hop Public Health, and Michael Sparer, JD, PhD, Columbia Mailman School

Public Health: A Critical Foundation for Successful Societies

A conversation with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization and Dr. Linda P. Fried, Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health.

See more videos showing how Columbia Public Health is Confronting COVID-19 >>

Roll Up Your Sleeves

The “Roll Up Your Sleeves” public education campaign, featuring community leaders and Columbia University Irving Medical Center employees, encourages all eligible people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19.

Watch the PSAs

Control the Contagion

The team that brought you the film CONTAGION, including director Steven Soderbergh, writer Scott Z. Burns, along with key members of the ensemble cast, have partnered with scientists from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health to share evidence-based information about COVID-19 through public service announcements (PSAs).

Watch the PSAs