On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization COVID-19 a pandemic after more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the global public health emergency, there are still many uncertainties about how prepared the United States is for the next public health crisis.

For your continuing coverage about the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and a look back from where we started, here are a few Syracuse University public health and geographical experts for consideration:

The impact of wastewater surveillance beyond COVID-19

David Larsen��is Chair of the Department of Public Health in Syracuse University’s Falk College. Larsen’s expertise includes global health, large data analysis and spatial statistics, and sanitation.

Not long after COVID-19 was named a global pandemic, Larsen assembled a team of researchers to begin developing the wastewater surveillance technology that would eventually become critical to New York State’s response to the disease. The����tests for COVID in at least one wastewater treatment plant in all 62 of the state’s counties, covering a population of 15.4 million. The����provides the most recent statistics regarding the network.*

Professor Larsen has spoken extensively with news outlets about COVID-19, including , , , and others.

*Information provided by Syracuse U. News stories from August and Sept. 2024.

Vaccines and the enduring work of public health workers

is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health at Syracuse University. Her areas of specialization include vaccines, infectious diseases, epidemiology, global health, and immunology and environmental exposures, particularly within the context of risks for infectious diseases.

Kmush has been interviewed by the media multiple times for stories about COVID-19 and anti-vaccination trends including by the , , and .

How COVID-19 will help us approach future health crises

is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Public Health at Syracuse University. She teaches undergraduate courses that focus on health promotion, health and disease, and healthcare administration. She is a family nurse practitioner and maintains an outside practice as an emergency healthcare provider at a regional community healthcare center.

She can speak to many public health topics on circulating viruses, illnesses and how to treat them. Previous interviews have been with , , (Syracuse) and many others.

Understanding environments where viruses spread from animals to humans

is an associate professor in the Geography and the Environment Department at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.

His research specialties include environmental history, environmental humanities and animals and society. He contributed to the book “” which explores how the intertwining lives of all animals has impacted the environment, politics, economies and global culture of the 21^st century.

How optimism and pessimism influence well-being

is an assistant professor of psychology in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Oh led a team of researchers from Syracuse University and Michigan State University that explored the personal characteristics that help people handle prolonged stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The group delved into optimism and pessimism and how those mindsets influence well-being. Their findings appeared in the�� and you can read more in this Syracuse University news story.

Syracuse has additional experts that can speak to topics connected to the pandemic. For more information or to request an interview with any of these professors, contact:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications
M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

• “In every state where abortion has been on the ballot since the end of Roe v. Wade, abortion access has won with significant majorities even in conservative states. This means that there are voters in places like Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky who normally support Republican candidates who turned out in off-year elections to support abortion access as a single issue,” said Gadarian.

• “As in other states, I would anticipate that there are a lot of conservative voters in Florida who ultimately support more access to abortion than the 6-week ban that is going to go into effect and abortion access is a popular issue. Two things make this ballot measure more challenging for abortion access than the previous ballot measures:
  • “1. the threshold for victory for this constitutional amendment that would enshrine access is 60% which is more than the threshold that Ohio’s constitutional amendment won by (57%), and
  • 2. being during a presidential election cycle means that you will see higher turnout generally which will include more Republicans voters who may be more skeptical of a constitutional amendment,” said Gadarian.

• “That doesn’t mean that it will lose – this constitutional amendment will likely drive more Democrats to the polls, but in my mind, the election timing does make it more challenging. What you are likely to see is that there will be cross-over conservative voters who vote for abortion access and Trump for president so I wouldn’t anticipate that even this salient issue is enough to swing Florida toward Biden even if people support a policy that is more aligned with Democrats,” said Gadarian.

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• Christian Science Monitor��
• NBC News,��
• Agence France-Presse,��
• Newsweek,��
• WBUR’s On Point,��
• Axios,��
• US News and World Report,��

Syracuse University thought leaders, events and research news were showcased in the following news outlets this month:

• (Newhouse):
• (Law):
• (Newhouse):
• (Maxwell):
• (Falk):
• George Theoharis (School of Education):
• (Barnes Center):
• (Law):
• (Maxwell): ()
• (Falk):
• (Falk):
• (Newhouse):
• Jane Burrell (Falk / Nutrition and Food Studies):
• (Maxwell):
• Victoria Bartels (Syracuse Abroad):
• (Newhouse):
• Austin Kocher (Newhouse):

To get in touch and learn more about Syracuse University faculty members available for interviews, please contact��media@syr.edu.