During COVID-19, he has been one of the leaders of institutional and community education around the disease. He has been part of numerous University initiatives including outreach to the Asian American community, and the Association of Black Cardiologists national webinars on the impact of COVID-19 on minority populations. He helped create and disseminate a petition validating protest as a response to structural racism in COVID times. For the impact of tear gas, he has worked on a declaration with the public defenders in the city of Portland advocating for limiting its use on the public. He worked on the declaration in the Von Staich case which was upheld by the California Court of Appeals who agreed that the indifference at CDCR met the standard of ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ prohibited by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. He has also worked with attorneys from Disability Rights California highlighting the unsafe practices at Patton State Hospital for the mentally ill, resulting in the immediate and rapid vaccinations against COVID in that facility.

Learning Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast the response of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States vs other developed countries.

2. Describe the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse populations.

3. Apply 3 or more lessons learned to how we can respond to future pandemics.