The Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy Welcomes its First Cohort of Students

The Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy is a partnership among the Columbia School of General Studies, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the Columbia School of Social Work that is open to students from all four undergraduate schools and provides students with the opportunity to learn, first-hand, about the intersection of pandemic preparedness and systemic racism. This fall, it welcomes 24 students into its first cohort.

September 23, 2020

In July of 2020, President Bollinger announced the Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy (“Academy”) — a response to the inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy is a partnership among the Columbia School of General Studies, the Mailman School of Public Health, the Columbia School of Social Work, and faculty in the Arts & Sciences that is open to students from all four undergraduate schools and provides students with the opportunity to learn, first-hand, about the intersection of pandemic preparedness and systemic racism.

As a part of the Academy, students will take part in an exciting series of virtual lectures featuring Columbia faculty members engaged in cutting-edge scholarship and activism on these issues, including Courtney Cogburn of the School of Social Work, Wafaa El-Sadr of ICAP and the Mailman School of Public Health, and Robert Fullilove of the Mailman School of Public Health. 

A weekly journal club will engage students in critical discussion of writings, videos, and social media accounts focused on pandemics from the lens of public health, social work, the humanities, and the social sciences. 

Students participating in the Academy will also complete individual (or collaborative) writing/social media/video projects in their areas of interest. All students will be assigned a faculty mentor based on shared interests between the student and faculty mentor.

Learn more about the Academy’s incoming cohort for Fall 2020 below.

The Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy Incoming Fall 2020 Cohort

Kaoutar Afif, ‘21BC
Political Science

Sylvester Benson, ‘22GS
Neuroscience and Behavior

Tony Britvec, '22GS

Avery Brown, ‘22CC
Psychology

Taylor Dade, ‘24SEAS
Biomedical Engineering

James Elliott '23GS
Political Science/African American and African Diaspora Studies

Noelle Files, '24GS
Political Science

Brian Higginbotham, '22GS
Postbac Premed Program

Mariah Johnson, ‘23CC
Psychology/Public Health

Secunda Kariuki, '22CC
Biology/Public Health

Alison Kitchkommie, '22GS
Human Rights

Adam Kluge, ‘22CC
History/Political Science

Jessica Li, ‘23SEAS
Applied Mathematics, Economics

Wonders Oguejiofor, ‘24CC
Computer Science

Andrew Posner, ‘21CC
Biology, Computer Science

Maxell Price, ‘23CC
Pre-Med Neuroscience

Abraham Rosenwald, '23GS
Classical Studies

Amei Shank, ‘21CC
Neuroscience and Behavior

Kaitlin Shaw, '24GS
Postbac Premed Program

Ellie Story, ‘22BC
Urban Studies, Public Health

Chris Thompson, ‘21GS
Anthropology

Runwei Wang, '22GS

Sarah Wang, ‘24CC
Political Economy

Jenna Yuan, ‘24CC