The Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy Welcomes its Second 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 spring, it welcomes 25 students into its second cohort.

February 05, 2021

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.

In December, the inaugural Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy (JPPA) cohort celebrated their completion of the program as they looked forward to welcoming this new cohort of JPPA students. 

As a part of the Academy, students take part in an exciting series of virtual lectures featuring Columbia faculty members engaged in cutting-edge scholarship and activism on these issues, including Melissa Begg, Dean 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 engages 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 also complete individual (or collaborative) writing/social media/video projects in their areas of interest. All students are assigned a faculty mentor based on shared interests between the student and faculty mentor.

Learn more about the Academy’s incoming cohort for Spring 2021 below.

The Justice and Pandemics Preparedness Academy Incoming Spring 2021 Cohort

Helena Botero-Pinzon, '23CC
Economics

Ashley Bruno, '23GS
Astrophysics and Mathematics

Rachel Chang, '23CC
Ethnicity and Race Studies

Jennifer Chen, '22GS
Economics

Peter Chen, '23GS
Economics, Political Science

Theodore Chritton, '21GS
Environmental Biology, History

Sabrina Delafield, '21GS
Political Science

Daniel Fu He, '23GS
Neuroscience and Behavior

Mary Heinen,'24SEAS
Mechanical Engineering

Arman Husein, '23CC
Economics

Avery Jeon, '24GS
Postbac Premed Program

Michael Katzen, '22GS
Postbac Premed Program

Edward Kim, '24CC
Biology

Anna Kopyra, '23CC
Biochemistry, Public Health

Solby Lim, '22BC
History, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Rivky Mandel, '23GS
Philosophy

Elyse Mara, '22BC
Urban Studies, Public Health

Paul Padilla, '24CC
Economics, Political Science

Mary Pruden, '22CC
Statistics, Public Health

Catalina Rodriquez, '21CC
Economics

Shane Scott, '23GS
Postbac Premed Program

Danny Siegel, '21GS
Human Rights

Safia Southey, '21GS
Human Rights

Maria Tamburro, '23GS
Undecided

Peter Trevino, '22GS
Urban Studies, Psychology