Sometimes, the path envisioned is not the path taken. That certainly holds true for Memphis Madden ’11, who initially planned a career in neurosurgery in a big city. “Toward the end of my undergraduate studies, I started to get into other disciplines like sociology and anthropology and realized that I enjoyed the cultural and community aspects of health more,” she explains.

Dr. Michael Axelrod ’89 has almost three decades of experience in the mental health profession. As a child clinical psychologist, school psychologist, and now as a professor at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, his background in mental health and research lends a unique perspective on the current COVID-19 crisis. While most have been preoccupied with the physical toll inflicted by the virus, there is another very real danger—to mental health.

As the Director of Stony Brook Medicine Telehealth, deputy chief medical information officer, and chief quality officer of Family Medicine’s PCMH, Dr. Kim Noel ’01 holds a lot of titles but they all synergize around one theme: delivering medical care technologies for patients. 

Jason Applegate ’15 has seen firsthand the impact a nurse’s care has on sick patients. “I grew up visiting my mom (Diane Applegate, now The Hun School’s Director of Health Services) in the hospital,” explains Mr. Applegate. Watching her in action inspired him to follow in her clog-supported footsteps, first to Villanova University and then into nursing. “I always knew I wanted to help people,” he says.

Janine Cadet ’13 knows what isolation and loneliness can do to a person. As a second-year medical student at USC, she recently conducted research into how social isolation affects healthcare and healthcare systems. Her timing may have been eerily prescient, since she never knew she would see her research come alive in front of her. “We have been hearing so many stories of how people are isolated because of COVID-19 and though it is necessary, it’s heartbreaking for the patients and their families,” she says.

“The number of patients we have coming in with symptoms, the amount of PPE we have, it changes every day. There is a greater need for flexibility than ever before.” While her time in the ER has prepared her well for the unpredictability of the situation, the severity has not been lost on her. “I remember when we first intubated a COVID patient. I was terrified, even though we intubate all of the time. We’ve all seen it on the news, but then you realize that this is going to hit us hard.”

This brother-sister team is raising money to help ensure that the small businesses that our country is built on remain alive once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. They’ve already raised more than $25,000.

This brother-sister team is raising money to help ensure that the small businesses that our country is built on remain alive once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. They’ve already raised more than $25,000.

“If we were on campus, I’m not sure I would have introduced the lesson this way for my anatomy class but I’m thankful I did,” she explained. “The fact that my students speak regularly about what is going on in the world is so important to me. This is science in its purest form. The students were incredibly receptive and understood the importance of the lesson, and because they were so understanding, I was able to address this subject matter with ease.” 

A typical Tea Time Tuesday meeting may revolve around anything from debating the best pizza spots in New Jersey, listening to student performances, discussing popular docuseries, to sharing recipes, or even watching a teacher prepare dinner for themselves. Regardless of the conversation on the table, both students and faculty mostly look forward to the chance to connect with one another. 

“This is a very different kind of teaching and learning that reaches people in a very unique way. It extends to current events with surprising relevance and depth,” Dr. Holm said. “Watching controversy unfold through this writing will offer us the tools and insights to take on these vexing questions in our own culture and our personal vision of our world. I can’t think of a better, more relevant course to offer especially given what our country is facing today.” 

Field trips may seem verboten during the current stay-at-home orders, but that did not preclude Deborah Watts, performing arts department chair, and her three jazz bands, from attending a concert together—virtually, of course. They “traveled” to New York City to view the Worldwide Concert for our Culture, a live-streamed performance featuring jazz from all over the world and curated by jazz great, Wynton Marsalis, at Lincoln Center Jazz.