Board of Regents to meet virtually Feb. 18
The University of Michigan Board of Regents will conduct its February meeting virtually Feb. 18. The meeting currently is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Additional information will become available when the meeting agenda is posted to the board’s website at regents.umich.edu at noon Feb. 15. People who wish to offer public comments during the meeting can sign up at regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/form by 9 a.m. Feb. 17. They will receive instructions from the university on how to call in at the appropriate time to share their comments as part of the meeting. The public will be able to listen to the meeting by going to umich.edu/watch at the meeting’s scheduled time.
Nominations open for James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship
The James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship is a biennial award that recognizes the important contributions made by a U-M senior faculty member to understanding diversity, equity and inclusion through research, scholarship and creative endeavors, who has an outstanding record as an educator in teaching and mentoring, and whose work has focused on issues of importance to underrepresented communities. Every other year, a senior faculty member whose program of research and scholarship focuses on diversity — including teaching, mentoring and public engagement — will be selected to receive the award with an honorarium of $10,000, and to deliver a public distinguished lecture or performance. Nominations from U-M faculty, staff or students will be accepted until March 1. For more information or to submit a nomination.
Registration open for U-M Women of Color Task Force Career Conference
The U-M Women of Color Task Force will host its 39th annual career conference virtually from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 4-5. All U-M staff, faculty, students and the public, regardless of gender or ethnicity, are invited to register to attend this inclusive professional development event. The conference is free this year; however, pre-registration is required to attend the workshops and keynote sessions. Conference information, including the two-day event schedule, speaker details and workshop descriptions, is available on the CEW+ website. The deadline to register for the conference is Feb. 26. On March 4, the opening keynote program will feature Corie Pauling, senior vice president and chief inclusion and diversity officer for TIAA, who will discuss strategies for creating inclusive anti-racist workspaces. Following her remarks, a nationally renowned panel of health care experts will respond to questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it works to develop immunity. The closing keynote program March 5 will feature a legislative panel including Democratic U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib. The discussion will focus on the role of women in the state’s economic recovery strategy.
Many older Americans with COVID-19 lack ability to isolate at home
One of the most important ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 is for people who have tested positive, or have symptoms, to isolate themselves from the other people they live with. But a new U-M poll suggests that nearly one in five older adults don’t have the ability to do this — and that those who are Hispanic or Black, or who have lower incomes or poor health to begin with, are more likely to lack a safe isolation place in their home. The poll also shows significant inequality in another key aspect of staying safe and healthy during the pandemic: the ability to get outside for fresh air and exercise, and to engage safely with friends, neighbors and relatives in open air. Older adults who had more access to outdoor spaces around their home, and those who could walk to greenspaces like parks, gardens or woods, were more likely to engage in the kinds of outdoor activities and safe social connections that experts urge everyone to engage in during the pandemic. But that access also varied by income, race or ethnicity, and health status. Read more about the study.
Behavioral health providers support virtual care post-pandemic, report finds
Federal and state policy changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic have enabled behavioral health providers in Michigan and across the country to rapidly expand their telehealth use to continue treating clients for mental health and substance abuse disorders from a safe social distance. A new U-M report examined 31 behavioral health providers’ perspectives and experiences using telehealth, including their views on care quality, access to care, and client satisfaction. The providers reported they felt better equipped to meet their clients’ diverse needs after receiving the flexibility to offer telebehavioral health services when appropriate. Thirty out of 31 reported that clients were satisfied with telebehavioral health services, and over half said that virtual care was of the same or better quality than in-person care. When considering the use of virtual care beyond the pandemic, all providers said they prefer to continue offering telebehavioral health. Read more about the report.
— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
