The Pandemic Puzzle at Stanford: To Move Forward, Look Back
This past year and half has given many individuals the opportunity to look back and improve how they are living their lives. With the aura of self-reflection covering the country, the Stanford School of Medicine and School of Business believed it was time to discuss the lessons we learned from the COVID–19 pandemic at their virtual event, The Pandemic Puzzle.
From September to November, this virtual event will cover the following topics:
- Responding to a Global Pandemic
- Building Toward Health Equity and an Inclusive Recovery
- Tracking and Mitigating a 21st Century Pandemic
- Agile Discovery and Innovation: Advancing Tomorrow’s Vaccines, Treatments, and Cures
These discussions will feature presentations from experts in the healthcare industry, panels, and fireside chats. The first session was recently held on Friday, September 17th. It explored how the U.S. organized itself to combat COVID-19, strategies that were effective, and what could have been done differently thus far in the pandemic response.
In the session, Rochelle Walensky, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, addressed vaccine hesitancy and encouraged people to become vaccine ambassadors to increase the number of people vaccinated. She said, “People want to hear from people that they trust…their neighbors, friends, and trusted physicians.”
We also heard from Sally Susman, Pfizer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. Susman had the goal of achieving a million vaccines by December 2020 and gave behind-the-scenes insight on how she was able to reach it. She explained that it required a lot of people to set bureaucratic differences aside and rethink how they work.
If you are interested in tuning in for the next discussion on Building Toward Health Equity and an Inclusive Recovery on Wednesday, October 13, register here! The session will explore how future pandemic responses must address socioeconomic and health disparities to prevent the same tragic outcomes witnessed during the COVID–19 pandemic.
Click here to learn more about the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
