IGHS has been supporting the COVID-19 response locally and globally, applying its extensive experience and multidisciplinary expertise to address the unprecedented global health crisis. We have contributed to a broad spectrum of COVID-19-related activities, including pioneering research to understand the virus and its variants better, evaluating diagnostic tools and treatment protocols, training the workforce, including contact tracers and case investigators, supporting modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and developing policy documents which translate evidence to policy in English and Spanish. IGHS has played a vital role in disseminating accurate, up-to-date information to health professionals and the public, conducting extensive educational and training sessions to strengthen the capacity of healthcare providers to manage COVID-19 cases effectively. Additionally, IGHS has fostered collaborations and partnerships to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and knowledge, emphasizing health equity and focusing on vulnerable and underserved populations.
Projects
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly illustrated the need for a versatile public health workforce. Cal-PPH is a paid training and job placement program for early-career public health professionals to gain experience working at local health jurisdiction host sites. Cal-PPH fellows and host site preceptors receive ongoing support from the program team of public health professionals of three partner agencies.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
California Department of Public Health, UC Los Angeles
Funder
California Department of Public Health
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
More information
California Pathways into Public Health Initiative
VTA+ is a collaboration that rapidly trains, scales and sustains a workforce to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases. It equips a diverse group of state and local health jurisdiction staff with the knowledge, skills, resources and community to provide crucial public health services.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
California Department of Public Health, UC Los Angeles
Funder
California Department of Public Health
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Jess Celentano, MPH jess.celentano@ucsf.edu
More information
Virtual Training Academy
The CREST Initiative aims to be a beacon of interdisciplinary research, education and outreach in pioneering initiatives that harness technology to fortify societies against present and future adversities, such as pandemics and human-caused disasters.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs) Connection, Resilient Collective
Funders
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, UCSF Resource Allocation Program
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Mohsen Malekinejad, MD, DrPH mmalekinejad@ucsf.edu
More information
Collective for Resilient Societies and Technology (CREST) Initiative
The Open Oximetry Project improves access to safe pulse oximeters worldwide by sharing data and creating new standards and technologies for oximeter validation that better account for skin color. The project brings together a diverse community of oximetry experts, including engineers, academic researchers, clinicians, community members, manufacturers, and regulatory bodies, to partner to tackle these issues.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
The UCSF Hypoxia Lab
Funders
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PATH with funding from Unitaid, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USAID-STAR Sustaining Technical and Analytic Resources (STAR) Project, The UCSF Hypoxia Lab
IGHS Center
Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia
Contact
Michael Lipnick, MD michael.lipnick@ucsf.edu
More information
Open Oximetry
The Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health collaborates with local, state and tribal health departments across California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and U.S.-affiliated Pacific territories to strengthen our region’s capacity to prepare for and respond to public health threats.
Country of activity
United States
Partners
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Public Health Institute
- University Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- University of Nevada, Reno
Funder
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
IGHS Center
Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice
Contact
Karen Horn, MBA, MPH Karen.White@ucsf.edu
More information
Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health
PROTECT is a five-year project to improve public health response to COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases in Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.
Countries of activity
Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Morocco, Egypt, Oman, Jordan
Partners
CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, CDC’s Division of Global Migration, CDC’s MENA Regional Office, CDC’s South America Regional Office, ministry of health officials
Funder
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Susie Welty, MPH susie.welty@ucsf.edu
More information
PROTECT
The Test to Treat program review assesses USAID’s Paxlovid Test to Treat approach on individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 using oral antivirals in selected countries. Similarly, the Oxygen Ecosystems program review assesses the USAID’s investment to improve global access to medical oxygen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Countries of activity
Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Vietnam
Partners
USAID, Public Health Institute, ministries of health in selected countries, FHI 360, Jhpiego
Funder
USAID
IGHS Center
Center for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Contact
Alex Ernst, MPH alexandra.ernst@ucsf.edu
Resources
