School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Dean's Update

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Dear students, faculty, staff, alumni and affiliates,

The global outbreak of COVID-19 has created challenging times for all of us, but at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, these are the times we train for. This is the time when our talents truly have a chance to shine — when we have the opportunity to share with the world at large what we do and why we do it. There has been more and more coverage of our work on both the local and national level, and our researchers have been involved in setting crucial policy that may help to save lives.

In order to continue to advance our mission while also protecting our community, the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine has moved quickly to implement safety plans to respond to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Key elements of these plans include:

  • Moving all spring 2020 courses online. We had begun introducing elements of online teaching at SPHTM back in the 1990s. With our wealth of faculty experience, the transition has been a smooth one.
  • We have revised practicum policies for Spring 2020, and we are working with students to modify or shift their practicum plans for the spring and summer.
  • Right now, accurate information is one of our greatest weapons against this disease. With that in mind, we have established a COVID-19 page to keep our community updated (located HERE https://tulanesphtmcovid-19.org) and created the Tulane Outbreak Daily, (available HERE http://www.tulaneoutbreakdaily.org), which provides an accessible daily round-up of new information, scientific publications, and statistics about the virus. Another excellent resource for information specific to the Tulane community, including updated information on university operations, is the Tulane Emergency Information page (available HERE https://tulane.edu/emergency).Our community’s commitment to helping others is at the heart of what we do. One way to provide immediate assistance for hardworking members of our community is to make a donation to the Tulane Healthcare Providers Fund (giving.tulane.edu/providers). We are also looking into other opportunities to be a part of the solution for all of our stakeholders — stay tuned for more information.

We are all working hard to get through these difficult times, but our faculty and alumni are a uniquely solutions-oriented group and I have every confidence that we will come through this and be even better.

Be smart, be safe, and be well.

Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD
Dean of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity