Great Danes Rise to the Occasion: One Year Later

Makensy Jabbour, a School of Public Health Student, sits at her desk at the Albany County Department of Health
Makensy Jabbour, a School of Public Health student, making contact tracing calls for the Albany County Department of Health.

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 16, 2021) – As the one-year anniversary of the worst pandemic in a century passes, people around the world are reflecting on a public health crisis that saw more than 2.5 million deaths and altered nearly every aspect of our daily lives.

Though the past year has been devastating and unimaginable on many levels, there have also been astonishing displays of hope: Scientists created safe and effective vaccines in record time and communities around the globe rallied around each other, albeit often virtually, to support one another during a time of great need.

The University at Albany is no exception. The One UAlbany webpage provides an overview of just some of the ways the Great Dane community demonstrated its commitment to public engagement during this extraordinarily difficult time, ranging from ground-breaking research to community work and seemingly everything in between. Some examples include:

  • Both the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity assembled teams of volunteers to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline medical workers using 3D printers. 
  • UAlbany’s licensed psychologists and mental health experts have volunteered to help with the NYS COVID-19 emotional support helpline.
  • Dozens of School of Public Health students have volunteered with state and local county health departments in roles such as conducting contact tracing/wellness calls, tracking new case intakes, drafting guidelines and advisories, writing letters to Congressional leaders, coordinating resources, leading webinars and gathering and organizing data.
  • Public Administration and Policy professors Erika Martin and Lucy Sorensen published a report in JAMA Health Forum on the disproportionate health impact that school closures had on vulnerable children and how districts can support a successful return to the classroom in the fall. 
  • UAlbany hosts two state-run sites for drive-through diagnostic testing and walk-through vaccinations. The testing site was the first of its kind in upstate New York when it opened in Spring 2020.

“A true measure of any community is the way its members rise to each other’s aid when tested,” said Sheila Seery, UAlbany’s vice president for government and community relations. “Not a week has passed in the last year that I have not been inspired by the determination of our students, faculty and staff to stand up when our communities needed us – on campus, in the Capital Region and at home across New York. This is no surprise to anyone who knows UAlbany well, but I’m incredibly proud of the way we’ve shown the world that selflessness, service and empathy are essential parts of what it means to be a Great Dane.” 

Visit One UAlbany for more of a peek into the ways Great Danes have risen to the occasion this past year.