Syracuse Sun

As the world nears the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic declaration by the World Health Organization, questions about preparedness for future public health crises persist. On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic with over 118,000 cases in 114 countries.

Syracuse University offers insights from several experts on this subject. David Larsen, Chair of the Department of Public Health at Syracuse University's Falk College, has been instrumental in developing wastewater surveillance technology crucial to New York State's COVID-19 response. This network monitors wastewater treatment plants across all counties in New York and serves a population of 15.4 million.

Brittany Kmush, an associate professor in the same department, focuses on vaccines and infectious diseases. She has discussed COVID-19 and anti-vaccination trends with media outlets like BBC and Reuters.

Lisa Olson-Gugerty, also an associate teaching professor at Syracuse University’s Department of Public Health, provides expertise on health promotion and healthcare administration. Her experience includes being a family nurse practitioner and emergency healthcare provider.

Robert Wilson from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School specializes in environmental history and how viruses spread from animals to humans. He contributed to "Humans and Animals: A Geography of Coexistence," examining animal-human interactions' impact on various aspects of life.

For more information or interviews with these professors, contact Daryl Lovell at Syracuse University's Division of Communications.