Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Public Affairs Diana Harvey sent the following message to the campus community Monday:
Following is the schedule for upcoming “Berkeley Conversations: COVID-19,” a series of live, online events featuring faculty experts from across the UC Berkeley campus who are sharing what they know, and what they are learning about the pandemic. New events are being added regularly. If you miss the live presentations; everything is being recorded and made available for viewing at any time on the Berkeley Conversations website.
Tuesday, April 21, 10-11 a.m. (Pacific)
Understanding and Seeking Equity Amid COVID-19: Berkeley’s Computing and Data Science in Action
Emerging data show the COVID-19 pandemic is amplifying socioeconomic disparities as the
coronavirus advances across the country and the world. In this interactive conversation, three faculty researchers will discuss how they are making choices about data sources, research methods, and technologies to identify and address social disparities. They will consider how these choices, as well as approaches to building relationships with marginalized and at-risk communities, can shape research directed at addressing the impacts of COVID-19 across different populations.
This event is sponsored by the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society, and the Berkeley Institute for Data Science.
Ziad Obermeyer is an Acting Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management. He is a physician and researcher who works at the intersection of machine learning and health.
Niloufar Salehi is an Assistant Professor at the School of Information, with an affiliated appointment in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Her research interests are in social computing, participatory and critical design, and human-computer interaction.
Sarah E. Vaughn is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Anthropology. Her primary field is the critical study of climate change and the ways in which it generates problem spaces and claims to expertise.
Friday, April 24, 12-1 p.m. (Pacific)
Straight Talk: A Conversation about Racism, Health Inequities, and COVID-19
Emerging data show that African Americans and other U.S. ethnic minorities are being stricken by COVID-19 at a higher rate, and experiencing greater sickness and a higher death toll than other Americans. Some have said that COVID-19 is “ravaging” black communities. In this interactive conversation, five faculty members from the School of Public Health will discuss how racism shapes vulnerability to COVID-19, why African Americans are being so heavily impacted, and why these disparities matter.
This event is sponsored by the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley and the School of Public Health.
Denise Herd (Moderator) is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Associate Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on health inequities, social movements, the social construction of health and the social epidemiology of substance abuse issues in U.S. ethnic minority populations.
Amani Allen is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health. Her work examines how social factors such as race, racism, and socioeconomic status determine life experiences and opportunities differently for different social groups and impacts racial inequities in mental and physical health with particular attention to cardiometabolic risk, biological aging, and chronic disease.
Jason Corburn is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Department of City & Regional Planning. His research examines the drivers of health inequalities in cities around the world, with an emphasis on community participation, citizen science, and public policy
Cassie Marshall is an Assistant Professor in the S chool of Public Health. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of person-centered interventions to promote reproductive and maternal health equity.
Mahasin Mujahid is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health. Her research examines racial/ethnic health inequities and the structural determinants of cardiovascular risk over the life course.
Osagie Obasogie is Professor in the School of Public Health and the Joint Medical Program. His research looks at the intersection of race, bioethics, and health disparities.
Monday, April 27, 12-1 p.m. (Pacific)
Climate Change and COVID-19: Can this crisis shift the paradigm?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy is skidding into recession. Reduced consumption and transportation also mean reduced CO2 emissions. From India to China to the United States, skies are blue and the air is cleaner and healthier in cities than it has been for years. The pandemic has caused seismic shifts in how we produce and consume goods and could open a path to a more sustainable future. Or, government bailouts and investments could double down on the fossil fuel economy, and set back efforts to avoid catastrophic climate change. This conversation will feature Berkeley researchers discussing the science and policy behind CO2 emissions and opportunities for a different path forward.
This event is sponsored by the Rausser College of Natural Resources.
Dan Kammen is Professor and Chair of the Energy Resources Group, and Professor in the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He is an expert on energy systems and the science and policy behind climate solutions.
Kate O’Neill is Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. She is an environmental social scientist and studies global political economies, climate change politics and more recently the global waste trade and the circular economy. Her recent book, Waste, was discussed on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.