Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Meeting Minutes, Wku Council Of Academic Deans

Council of Academic Deans

Meeting regarding South Central Workforce Development Board, capital allocations, faculty handbook, full year scheduling, search processes/protocols, faculty mental health & burnout and post-Thanksgiving office staffing.

Smoke From Wildfires Can Worsen Covid-19 Risk, Putting Firefighters In Even More Danger, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two forces of nature are colliding in the western United States, and wildland firefighters are caught in the middle.

Emerging research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

At the same time, firefighting conditions make precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing difficult, increasing the chance that, once the virus enters a fire camp, it could quickly spread.

As an environmental toxicologist, I have spent the last decade expanding our understanding of how wood smoke exposure impacts human health. Much of …

Addressing Covid 19 Among Vulnerable Populations, Tim Crawford, Sydney Silverstein, Craig Woolley, Laura M. Luehrmann

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

This is the fifth installment in the Shelter in Place (SiP) Lecture series. This installment deals with the impact and implications of the Shelter in Place order on differing populations. It discusses how a variety of populations have differing experiences with social distancing, the virus, and other implications of the current pandemic.

Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Sex-Specific Covid-19 Clinical Outcomes, Thushara Galbadage, Brent M. Peterson, Joseph Awada, Alison S. Buck, Danny A. Ramirez, Jason Wilson, Richard S. Gunasekera

Faculty Articles & Research

To successfully mitigate the extraordinary devastation caused by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is crucial to identify important risk factors for this disease. One such neglected health determinant is the sex of the patient. This is an essential clinical characteristic, as it can factor into a patient’s clinical management and preventative measures. Some clinical studies have shown disparities in the proportion between males and females that have more severe clinical outcomes or, subsequently, die from this disease. However, this association has not been unequivocally established. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the association between male …

Coronavirus Closes In On Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh’S Cramped, Unprepared Camps, Saleh Ahmed

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Coronavirus is spreading quickly in densely populated Bangladesh, despite a nationwide shutdown put in place a month ago.

This preventive measure has proven challenging to implement due to lack of awareness of the coronavirus and the absence of a social safety net. Extreme poverty also forces many Bangladeshis to keep working and looking for food despite the risks. Bangladesh had 2,948 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 20.

The disease has not yet spread into the refugee camps that house the Rohingya Muslims who fled ethnic violence in Myanmar in 2017, according to a recent update from the humanitarian organizations …

Wildfire Smoke Worsens Coronavirus Risk, Putting Firefighters In Extra Danger, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As summer approaches, two forces of nature are on a collision course, and wildland firefighters will be caught in the middle.

New research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

At the same time, firefighting conditions make precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing difficult, increasing the chance that, once the virus enters a fire camp, it could quickly spread.

As an environmental toxicologist, I have spent the last decade expanding our understanding of how wood smoke exposure impacts human health. …

Democratic Governors Are Quicker In Responding To The Coronavirus Than Republicans, Luke Fowler, Jaclyn Kettler, Stephanie Witt

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

While the coronavirus pandemic is a national and international concern, state and local officials find themselves on the front lines of the public health battle.

Governors, in particular, have been in the spotlight in recent weeks. New York’s Andrew Cuomo has been praised by news outlets for his leadership at the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, while others have been criticized for slow responses.

A clear partisan gap has emerged in how quickly governors have declared emergencies and issue stay-at-home orders. Democratic governors have issued orders three to four days sooner than Republican governors, on average.

If I Get Sick With Coronavirus, Can Donald Trump Make Me Stay Home?, Brian Labus

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

President Donald Trump recently appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak and control public statements by government health officials about the crisis. In the days since, health departments throughout the country have investigated potential cases, announced new cases and declared public health emergencies, all without the approval of the vice president. So who really is in charge of the outbreak response? As with most things in American government, the answer is complicated.

Love In The Time Of The Coronavirus: Do You Turn Your Back When Someone Offers You A Hand, A Kiss Or A Hug?, Brian Labus

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

We are exposed to numerous viruses from our day-to-day interactions with other people all the time. However, our risk of being infected by a simple greeting usually isn’t in the forefront of our minds. The spread of COVID-19 has changed that. Conferences have banned handshakes, churches have changed their worship services, and even politicians have changed the way they greet each other. But what’s the risk in a simple hug or a handshake?

What Really Works To Keep Coronavirus Away? 4 Questions Answered By A Public Health Professional, Brian Labus

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Editor’s note: The World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has a higher fatality rate than the flu. As of March 4, 2020, nine deaths have been reported in the U.S. Brian Labus, a professor of public health, provides essential safety information for you, from disinfectants to storing food and supplies.

Medicaid's Vital Role In Addressing Health And Economic Emergencies, Nicole Huberfeld, Sidney Watson

All Faculty Scholarship

Medicaid plays an essential role in helping states respond to crises. Medicaid guarantees federal matching funds to states, which helps with unanticipated costs associated with public health emergencies, like COVID-19, and increases in enrollment that inevitably occur during times of economic downturn. Medicaid’s joint federal/state structure, called cooperative federalism, gives states significant flexibility within federal rules that allows states to streamline eligibility and expand benefits, which is especially important during emergencies. Federal emergency declarations give the secretary of Health and Human Services temporary authority to exercise regulatory flexibility to ensure that sufficient health care is available to meet the needs …