News: Berkeley Social Welfare responds to COVID-19

On December 22, campus leaders provided an update on UC Berkeley's plans for the spring semester, including new booster and testing requirements.

Please note that...Read more about Update on UC Berkeley’s plans for the spring semester

Professor Kurt Organista comments on the effectiveness of community health workers known as promotores...Read more about Kurt Organista in NY Times: A large share of Hispanic adults in the U.S. got vaccinated over the summer, a survey shows

Associate ProfessorTina Sacks shared in a CNN op-ed: "Children under 12, including my son, cannot protect themselves from the coronavirus. They cannot get the Covid-19...Read more about Tina Sacks on CNN: "What anti-vaxxers sound like to me"

"The report shows that many Latinos have a high motivation to get vaccinated," said Kurt Organista, a professor of social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. "They live in multigenerational households and cramped quarters. They want to protect their families."Read more about Kurt Organista in the New York Times: Many Unvaccinated Latinos in the U.S. Want the Shot, New Survey Finds

Osagie Obasogie, Haas Distinguished Chair and professor of bioethics in the Joint Medical Program and School of Public Health — and Social Welfare affiliated faculty —...Read more about Berkeley Conversations: Osagie Obasogie and other experts discuss vaccine equity

"Mistrust is a huge factor because of Tuskegee, but I think what Tuskegee really teaches us is that access to care remains a major issue. The barriers to care are numerous and very entrenched, and they are directly related to historical patterns and also contemporary instances of structural...Read more about Tina Sacks in Berkeley News: How legacies of racism hinder vaccination among communities of color

Associate Professor Tina Sacks talks about vaccine equity and...Read more about Tina Sacks on vaccine equity (NBC Bay Area News)

"The pandemic lays bare what we already knew." Assistant Professor Tina Sacks speaks about...Read more about Tina Sacks on Capitol Radio: Navigating racial inequity during the pandemic and vaccine rollout

"It is easy to see why Black people would assess that differences in treatment persist throughout the entire health care sector, including in the ways Black people have been treated during the pandemic... " Tina...Read more about Tina Sacks op-ed on CNN: "When Black people are wary of vaccine, it's important to listen and understand why"

In this interview with CalRadio about the effects of the pandemic on research and how we view it, PhD candidate...Read more about PhD student Cristina Gómez-Vidal: "Reshaping How Research is Viewed, Accessed Amid The Pandemic"

"I expect the people who have the least in our society to delay pregnancy because of the economic and health effects of COVID-19." Anu Manchikanti Gómez and other experts...Read more about Anu Manchikanti Gómez in The Atlantic: "How the Pandemic Will Affect America’s Population"

"The reality is we never had the same risk of contracting the illness." Assistant Professor Tina Sacks on the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on lower-income communities of color.Read more about Tina Sacks in SF Chronicle: "Coronavirus data show growing disparities in income and race in Bay Area"

As the country moves toward reopening — and with it some sense of “normalcy” — UC Berkeley researchers said simply returning to normal isn’t enough. Rather, they said, dismantling structural racism must be part of any reopening strategy.

During a livestreamed Berkeley Conversations event...Read more about Tina Sacks, Osagie Obasogie, and others on "Race, Law, and Health Policy"

The relationship between our social welfare and criminal legal system is marked both by tension and collaboration. Social workers, in particular, must coordinate efforts alongside a host of state agents, including police officers. At this moment, both front-line crisis workers are confronting an...Read more about Event video: "Community Surveillance in the Time of COVID-19: Civilian, Social Worker, and Police Officer Adaptations for Staying Safe"

Join us for a discussion of the role of digital technology and telehealth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic from the...Read more about Berkeley Conversations: COVID-19: Digital and Telehealth Implications of COVID-19 and Social Distancing

Doctoral student Katie Savin speaks about the experiences of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Savin's comments start at the 34-minue mark; listen at https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=333519.Read more about PhD candidate Katie Savin speaks about the impact of the pandemic on people with disabilities

South Korea's response to COVID-19 has been globally recognized as a model for effective containment of the virus balanced with respect for civil liberties. Alum Park Neunghoo (PhD '98), South Korea's Minister of Health and Welfare,...Read more about South Korea’s Health Minister, Park Neunghoo (PhD '98) on How His Country Is Beating Coronavirus Without a Lockdown

MSW student Daniela Medina was one of several members of the Underground Scholars interviewed by KQED on their experiences during the shelter in place.Read more about For Formerly Incarcerated Students, Sheltering in Place Can Feel Like Prison Again