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Strategies to Help the Hard of Hearing During COVID-19 Precautions

Dr. David Lee

Dr. David Lee is working with a team of audiology and public health experts from the Hispanic Hearing Healthcare Access Coalition on recommendations to stay connected with the hard-of-hearing amid COVID-19. Experts suggest ten simple, but effective techniques that can boost communication during this time of wearing masks and beyond.

New Tool Provides Insight into the Behavioral and Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Latino Gay and Bisexual Men

Dr. Audrey Harkness

Dr. Audrey Harkness and a team of UM health experts, public health scientists and mental health professionals developed the Pandemic Stress Index. The Pandemic Stress Index is a three-item questionnaire that covers topics such as behavior changes, impact on daily life, and the impact on social and emotional well-being. Results will help guide research, clinical and advocacy efforts to ensure that services are delivered to the population during COVID-19.

U-TRACE Initiative to Address COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

Dr. Erin Kobetz and Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez

Dr. Erin Kobetz and Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez are working on the UM Tracking, Resources, and Assessment of COVID-19 Epidemiology (U-TRACE) program. The U-TRACE program was established by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as a means to identify and manage new cases of COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety of the University of Miami community.

Sylvester Researchers Collaborate with County to Provide Important COVID-19 Answers

Dr. Erin Kobetz and Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez

Dr. Erin Kobetz and Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez are working on a community surveillance program for COVID-19 called Surveillance Program Assessing Risk and Knowledge of Coronavirus (SPARK-C). The research team will be collecting and analyzing data, which will provide valuable information regarding infection in the community.

Dr. Felicia Knaul Weighs in on the Importance of Palliative Care in the Time of COVID-19

Dr. Felicia Knaul

Dr. Felicia Knaul, who is director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas and professor at the Department of Public Health Sciences, has been a long-time advocate for worldwide palliative care. In the time of COVID-19, Dr. Knaul weighed in on the importance of palliative care in tackling the pandemic.

UM Experts to Study the Impacts of COVID-19 on Medical Cannabis Users

Dr. Denise Vidot

Dr. Denise Vidot is leading the preliminary study, along with a collaborative group of experts from the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, Office of Hemispheric and Global Affairs, and Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences. The study will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on medical cannabis users. Click here to participate in the survey.

COVID-19 Risk Behaviors and Transmission among Young Adults

Dr. Denise Vidot

The aim of the project is to collect epidemiologic data on the patterns of mental and physical health, substance use (frequency and dose), and potential disease transmission behaviors among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Denise Vidot is working with a multidisciplinary team of experts from SONHS, the Department of Public Health Sciences, the University of Texas, the University of North Carolina and SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

COVID-19 prevention and community health

Dr. Shari Messinger Cayetano

Dr. Shari Messinger Cayetano served as first author on a paper titled, "The paradox of success and public perspective: COVID-19 and the perennial problem of prevention". The paper was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 Trajectory

Dr. Gabriel Odom

Dr. Gabriel Odom in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of public health scientists developed The Miami-Dade COVID Project, which examines the trajectory of COVID-19 at the local, regional and state level. The website also includes a map of pediatric COVID-19 cases in Florida. Visit the website here.

The Meet Group Appoints Health Experts to its New Safer Dating Advisory Board

Dr. Tali Elfassy

Dr. Tali Elfassy has been appointed to the Safer Dating Advisory Board of the Meet Group, Inc. An epidemiology and public health expert, Dr. Elfassy will help develop the company's response to the coronavirus pandemic and provide guidance on safer dating in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among firefighters/paramedics of a US fire department: a cross-sectional study

Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez

Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez is working with a team of researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to assess the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies among South Florida firefighters and paramedics. The project is called the Firefighter Tracking, Resources and Assessment of COVID-19 Epidemiology (F-TRACE) project. The F-TRACE project will continue to provide COVID-19 surveillance, as well as resources and guidance, to first responders in order to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 in the community.

Research on the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Emergency Response and Healthcare Personnel (RECOVER)

Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez

Dr. Alberto Caban-Martinez is an associate professor in the Environment and Public Health Division in the Department of Public Health Sciences. Dr. Caban-Martinez was awarded a sub-award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research on the epidemiology of COVID-19 in emergency response and healthcare personnel.

New Paper Highlights Challenges and Innovations in Latinx Health Disparities Research Amid COVID-19

Dr. Audrey Harkness

Dr. Audrey Harkness is the lead author on a new paper that outlines adaptations and challenges for conducting research on Latinx health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. New approaches for data collection, analysis and community engagement are discussed in the paper.

Miller School Leads Statewide COVID-19 Community Engagement Research Program

Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo and Dr. Erin Kobetz

Researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, including Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo and Dr. Erin Kobetz from the Department of Public Health Sciences, will lead the Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities (CEAL). The objective of the program is to counteract misinformation about COVID-19, understand barriers to care, and promote minority participation in vaccine and therapeutic clinical trials.

COVID-19 Infection is Associated with Economic Disadvantage in a Particular Geographic Area, Study Finds

Dr. Ana Palacio and Dr. Leonardo Tamariz

A new ecological study has found that COVID-19 infection is associated with economic disadvantage and stress in a particular geographic area and not with its racial/ethnic distribution. Social determinants of health, therefore, play a key role in the development of mitigation strategies to prevent further spread of COVID-19. Dr. Ana Palacio and Dr. Leonardo Tamariz from the Department of Public Health Sciences and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine served as lead and senior authors of the study.

Miller School's Public Health Graduate Students Play Key Role in Uniting for Action's New Vaccine Considerations Project

Dr. Eric Brown

Uniting for Action—founded in 2017—is facilitating the strategic and collective actions required to effectively address current and future health challenges faced in local, national, and global communities. Uniting for Action virtually visited Dr. Eric Brown's Disease Prevention and Health Promotion course filled with eager public health graduate students at the Department of Public Health Sciences. Now, students are involved in the organization's new Vaccine Considerations Project, which will help gather and share information to address health concerns and considerations regarding the new COVID-19 vaccines.

UHealth Pediatric Mobile Teams Surpass 10,000 COVID-19 Tests

Dr. Lisa Gwynn

The UHealth Pediatric Mobile Teams have now tested more than 10,000 children throughout Miami-Dade County for COVID-19. Dr. Lisa Gwynn from the Department of Public Health Sciences is director of the Pediatric Mobile Clinic and the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation School Health Initiative. The mobile vans travel to underserved neighborhoods throughout the county, offering immunizations and other primary care services. University of Miami Health System (UHealth) has also partnered with Miami-Dade County Public Schools to introduce COVID-19 testing to school sites in the community starting the new year.

COVID-19: Evaluating Fault Lines in the Health of Our Communities and Developing Community-Centered Solutions

Dr. Shirin Shafazand

Dr. Shirin Shafazand from the Department of Public Health Sciences has been awarded a grant to advance a community outreach initiative to address local health disparities. The initiative — “COVID-19: Evaluating Fault Lines in the Health of Our Communities and Developing Community-Centered Solutions” — is a collaboration with the Miller School of Medicine, School of Law, Grove Rights and Community Equity, Inc. and the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance. The goal of the project is to address the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental, financial, and physical health of the West Grove community. Students will work with community partners to gather valuable data through community surveys and focus groups and deliver health care services.
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