The UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (DEB), and the Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS) stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and their struggle against Russia’s aggressive invasion. We reject the use of force to settle territorial disputes and to impose the will of one country on its free and independent neighbors. We extend our solidarity to our Ukrainian colleagues and our academic partners in the region, their loved ones, members of the Ukrainian diaspora and all Ukrainian citizens, especially Ukrainian students, who are enduring this atrocity.

As an academic community devoted to advancing the health and well-being of people worldwide, we recognize Russia’s violent attack on Ukraine – like all political violence – to be an overt global health crisis, as severe as any environmental or infectious disease. In the spirit of our overlapping missions (DEB and IGHS), we wholly condemn these horrific actions.

We at DEB and IGHS wish to convey our deepest hope that peace and safety will arrive quickly for Ukraine and for all Ukrainians around the world.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS
Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

George W. Rutherford, MD, AM
Acting Director, Institute for Global Health Sciences
Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Rosalyn Plotzker, MD MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Lydia B. Zablotska, MD, MPA, PhD
Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Director’s Executive Team
Institute for Global Health Sciences

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