The US reaches 1 Million Deaths from COVID-19: GW Experts Available to Comment

The United States has reached 1 million reported deaths from COVID-19 and that number is likely an undercount, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The George Washington University has a number of experts to comment on the death toll in the U.S., how to reduce the risk and what to expect in the future. Additionally, GW experts can discuss how we memorialize the loss of so many of our loved ones.

To schedule an interview with any of these experts, please contact GW Media at [email protected]. 

Sarah Wagner, a professor of anthropology, is an expert on death and mourning, including COVID-19 loss and remembrance. Her recent project, “Rituals in the Making,” studies how the pandemic has changed the way we grieve and remember.

Sara Rosenbaum, the Harold and Jane Hirsh Professor of Health Law and Policy, is an expert on how policy decisions, such as cuts to Medicaid, community health centers and vaccine distribution to disadvantaged communities, including immigrant and minority neighborhoods, can affect the trajectory of the pandemic. Professor Rosenbaum is a leading public health law scholar who has devoted her career to issues such as health justice and the safety net system for medically underserved populations. She can also talk about the cost of COVID-19 vaccines.

Jeffrey Levi, a professor of health policy and management, is an expert on how policy decisions — such as cuts to public health funding, Medicaid and the public charge rule — could hamper the United States’ ability to respond to the death toll and future of the pandemic. For 10 years, he was executive director of Trust for America’s Health, where he led annual assessments of the preparedness of states and the federal government.

Christopher Mores, a professor of global health, is an arbovirologist and an expert on emerging infectious diseases. He can discuss virus transmission patterns and the threat of another emerging infectious disease.

Amanda Castel, a professor of epidemiology, is an expert in infectious diseases and can talk about transmission in the US, COVID safety and the future of the COVID-19 epidemic. She has served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spent over a decade working with local and state health departments and is board certified in both pediatrics and preventive medicine and public health.

David Michaels is a professor of environmental and occupational health. An epidemiologist with extensive experience in research, regulatory and public policy, he can discuss how COVID-19 impacts workplace health and safety and related policy issues. He served as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 2009 until 2017.

Michael Knight, an assistant professor of medicine, can discuss how African Americans are at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and the best practices for staying healthy. He can also speak about the importance of getting the vaccine and booster shots.

Karen Drenkard, an associate dean and professor of clinical practice and community engagement at the GW School of Nursing, is available to speak about how COVID-19 has greatly affected the senior population and what senior citizens can do to continue to protect themselves, especially when seeing family and friends.

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