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Eliminating Minority Health Disparities in a 21st-Century Pandemic
Gov. Cuomo charged the University at Albany with leading a team of public health, social welfare, emergency preparedness and other experts to engage stakeholders to study the environmental, socioeconomic and occupational factors causing Latinx and Black populations in the state to be disproportionately harmed by COVID-19.
The team is looking at factors such as housing and food security; employment opportunities; how communities learned and responded to the dangers of COVID-19; and the availability and access to health insurance coverage and health care. By further analyzing and building upon research that’s already been done on these disparities, the team will develop data-driven prevention strategies to help inform New York’s response to this and future public health threats. The University is partnering in this work with the NYS Department of Health and Northwell Health, as well as a number of additional community partners. The project is another demonstration of the University’s longstanding commitment to address and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. Beyond 2020, UAlbany intends to build on its extensive expertise and strong commitment to social and economic justice to expand its health equity research portfolio.
Research
Does Serum Vitamin D Level Affect COVID-19 Infection and Its Severity?
Data, Politics and Public Health: COVID-19 Data-Driven Decision Making in Public Discourse
Cumulative incidence and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in New York
Assessing racial and ethnic disparities using a COVID-19 outcomes continuum for New York State
News
Refugee access to health care during COVID-19 should not be an afterthought
The racial and ethnic disparities in health care and unequal health burdens of refugee populations put them at disproportionate health risks from COVID-19.
Study of racial disparities in health care due soon
Although Covid-19 cases and deaths are slowing in New York, efforts to study the pandemic's effects — particularly on the state’s minority communities — are only just beginning.
Decentralization and Pakistan’s response to COVID-19
As the global COVID-19 pandemic soars to 4.1 million cases, the search to identify the ingredients of a “successful” national response has already begun in earnest. This yearning to categorize and make predictions forces us to assess our priors about what characteristics of states might be likely to produce better or worse than anticipated outcomes.

UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez On COVID-19, Distance Learning, And The State Of SUNY
Higher education is in a time of flux in the country as college campuses try to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. In New York, classes moved online in March when it was deemed unsafe to keep thousands of college students and their professors in close quarters. Now, the fall semester is fast approaching.
Havidán Rodríguez: This moment is an opportunity for change
As I witness the waves of protests across the U.S. in the aftermath of George Floyd’s shocking death, I continue to challenge myself to think clearly about the myriad ways that the University at Albany can help shape a fairer and more just society.

Researchers face hurdles in examining COVID-19 racial disparities
As the country reels from days of unrest in major U.S. cities as Americans protest police brutality and racial inequality, researchers are working toward quantifying the disproportionate impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on minority communities.
Revisiting the Fear-Apathy Cycle in Global Health in Light of COVID-19
Since the novel Coronavirus, Covid-19, was discovered in Wuhan, China in late December 2019, it has spread to nearly every country on the globe, culminating in more than 5.5 million confirmed cases and nearly 350,000 deaths (and counting).

May 22, 2020: UAlbany researching COVID-19 racial disparities
Gov. Cuomo has previously called the COVID-19 pandemic, the great equalizer. However, the pandemic has only highlighted previous disparities. Havidan Rodriquez, President of UAlbany, explained the work that his institution is doing to research the disparities we’ve experienced during COVID-19.
Researchers

Jeanette Altarriba
Professor, Dean of College of Arts and Sciences
Psychology, Latin American, Caribbean & U.S. Latino Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Cognitive Psychology

DeeDee Bennett
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity

Rajani Bhatia
Associate Professor, Interim Director of Graduate Studies
Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Ashley M. Fox
Associate Professor
Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy

Alex Greer
Associate Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
Angela N. Hackstadt
Subject Librarian for Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, & Law
Minority Health Disparities

David R. Holtgrave
Dean, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Distinguished Professor
School of Public Health

Elaine M. Lasda
Coordinator of Scholarly Communication, Associate Librarian
Minority Health Disparities

Samantha Penta
Assistant Professor
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity

Alex L. Pieterse
Associate Professor & Doctoral Training Director, Counseling Psychology
Educational & Counseling Psychology, School of Education

Alex L. Pieterse
Associate Professor & Doctoral Training Director, Counseling Psychology
Educational & Counseling Psychology, School of Education

Dina Refki, DA
Clinical Associate Professor
Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Advisory Committee to President Havidán Rodríguez
Jeanette Altarriba
James Dias
Annis Golden
Robert Griffin
David Holtgrave
Carol Kim
Theresa Pardo
Karl Rethemeyer
Lawrence Schell
Sheila Seery
Bruce Szelest
Lynn Warner
Project Team
Theresa Pardo, Project Director
Kelsey Butz
Jordan Carleo-Evangelist
Robert Griffin
Teresa Harrison
Jane Krumm-Schwan
Kristen Marlow
Jill Reid
Sheila Seery
Julia Singleton
Lynn Warner