COVID experience panel discussions: Lessons from URI and beyond

Health care professionals to share personal experiences in their fight against the pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers of all disciplines have been the front-line heroes battling the novel coronavirus that has affected virtually all aspects of society. These health care professionals have stories to tell and experiences to share as the ever-evolving coronavirus response continues.

The URI Academic Health Collaborative and Interprofessional Education and Practice Initiative will host three online panel discussions to address the challenges health care workers face and the lessons being learned during the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. URI faculty members, alumni and community leaders will share their personal experiences and discuss how interprofessional health care teams can have lasting impacts on individual and community health during a global crisis.

Register for any or all of the three discussions below. Panel discussions include:

From the Front Lines: The Experience of Treating Those with COVID – Sept. 30, 6 p.m. URI alumni working in various health care fields share their experiences battling the novel coronavirus. Panelists include:

  • Elizabeth Roberts, URI Academic Health Collaborative (moderator)
  • Eugenio Fernandez Pharm.D. ’13, founder, Asthenis pharmacy
  • James Lemieux ’17, RN, Kent Hospital
  • Shannon O’Rourke ’20, case investigator, RI Department of Health
  • Trudy-Ann Gayle Ph.D. ’11, co-founder, Life Matters Psychological Services
  • Leah Hurley ’16, M.S. ’18, dietitian, Roger Williams Medical Center

Generational Divide: How COVID has Affected Older Adults – Oct. 7, 6 p.m. Faculty, alumni and older Rhode Islanders discuss what COVID has meant to older people in the community and in long-term care facilities. Panelists include:

  • Catherine Taylor, executive director, Age Friendly RI (moderator)
  • Skye Leedahl, associate professor, URI College of Health Sciences
  • Victoria Parker ’16, education and research associate, PACE of Rhode Island
  • Erica Estus ’96, Pharm.D ’00, clinical professor, URI College of Pharmacy
  • Peter Bristol, M.S. ’72, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute member
  • Pauline Mburu, director of social services, Woonsocket Health and Rehabilitation Center

And (in)Justice for All: How COVID Exposes Disparities in Health Care – Oct. 14, 6 p.m. Faculty members, alumni, health care workers and civic leaders discuss the health disparities in society, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Panelists include:

  • Barbara Morse, health reporter, WJAR Channel 10 (moderator)
  • Diane Martins, professor, URI College of Nursing
  • Gisel Bello ’13, ’16, Diversity and Inclusion Fellow, Brown University Warren Alpert School of Medicine
  • Mario Bueno, ’94, executive director, Progreso Latino
  • Rosa Sierra, wellness coordinator, Progreso Latino
  • Leslie Montague ’13, RN, Rhode Island Hospital

The socially distanced panel discussions will be streamed via Zoom, are free and open to the public. URI students, faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend.