Dear Tulane Community:
An essential part of Tulane’s mission is to communicate knowledge in order to enrich the capacity of individuals, organizations and communities to lead with integrity and wisdom. Never has this mission been more relevant than today as the world continues to combat COVID-19.
Tulane has brought its 185 years of experience in fighting infectious diseases to the front line in the battle against this unprecedented health threat. Besides our healthcare professionals — who are caring for COVID-19 patients, and our researchers — who are seeking new treatments, tests and vaccines — Tulane experts from a wide range of fields are providing their insights to major national and international media.
We are also making Tulane expertise available directly to the local and global community. At 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29, I will introduce a New Orleans Book Festival Virtual Discussion featuring two nationally renowned and bestselling authors. Acclaimed biographer and Tulane Professor Walter Isaacson will interview fellow Tulane Professor John Barry, author of the definitive work on the 1918 flu pandemic, The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History. Sign up here to register to participate in this informative and compelling discussion.
At 10 a.m. on Monday, May 4, I will launch a new Tulane Innovation series featuring discussions by leaders in various disciplines, who will offer insights and solutions to today’s greatest challenges and opportunities. The first episode will feature Thomas LaVeist, a national expert on equity and health, and dean of Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dean LaVeist will be joined by Susan Hassig, associate professor and director of the Master of Public Health Program in Epidemiology, and a leading expert on infectious disease outbreaks, vector-borne disease, HIV and associated infections.
The topic of their discussion, which will also be moderated by Walter Isaacson, is COVID-19’s Health Disparities and Public Impacts. All of us have seen the news stories, many of which quote Thomas and Susan, on the spread of COVID-19 and the stark differences in death rates among the African American population versus the population at large. The first installment of Tulane Innovation promises to shed light on the origins, causes and solutions to such inequities. To participate in this discussion, register here.
The conversation with John Barry, and the launch of the Tulane Innovation series, as well as other ongoing webinars like the Plug-in Series, will deepen our understanding of some of the most fundamental issues facing our country and our search for collective solutions.
P.S. Expertise comes in many forms and so does the battle against the coronavirus, as this week’s Heroes and Helpers shows. Please read the story of Tulane staff member Guido Salvatierra, director of building services, below.
"Heroes & Helpers" recognizes a person or team, among Tulane's students, faculty, staff and alumni, engaged in extraordinary efforts on behalf of others in the battle against the major health crisis of our time.
Guido Salvatierra
Guido Salvatierra, director of sustainable services, is recognized as a Heroes and Helpers honoree. Salvatierra heroically led his team at Tulane Facilities Services to facilitate a smooth and seamless move-out of students from residence halls as the university abruptly began online instruction and asked students to move home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
