Weekly Updates and Reflections

We made it to the end of Week 6, which means one thing… final exams are next week! The term system has really kept me on my toes. I spent way too much time on a Statistics problem set on Thursday and Friday, so this weekend is a much needed break from it all. After a Netflix Party watching Legend of Korra with some Wellesley friends, I’m feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the next week! 

I’ll keep today’s post short and sweet (just like the term system)! Not much new has happened this past week. The Padres unfortunately lost in the playoffs against the Dodgers, I had another thesis meeting with my advisor, and classes continued. The last day of classes for term 1 is on Tuesday. The term system has made the days feel long but the weeks zoom by (haha, see what I did there?).

In Women and Health, one of the classes I’m taking, we had an entire session last week focused on COVID-19 and the effects of the pandemic on women. The class reminded me of a virtual lecture I attended a few weeks ago called “Racial and Global Disparities in COVID-19.” President Johnson moderated a discussion between Ophelia Dahl and Dr. Camara Jones (two amazing Wellesley alums)!

As someone with an interest in global and public health, I found this conversation super informative and wanted to share some key takeaways: 

  • Dr. Jones mentioned that we do not live in an equal opportunity society, and that COVID has pulled the sheets off structural racism and exposed inequities that are now impossible to ignore.
  • To move forward, we need to recognize and rectify historical differences, stop acting as if the present is disconnected from the past, and distribute resources according to need. 
  • A community-based approach to public health is needed now more than ever in the United States. Instead of narrowly focusing on the possibility of a vaccine at the individual level, we need to heavily emphasize and practice population and community level interventions (e.g. social distancing). Countries where the collective is emphasized have done this and succeeded, even without a vaccine.   
  • Finally, it is paramount to invest in the health system, public health, and the workforce. We need to be future oriented and proactive, rather than reactionary. 

I found that the ideas discussed in the lecture connected beautifully to the material we talked about in class. This pandemic has brought forth many important lessons for public health and I think learning from and about it is crucial. 

Just some things that have been on my mind lately, 

Shreya

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