COVID-19

University Initiatives

Letter from President Paxson: Supporting Brown’s International Students

July 8, 2020

President Christina H. Paxson wrote to the campus community about University opposition to new federal guidance on the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and how Brown can best support its international students.

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News and Events

Brown invites students back to campus with three-term model, reduced density for 2020-21

July 7, 2020

To mitigate the pandemic’s impact, the University will allow undergraduates back for two terms in a three-term model, reduce the density of students in campus housing, offer instruction in person and remotely, and implement extensive testing, tracing and public health measures.

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Social Sciences

Annenberg Institute to provide research-based advice for educators amid COVID-19

June 30, 2020

Project led by the Annenberg Institute and Results for America will equip educators with research briefs on addressing teaching challenges, from coping with learning loss to protecting the most vulnerable students.

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Health and Medicine

Brown’s medical school leads the way in establishing first USMLE regional testing site

June 25, 2020

In the face of COVID-19, leaders at the Warren Alpert Medical School worked with the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination on a solution enabling medical students to take essential licensing exams that had been cancelled.

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News and Events

Brown suspends standardized test requirement for 2020-21 undergraduate admissions cycle

June 12, 2020

The University has made standardized test scores optional for applicants in the upcoming undergraduate admissions cycle to account for the unprecedented obstacles to testing arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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News and Events

Paxson tells U.S. Senate stakes are high as universities seek to safely reopen

June 4, 2020

Testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Brown President Christina H. Paxson detailed the complex decisions facing university leaders as they assess how to deliver education safely this fall.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How science, data can inform personal choices during the pandemic

June 3, 2020

Emily Oster, an economist and public policy expert at Brown, has partnered with medical experts, data scientists and Brown students to create a hub of helpful information about COVID-19.

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News and Events

Conversations on COVID: Students organize to take food from farms to food banks

May 26, 2020

The FarmLink Project, started by students from Brown and other schools, is moving food that farmers would normally sell to restaurants to food banks around the country, putting it in the hands of those in need.

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News and Events

Brown to confer 2,657 degrees at Virtual Degree Conferral ceremonies

May 23, 2020

At three Virtual Degree Conferral ceremonies on Sunday, May 24, Brown will confer 2,657 degrees — undergraduate, graduate and medical — in advance of Class of 2020 Commencement activities in Spring 2021.

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Health and Medicine

Brown physician-scholar testifies on COVID-19 before U.S. House committee

May 21, 2020

Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medicine, urged the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to ramp up manufacturing and distribution of personal protective equipment.

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Student Life

From Brown-RISD undergraduate, ‘20 Drawings for the Class of 2020’

May 20, 2020

With seniors who are culminating their undergraduate experiences remotely in mind, Brown-RISD dual degree student Yunni Cho created a digital collection of drawings depicting favorite sites on the College Hill campuses.

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Social Sciences

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown economist, colleagues develop real-time economic tracker

May 7, 2020

The research team Opportunity Insights, co-directed by Professor of Economics John Friedman, developed a tool to help policymakers and nonprofits respond to rapid economic shifts during the global health crisis.

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News and Events

With Commencement postponed until May 2021, Brown will honor 2020 graduates virtually

May 6, 2020

Virtual Degree Conferral ceremonies on May 24 will mark the milestone of graduation in advance of next spring’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend, which will honor the classes of 2020 and 2021.

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News and Events

Brown research teams mobilize to investigate COVID-19 solutions

May 6, 2020

Brown’s new COVID-19 Research Seed Fund is supporting 15 teams of faculty researchers who are working rapidly to develop solutions that could impact the world’s response to the pandemic.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How to persuade loved ones to stay at home

April 30, 2020

Rob Grace, a Ph.D. student at Brown, drew from his research on humanitarian negotiation to offer advice on how to convince skeptical friends and family to protect themselves from COVID-19 via social distancing.

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Social Sciences

Choices Program offers Rhode Island teachers access to digital course content

April 28, 2020

The Choices Program at Brown is granting high school teachers in Rhode Island free access to digital editions of its classroom units, which cover topics including war, genocide and climate change.

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News and Events

Paxson in New York Times: Colleges have a duty to reopen campuses, safely, as soon as possible

April 26, 2020

Students, and local economies, will depend on the efforts of colleges and universities to marshal the resources and expertise to make it possible to safely reopen, Brown’s president argues.

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News and Events

Andrew Yang reflects on campaign, talks new initiatives in virtual discussion

April 23, 2020

A conversation between former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, both Brown alumni, touched on the upcoming general election and the social consciousness of the Brown community.

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Arts and Humanities

First from Giza, now from home, Brown Egyptologist dives into innovation in online teaching

April 23, 2020

Victoria Almansa-Villatoro, a Ph.D. student in Egyptology, worked with learning designers at Brown to create an interactive online course about the pyramids, kings and societies of the third millennium B.C.

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News and Events

Brown provides short-term residence hall housing to front-line personnel fighting COVID-19

April 21, 2020

In partnership with the State of Rhode Island, the University has opened currently unoccupied residence halls to front-line personnel seeking to isolate from family members while supporting the state’s pandemic response.

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Health and Medicine

Amid COVID-19 crisis, more than 30 Brown med students graduate early to begin hospital work

April 17, 2020

Fourth-year medical students at the Warren Alpert Medical School who have completed requirements and elected to graduate early will join the fight against COVID-19 both locally and in residencies nationwide.

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Science and Technology

Conversations on COVID: Tracing contacts while preserving privacy

April 16, 2020

Researchers including computer science professor Anna Lysyanskaya are working on a way to use cell phones to track people who may have been exposed to coronavirus — without revealing any personal information.

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Arts and Humanities

Brown Arts Initiative thinks creatively about sparking creativity in the age of social distancing

April 15, 2020

A new virtual arts hub, BAI at Home, details live-streamed concerts, online exhibitions and creative challenges for students, faculty, staff and members of the greater community.

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News and Events

Virtual discussion offers Brown community members forum to discuss COVID-19’s impact

April 14, 2020

Nearly 1,000 students, faculty and staff participated in a remote meeting of the Brown University Community Council, which included a moderated Q&A session with senior leaders.

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Science and Technology

Brown Design Workshop responds to COVID crisis with custom-made solutions

April 14, 2020

In the University’s makerspace, 3D printers and other rapid prototyping equipment are being used to make personal protective equipment and other components that address the specific needs of local health providers.

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Arts and Humanities

Conversations on COVID: TV news and entertainment in a pandemic

April 14, 2020

Lynne Joyrich, a professor of modern culture and media at Brown, discussed how television is helping to steer the narrative and helping people to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Science and Technology

Brown engineering faculty and students design DIY ventilator

April 13, 2020

The team designed a ventilator that can be easily assembled using 3D-printed and easily acquired parts, and plans to make the design available for anyone to make.

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News and Events

Letter from President Paxson: Healthy Fall 2020 Task Force

April 13, 2020

Brown President Christina H. Paxson charged a committee of faculty, staff and students with developing a public health plan for the University that charts a path to the safe reopening of campus in Fall 2020.

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News and Events

Conversations on COVID: Prospects for a pandemic-induced economic recession

April 10, 2020

Harvard University Professor of Economics Greg Mankiw joined fellow economist and Brown President Christina H. Paxson to discuss policies to best keep Americans afloat during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

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News and Events

Community initiative at Brown provides meals to Providence residents with limited food access

April 10, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the University has partnered with the City of Providence’s Healthy Communities Office to purchase and distribute 24,000 meals to area residents with food security needs.

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Arts and Humanities

Community grants to support Rhode Island artists during pandemic

April 7, 2020

The Brown Arts Initiative’s Community Development Grants will fund the creation of new art for the 2020-21 season and help to support local artists who have been impacted by the pandemic.

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Health and Medicine

Conversations on COVID: Exploring genetic links to COVID-19 severity

April 7, 2020

An assistant professor of dermatology at Brown’s medical school is investigating whether the genetic cause of hair loss could help to explain greater severity and more fatalities among male COVID-19 patients.

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Health and Medicine

Conversations on COVID: Flattening the curve in jails and prisons

April 6, 2020

Stemming the tide of COVID-19 cases in jails and prisons isn’t just about protecting those who are incarcerated; it’s also about saving the lives of those living outside prison walls, says Brown professor Josiah Rich.

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News and Events

Letter from President Paxson: Brown’s commitment to Providence and Rhode Island

April 3, 2020

New food security and research funding initiatives will augment the many ways in which Brown students, faculty and staff are already supporting the University’s home city and state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: The future of American politics

April 2, 2020

Professor and Chair of Political Science Wendy Schiller weighed in on how COVID-19 is changing the Democratic primaries — and how the fallout could change people’s minds in November’s presidential election.

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News and Events

Brown donates lab supplies and protective equipment in COVID fight

April 1, 2020

An effort by Brown faculty and staff gathered more than 4,000 N95 masks, a critical component in COVID-19 testing and other supplies for donation to Rhode Island health care providers and agencies.

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News and Events

Conversations on COVID: The future of the world economy

April 1, 2020

Scholars from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs discussed the potential long- and short-term economic effects of the spread of COVID-19, both in the United States and abroad.

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News and Events

Conversations on COVID: Going all-in on public health

March 30, 2020

Dr. Jim Yong Kim and Dr. Ashish Jha joined Brown President Christina H. Paxson to debate solutions for ending the coronavirus pandemic, restoring economies and anticipating COVID-19’s impact on higher education.

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Social Sciences

American studies scholar at Brown chronicles the lost globalism of Wendell Willkie

March 30, 2020

In his new book “The Idealist,” associate professor Samuel Zipp argues that Willkie’s World War II-era “one world” idea could help guide how the U.S. evaluates its role on the world stage.

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Health and Medicine

Conversations on COVID: Applying lessons from the fight against Ebola

March 26, 2020

Dr. Adam Levine helped to find effective treatments for Ebola — now, he’s working with a global relief organization to ramp up the medical response to COVID-19 in high-risk countries.

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Health and Medicine

Conversations on COVID: Breaking the anxiety cycle

March 25, 2020

Dr. Jud Brewer, director of research and innovation at Brown’s Mindfulness Center, explains how practicing mindfulness can curb the spread of coronavirus anxiety in individuals’ personal lives and social circles.

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News and Events

Letter from President Paxson: Brown’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend

March 24, 2020

With no signs of the global coronavirus pandemic ending soon, the University will postpone its Commencement and Reunion Weekend until a new date for the celebration can be determined.

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Health and Medicine

Conversations on COVID: Pitching in to help hospitals, health care workers, health officials

March 24, 2020

When clinical rotations at the Warren Alpert Medical School were paused, third- and fourth-year students found new ways to support Rhode Island’s frontline health care workers fighting coronavirus.

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Health and Medicine

For Brown’s medical students on Match Day, a virtual community and celebration

March 20, 2020

With soon-to-graduate students from the Warren Alpert Medical School placing in medical residency programs across the country, Match Day was a time to celebrate, even without the ability to convene in person.

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Health and Medicine

Health care experts issue recommendations for COVID-19 stimulus bills

March 18, 2020

Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medicine and health services, policy and practice at Brown, coauthored recommendations detailing a set of public health and financial measures to combat the historic health crisis.

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News and Events

Letter from President Paxson: Maintaining community, reuniting for Commencement and Reunion

March 17, 2020

Brown President Christina H. Paxson wrote to students, faculty, staff, parents and alumni on March 17 about maintaining a strong sense of community, even in the face of COVID-19’s impact on campus and beyond.

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News and Events

In light of COVID-19, Brown transitions to remote learning for semester

March 12, 2020

The University implements new measures to protect the health and well-being of its community while enabling students to complete the spring semester.

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Health and Medicine

Brown medical anthropologist weighs in on coronavirus in China

January 24, 2020

As coronavirus spreads to multiple countries, Katherine Mason, an assistant professor of anthropology at Brown, detailed lessons learned from the outbreak of SARS and cautioned against public panic.

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