Portland State Magazine

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PUBLIC HEALTH IN ACTION RARELY ARE STUDENTS able to put their studies directly into practice as OHSU- PSU School of Public Health students have during the coronavirus pandemic. Tanks to a partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, graduate students are working with state and county health ofcials to gather information about confrmed and potential COVID-19 patients. Initially, the students checked on confrmed patients to track their recovery, but now they increasingly conduct contact tracing as well.

“COVID-19 is a new disease and there Dr. David Bangsberg, founding dean are a lot of unknowns,” said Jennifer Ku, a of the School of Public Health. “And third-year PhD student in epidemiology with the guidance of the leading public who is coordinating the public health health professionals in our state, they are students’ pandemic case management experiencing public health in action.” eforts. “We’re still learning about the Tis summer, the School of Public specifcs of the disease, and it’s important Health received a gift of $2 million to to trace infected individuals to learn more provide fexible resources that will help and plan future steps.” researchers and educators confront the Te school’s contract with the state was social determinants of health through an extended through the summer of 2021, equity lens. allowing for up to 30 paid students to Made by Boston-based philanthropists work part-time should the need for their Lisa and Jim Mooney, the gift services grow. For instance, they could be acknowledges the important role that called in if a county lacks enough local public health practitioners, scientists staf to respond to a rush of new cases. and educators play in helping to shape a “Our students are learning in real time healthier, more equitable world. —BETH what public health is designed to do,” said SORENSEN

NEWS BY THE NUMBERS HELP FOR HELPERS Responding to dangerous shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), PSU’s teaching and research labs

EMERGENCY AID

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES Portland State faculty helped people understand and navigate unprecedent- ed times by lending their expertise in public health, biology, engineering and more to 1,027 print and online articles about COVID-19. 1,027

PSU distributed $8.3 million in federal aid as emergency grants to students for COVID-related expenses, including food, housing, course materials, technology, health care and child care. $8.3M

donated gloves, face shields, goggles and respirator masks—nearly 11,000 pieces of PPE in all—to local hospitals. 11,000 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE

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