Deepening the Divide: How the Pandemic Exacerbates Disparities

May 5, 2021

The Goldfarb Center hosted a virtual panel of experts on Wednesday, May 5th to discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected marginalized communities, particularly communities of color in the United States. From misinformation to vaccine access, our guest speakers discussed the disparities that became clearer and wider by the pandemic and solutions to address the divide. Featured speakers included Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, an epidemiologist and physician; J. Stephen Morrison, global health and policy expert from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Colby Professor Nadia El-Shaawari, a cultural and medical anthropologist.

The event was moderated by Kimberly Flowers, Goldfarb Center Executive Director, and Josúe Gonzalas ’23, who represented the Goldfarb Student Executive Board.

This recorded event is available for viewing via the YouTube link below. Closed Captions and ASL is available.

Panel Member Bios

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick

is a CDC-trained medical epidemiologist and board-certified infectious diseases physician with both domestic and global experience in public health. Although Dr. Fitzpatrick’s career has traversed clinical medicine, research, and public health program implementation, she is most passionate about demystifying health information. Her goal is to inspire more effective disease prevention and health promotion action in communities by making practical health information accessible to ordinary citizens.

J. Stephen Morrison

is senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of its Global Health Policy Center. Dr. Morrison writes widely, has directed several high-level commissions, and is a frequent commentator on U.S. foreign policy, global health, Africa, and foreign assistance. He served in the Clinton administration, as committee staff in the House of Representatives, and taught for 12 years at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Most recently, he is the host of the CSIS podcast Coronavirus Crisis Update.

Nadia El-Shaarawi

is Assistant Professor of Global Studies at Colby College, teaching courses on refugees and migration, humanitarianism, and global health. She is a cultural and medical anthropologist who specializes in transnational forced migration, humanitarianism, and mental health in the Middle East and North Africa and Europe. Prior to joining Colby, Professor El-Shaarawi was the Global Migration Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. Nadia received her PhD in Anthropology and her MPH in International Health from Case Western Reserve University.

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