At the University of Denver’s second annual STAT Conference, the coronavirus pandemic was put under the microscope.
The virtual event, staged Jan. 26, featured conversations analyzing the true impact of COVID-19. In keeping with the conference’s promise (Seeking Tomorrow’s Answers Together), speakers and panelists attempted to identify
lessons learned from COVID-19 and shine light on the road ahead.
The conference occurred even as the Omicron variant was exponentially increasing case counts in Colorado and across the country. At that point, COVID-19 had taken the lives of more than 839,000 people in the United States alone.
Keynote speaker Hilary A. Smith, associate professor of history, set the scene, bringing context from previous pandemics. Subsequent sessions explored the psychological, social and cultural issues arising out of the pandemic.
“Pandemics advance science and medicine,” says Corinne Lengsfeld, senior vice provost for research. “But really what they do is change a generation and society.”
The STAT conference was created in 2020 by DU’s COVID-19 response team, whose members hoped the event would cross-pollinate best practices.
