COVID-19 | Events, Webinars, and Expert Discussions

PHR is using global digital platforms to elevate the voices of health care professionals on the front lines.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, PHR is using its global digital platforms to elevate the voices of health care professionals on the front lines of this crisis. Launched in March 2020, PHR’s webinar series aims to educate advocates and health providers alike in these uncertain times. Sign up here to receive invitations to future webinars.

Featured Webinars

The Pandemic and Conflict-Affected Populations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen

On July 30, 2020 Dr. Paul Speigel moderated a discussion on the compounding impacts of COVID-19 on conflict-affected populations in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. The panel featured Radhya al-Mutawakel, Hala Al Saraf, and Dr. Zaher Sahloul.

COVID-19 and Native American Populations

On July 24, 2020 PHR Advisory Council Member Dr. Chris Beyrer moderated a discussion on the compounding impacts of COVID-19 on Native Americans. The panel featured Dr. Shaquita Bell, Abigail Echo-Hawk, and Dr. Spero Manson.

Rebuilding a Global Approach to Health

On July 16, 2020 PHR Advisory Council Member Patricia Sellers moderated a discussion on envisioning a more equitable future for health. The panel featured Dr. John Ayanian, Dr. Giselle Corbie-Smith, and Dr. Roshmi Goswani.

COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts on At-Risk Populations

On July 10, 2020 PHR Board Member Dr. Gail Saltz moderated a discussion on the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on at-risk populations. The panel featured Dr. Monica Hooper, Dr. William Lopez, and Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz.

Protests, Police Violence, and the Pandemic

On June 18, 2020, PHR Medical Expert Dr. Rohini Haar moderated a discussion on how the Black community, hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, is the same community most affected by racial injustice and the medical ramifications that this reality creates. The panel featured Mustafa Abdullah and Drs. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Alden Landry, and Teresa Y. Smith, who discussed racial injustice and the dangerous misuse of crowd-control weapons by police.

COVID-19 Racial Disparities

PHR Board Vice-Chair Deborah Ascheim, MD, MPH, moderates a discussion on racial disparities and COVID-19 featuring Dr. Derek Griffith, Dr. Carol Horowitz, and Dr. Monica Peek. Panelists address inequities impacting racial and ethnic minorities and rural populations in the United States, how those disparities place these populations at greater risk, and how health professionals and communities can work together to help eliminate health disparities.

Empowering Health Professionals as Human Rights Advocates

On June 11, 2020, PHR Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Ranit Mishori moderated a discussion on empowering health professionals as human rights advocates. The panel featured Drs. Alejandro Moreno, Michelle Munyikwa, Rachel Pearson, and Sural Shah, who discussed why and how health professionals advocate for human rights, and how they can balance activism with other obligations.

Protecting Health Care Workers Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

On May 28, 2020, The Lancet Editor-in-Chief and PHR Board Member Dr. Richard Horton moderated a discussion on protecting health care workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel featured nurse Howard Catton, Dr. Michele Heisler, and Dr. Otmar Kleiber, who discussed the alarming public targeting of frontline health care workers and what we can do to protect and better support them in their critical roles as we face the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Threats to Detention Center/Prison Populations

PHR Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Ranit Mishori moderates a discussion on COVID-19 and detention center/prison populations featuring Dr. Scott Allen, Eunice Cho, and Gerald Staberock. The conversation addresses the U.S. and international response to the danger of contagion in these densely populated environments, questions concerning access to care for inmates and staff, and how judgments being made today will shape the landscape of legal precedent going forward.

Gender-based Violence and COVID-19

PHR Director of Programs Karen Naimer moderates a discussion on COVID-19 and gender-based violence featuring Wangechi Wachira and Drs. Claudia Garcia-Moreno and Lori Heise. The conversation addresses how the pandemic has exacerbated the crisis of sexual and gender-based violence and intimate partner violence on a global scale, how existing response programs may be adapted to protect survivors amid restrictions on movement during the pandemic, and possible solutions and policies to protect survivors and prevent and/or reduce violence in the long-term.

Health and Rights-driven Responses to COVID-19

In March 2020, PHR medical director Dr. Michele Heisler held a Q&A with science writer and founder of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Health Program Laurie Garrett. The discussion addresses how governments and health professionals can fight the coronavirus while preserving human rights.

More Webinars

COVID-19 and Children

On June 26, 2020, PHR medical expert Dr. Katherine Peeler moderated a discussion on the unique impacts of COVID-19 on children, including schooling, inequities, and vaccines. The panel featured Sabreen Akhter, Laura Alderman, Dr. Jyotsna Bhattacharya, and Dr. Kimberly Montez.

Reopening: Balancing Public Health, Safety, Human Rights and the Economy

PHR Advisory Council member and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Professor Dr. Jennifer Leaning moderates a discussion on reopening while balancing health and human rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel features Dr. Ashish Jha and Dr. Martin McKee who discussed how governments and societies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and across the globe can best balance public health and safety imperatives with economic interests and civil liberties.

Perspectives from Health Professionals on the Frontlines

PHR Senior Medical Advisor Dr. Ranit Mishori speaks with Dr. Joshua Lerner, an attending emergency department physician at the University of Massachusetts Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, in an exclusive briefing about working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 Medical Ethics

PHR board member Donna Shelley, MD, MPH moderates a discussion on the medical ethics of COVID-19 featuring Dr. Diane Meier, Registered Nurse Eileen Weber, and Dr. Matthew Wynia. The panel addresses the ethics of resource allocation in public health emergencies, the responsibility of providing care in the face of scarcity, and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is changing how we deliver health services.

Homelessness and COVID-19

PHR Medical Director Dr. Michele Heisler moderates a discussion on COVID-19 and homelessness featuring Dr. Kelly Doran, Dr. Margot Kushel, and Pascale Leone. They discussed the particular challenges facing those who are homeless, and the programs and policies that are necessary to address these challenges now and going forward.

COVID-19 and Food Insecurity

PHR founding member Dr. Robert Lawrence moderates a discussion on COVID-19 and food insecurity featuring Drs. Kofi Essel and Hilary Seligman. The discussion examines the roots of food insecurity in the United States and how COVID-19 has worsened an already dangerous situation for communities most at risk.

Mental Health Impacts

Psychiatrists and PHR board members Drs. Gail Saltz and Kerry Sulkowicz hold a discussion on the mental health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. This discussion focuses on tips for self-care as we adapt to the new norms of physical distancing, working from home, and as some of us face anxieties related to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Sign up here to receive invitations to future webinars.

Our Work

COVID-19

PHR advocates for a science- and rights-driven approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. We defend the right of all people to have access to health care and stand with medical professionals on the front lines of this crisis.
Advocacy and Statements

PHR stands with doctors, nurses, public health specialists, and others on the front lines of this pandemic.

Blog

A Science-driven Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Statements

New Asylum Ban, Recycled Pretext: Proposed Rule Would Illegally, Unjustly Bar Many Asylum Seekers on Public Health Grounds

Blog

Voices from the COVID-19 Pandemic: “Since she started working in the isolation ward, her colleagues have shunned her.”

Blog

Despite COVID-19, Five Milestones for International Justice

View All