COVID-19: Program faculty/staff, students, and alumni respond to help
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Data clearly shows pregnant women should get vaccinated, says Virginia Tech epidemiologist , redirect“We’ve seen an increase in COVID complications, especially among unvaccinated women, and recent hospitalization data indicated that 97% of pregnant people who are hospitalized with confirmed COVID infections were not vaccinated," said Virginia Tech's Rachel Silverman.
Date: Oct 11, 2021 -
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Virginia Cooperative Extension agents to be trusted messengers for COVID-19 vaccine information , redirectA group of Virginia Tech researchers, along with partners at Virginia State University, are working to deliver facts about the COVID-19 vaccine to the hesitant in rural Virginia via messengers they know and trust: Virginia Cooperative Extension agents.
Date: Sep 24, 2021 -
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Moving safely through Labor Day weekend , redirectTwo former, and also MPH alumni, and one current member of Virginia Tech’s COVID Crushers share insights into how they assess risk to ensure they are helping fight the spread of COVID-19 when in public spaces.
Date: Sep 07, 2021 -
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Mobile vaccine clinics are making COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to the community , redirectIn the spirit of Ut Prosim, (That I May Serve), a group of dedicated and creative Virginia Tech students and faculty, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health, are working to make vaccines more available to the community with mobile vaccine clinics and the COVID vaccine car.
Date: Aug 04, 2021 -
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Students help to clear up pandemic communication , redirectTransparenSee, a group of Master of Public Health students and a graduate engineering student, produced clear, fog-resistant face masks to allow for better communication with the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Date: Jun 11, 2021 -
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COVID Crushers and program faculty and staff help 600 Hispanic community members get COVID vaccine , redirectCOVID Crushers as well as program faculty and staff travel to places like churches, restaurants, and construction sites, speak to people in their native language, answer COVID-19 questions, hand out easy-to-understand brochures, and get people signed up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
Date: May 20, 2021 -
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COVID Companions collaboration benefits students and the community , redirectIsolation is still on the rise from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Virginia Tech and organizations within the New River Valley community are offering a way to minimize feelings of loneliness among older adults through the COVID Companion program.
Date: May 20, 2021 -
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Virginia Tech students answer the call at COVID-19 helpline , redirectQuestions surrounding the pandemic are seemingly endless. Virginia Tech public health students are providing some answers through the university’s COVID-19 helpline. Every day, six to eight students gather in a cluster of offices tucked behind Lane Stadium to field questions by phone from the community about COVID-19. Since Sept. 2, they’ve answered more than 4,500 calls.
Date: Apr 20, 2021 -
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NRV COVID companions connect with older adults during pandemic , redirectVirginia Tech MPH students started and lead the COVID Companions initiative. The program connects older adults with a friend within the New River Valley community. An older adult and their companion connect through weekly phone calls or video-calls. Companions also provide older adults with technology assistance to help aid connectedness.
Date: Mar 19, 2021 -
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Hooked on public good , redirectFor Lisa M. Lee, moving the needle on social justice is a big part of ethics — thinking not only about what public health can do to prevent disease and illness, but what and how it should do it.
Date: Mar 02, 2021 -
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Students host food drive for community members in need , redirectThe Virginia Tech COVID Crushers and the Student Nutrition and Dietetic Association at Virginia Tech organized a drive to collect food for people and pets for the New River Valley Agency on Aging and Interfaith Food Pantry.
Date: Mar 02, 2021 -
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Student COVID-19 case investigators and contact tracers develop public health skills, navigate disparities , redirectSince the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Master of Public Health students have served as case investigators and contact tracers in the New River Valley, Roanoke City, Alleghany County, and beyond the region in Central Shenandoah. These roles, which support confirmed and probable cases and notify possible contacts of exposure, are key to limiting COVID-19 transmission.
Date: Feb 23, 2021 -
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On the front lines of public health , redirectOur public health undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, are among many from Virginia Tech helping respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as Virginia Department of Health Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. From COVID-19 testing to contact tracing, case investigating, and scheduling COVID-19 vaccine appointments, these volunteers are critical in helping our communities respond to the pandemic.
Date: Feb 08, 2021 -
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Exploring Influences of COVID-19 Messaging on Behavior in Virginia: Summary of the Plenary Presentation for the 10th Annual Appalachian Translational Research Network Health SummitAn interdisciplinary team of researchers from our program and the Virginia Tech Center for Public Health Practice and Research, Inova, and UVA Wise presented preliminary findings of this research project that seeks to better understand the public behavioral response to COVID-19 messaging in order to inform future communication efforts to more effectively “flatten the curve,” limit transmission, prevent illness, and save lives in Virginia and throughout the country.
Date: Oct 23, 2020 -
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Virginia Tech researchers awarded $1 million grant to study the survival of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces in the food supply chain , redirectDr. Andrea Bertke is a member of a research team that was awarded a two-year, $1 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study how long SARS-CoV-2 survives on surfaces, focusing on its survival on food, food contact surfaces, and other points along the food supply chain. After the completion of the study, stakeholders at all levels of the food supply chain will have access to materials that provide a wide-ranging, systematic approach to safety, detailing steps that should be taken to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved, ensuring that the food supply chain is resilient now and in the future.
Date: Oct 19, 2020 -
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Entering the public health profession during a pandemicMalik Outram graduated from our Master of Public Health program (infectious disease concentration) in spring 2020. As a recent graduate, Malik was drawn to finding a job that allows him to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and use his skill sets in epidemiology and infectious disease to keep communities safe. Malik provides a look into his job as the COVID-19 Southwest Regional Containment Advisor.
Date: May 22, 2024 -
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Working to crush COVID in the New River Valley , redirectEvery Friday in Downtown Blacksburg, you will find our students and other students from academic programs across campus providing COVID-19 resources and education as part of the COVID Crushers group. This effort and numerous others organized by members in the group have been instrumental in our community's response to the pandemic.
Date: Oct 05, 2020 -
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At congressional hearing, Lisa Lee says public health surveillance is critical to pandemic response , redirectLisa M. Lee, associate vice president for research and innovation for the Division of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance and faculty member in our program, provided virtual testimony on Wednesday to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight regarding the critical issue of how the U.S. collects, uses, and communicates the meaning of health data during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: Sep 28, 2020 -
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Hokies help bend trend in New River Valley , redirectDr. Laura Hungerford comments on the difference between real-time COVID-19 data being presented and data predicted by the model the Virginia Department of Health is using for planning purposes. Currently, the Virginia Tech community is helping the New River Health District outperform this model's projections. Students, faculty, staff, and the broader community embracing precautions has caused a downward trend in COVID-19 cases.
Date: Sep 24, 2020 -
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Student podcast: Your Health HotlineShortly after the COVID-19 pandemic reached our region, Laura Lang and Fernanda Gutierrez, two Master of Public Health students decided to host a podcast to highlight the local efforts to combat the disease in the New River Valley. Through the series, they explore different local perspectives on the impacts of the pandemic, creative solutions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, and preventative measures we can take to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Date: Nov 11, 2021 -
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MPH alumnae help with COVID-19 contact tracing in the New River Valley , redirectMariah Malachi and Tullia Johnston both graduated from the MPH program in spring 2018. After graduation, both stayed in the region to pursue further education. To help New River Valley communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, both became full-time case investigators. Mariah and Tullia explain what contact tracing means to WDBJ7 News.
Date: Sep 15, 2020 -
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Bringing fresh food into Petersburg , redirectImproving the food system in Petersburg, Virginia has become even more important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The POP! Market (Petersburg Offers Produce) is a mobile market offering fresh, local food that presents Petersburg residents in low healthy food access areas with the opportunity to purchase healthy produce and maximize their SNAP benefits through the Virginia Fresh Match program.
Date: Sep 15, 2020 -
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Pods useful in fighting the spread of COVID-19 , redirectMPH students provide useful tips on how to create a small group pod that is helpful for limiting COVID-19 exposure risks while also supporting mental well-being.
Date: Aug 31, 2020 -
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Improving COVID-19 communication in the New River and Roanoke Regions: An interview with Fernanda Gutierrez and Laura Lang, MPH candidates ‘21Fernanda Gutierrez and Laura Lang are current MPH students that have developed and adapted COVID-19 educational content to improve COVID-19 communication in the New River and Roanoke regions. They have especially placed emphasis on reaching diverse populations, including Spanish-speaking communities. Fernanda and Laura have launched several initiatives, including educational and outreach COVID-19 materials in both Spanish and English, contact tracing training tools, and a podcast that provides a local perspective of the global pandemic.
Date: Aug 28, 2020 -
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TECH Together Campaign announces winners and finalists , redirectTeam of MPH students and faculty, along with campus partners, create a reusable, scalable clear facial covering to prevent viral transmission of COVID-19, while facilitating communication, and earn a place as one of five winners for a university-wide campaign that sought creative solutions to campus COVID-19 challenges.
Date: Aug 24, 2020 -
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Town hall addresses testing, fall semester plans , redirectDr. Laura Hungerford joined Virginia Tech leaders to discuss the university's plan for COVID-19 testing, tracing, and case management.
Date: Aug 24, 2020 -
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Public health students assisting long-term care facilities with COVID-19 responseOlder adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In order to protect both LTCFs residents and staff of these facilities, a strong infection prevention and control program with emphasis on testing is critical. A team of Medical Reserve Corps-trained Master of Public Health and dual Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/MPH students, along with employees from the New River Health District, have answered the call to assist this population during the pandemic by providing testing and other key response services.
Date: Jul 09, 2020 -
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Vibrant Virginia: A Virtual Community Conversation on Economic Resilience and Responses to COVID-19 , redirectDr. Charlotte Baker joined a panel of community leaders from across Virginia as well as other Virginia Tech experts on economic development, and disaster recovery and resilience, to discuss how to collaborate to help communities re-open in ways that are safe and economically sustainable.
Date: Jun 30, 2020 -
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MPH alumni share their contributions in helping with COVID-19 responseAlumni are helping with COVID-19 response in many different ways all across the country and beyond. We are proud to share their response efforts in their own words.
Date: Dec 21, 2020 -
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COVID-19 and Veterinary Practice — Updates and Answers to Questions , redirectProgram faculty join a panel of experts from the Virginia, Maryland, and DC public health, veterinary, agriculture, and natural resources fields to present information for animal care providers and answer viewer-submitted questions.
Date: Jun 11, 2020 -
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Leveraging the New River Academic Health Department partnership to mobilize students and faculty/staff volunteers for local COVID-19 response , redirectFaculty/staff and students help with COVID-19 response in the New River Valley through the New River Academic Health Department Partnership.
Date: Jun 09, 2020 -
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Petersburg Healthy Options Partnerships pivots to serve the community during COVID-19 pandemic , redirectTeam members and partners of a Virginia Tech Center for Public Health Practice and Research project, the Petersburg Healthy Options Partnerships (PHOPs), have coordinated efforts to feed families and improve access to healthy food in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: May 28, 2020 -
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Virginia Tech experts answer COVID-19 questions in April 7 webinar , redirectProgram faculty members, Dr. Laura Hungerford and Dr. Charlotte Baker join other experts from across the university to answer COVID-19 questions.
Date: Jun 11, 2020
