Mask Mandates Are Returning to Schools as COVID-19 Cases Surge

Time

On April 11, public schools in Providence, R.I, made face masks optional instead of mandatory for students and teachers—celebrating the move as a “positive milestone” brought about by declining COVID-19 cases among students and community support for a more lenient policy. Brandon Guthrie, Associate Professor of global health, was mentioned. 

The 100 Most Influential People of 2022: Tulio de Oliveira and Sikhulile Moyo

Time

Scientists in Africa have been monitoring and sequencing pathogens since long before the pandemic. The world benefited from this network when scientists including Sikhulile Moyo, laboratory director for the Botswana-­Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, and Tulio de Oliveira, director of South Africa’s Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, identified and reported the emergence of the Omicron variant last November.

The most influential people of 2022 - Genome Researchers: Michael Schatz, Karen Miga, Evan Eichler, and Adam Phillippy

Time

Ever since the draft of the human genome became available in 2001, there has been a nagging question about the genome’s “dark matter”—the parts of the map that were missed the first time through, and what they contained. Now, thanks to Adam Phillippy, Karen Miga, Evan Eichler, Michael Schatz, and the entire Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium (T2T) of scientists that they led, we can see the full map of the human genomic landscape—and there’s much to explore.

 

BIRCH team
DEI

We Stand in Solidarity with Buffalo

We are horrified and outraged by the racist shooting in Buffalo and mourn the victims once again lost to a radical, hate-filled ideology. We offer our deepest condolences and support and reaffirm our commitment to be anti-racist in our work, our curriculums, and our daily interactions.  

DGH Commemorates the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

Today, May 17 is “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia”. We celebrate the proud resistance and long struggle for basic rights waged by LBGTQIA2S+ activists and their allies. This struggle has a deep connection to public health activism. May 17th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

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