COVID and the College of Public Health

The College of Public Health has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

farmer standing in field at sunset

COVID is killing rural Americans at twice the rate of urbanites

By Lauren Weber
Sept. 30, 2021

COVID incidence rates in September 2021 were roughly 54 percent higher in rural areas than elsewhere, according to research from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis.

illustration of coronavirus

CPH COVID Response Summary

By CPH Communications Office
Aug. 1, 2021

Read about some of the valuable contributions members of the CPH community have made to help guide, inform, and protect the campus, state, and nation during the COVID pandemic.

older woman receives a band-aid on her arm after a vaccine

Campaign encourages COVID-19 vaccinations in Iowa communities

By CPH Communications Office
Aug. 19, 2021

CPH researchers collaborated on a campaign to increase COVID-19 vaccinations in Iowa micropolitan areas.

Nurse giving older man COVID vaccination

UI to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake

By Debra Venzke
May 27, 2021

Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine has slowed, particularly in less densely populated regions of the state. That’s a trend researchers in the College of Public Health are aiming to reverse through a new federal grant to promote vaccine uptake in small and mid-sized communities across Iowa.

Parent and child with masks

Gauging COVID-19 vaccine interest among adolescents, parents

By UI Health Care
July 9, 2021

A team of researchers that includes faculty from the UI College of Public Health has found that adolescents and the parents of adolescents are split on their attitudes about adolescents getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

College of Public Health student and Johnson County contact tracer Rebecca Nyangufi.

College of Public Health students trace COVID-19

By Katy Stites
Oct. 22, 2020

Community members who contract or are exposed to COVID-19 may find themselves talking on the phone with Rebecca Nyangufi, one of about 45 University of Iowa College of Public Health students who are working part-time as contact tracers at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City.

Woman helps girl with face mask

Native Center for Behavioral Health supports resilience and healing during COVID-19

By Debra Venzke
Jan. 15, 2021

The Native Center for Behavioral Health is finding new ways to support Native communities and behavioral health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Top 5 %

Attention score for CPH mask study

A study by George Wehby and Wei Lyu about the effectiveness of mask mandates in preventing COVID-19 spread is among the most shared and mentioned research articles ever tracked by the data science company Altmetric.

Portrait of Keith Mueller

Rural communities fall further behind in COVID-19 shots

By National Public Radio
June 11, 2021

Rural communities are falling further behind in the race to vaccinate against COVID-19. Pockets of lower vaccination rates are a problem for people everywhere, experts say.

Person wearing a mask

Immunocompromised people still face COVID challenges

By Michaela Curran, Andrea Polonijo
July 6, 2021

Michaela Curran, a postdoctoral fellow in community and behavioral health, recently co-authored an opinion piece on COVID-19 vaccinations and immunocompromised people.

From the Front Row podcast logo

Undergraduate helps her community navigate COVID-19

By Steve Sonnier
May 6, 2020

Kaci Ginn is an undergrad public health student who is also working at a county public health department helping to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

A shopping basket filled with bottles of wine

Food, alcohol and the pandemic

By Debra Venzke
July 7, 2021

How has the pandemic affected our eating and drinking habits and health? CPH experts discuss how COVID had an impact on food insecurity, school nutrition, and alcohol consumption.