UBCO experts discuss how society has coped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was March 17, 2020, just on the heels of the World Health Organization declaring the as-yet-un-named virus a pandemic, that BC declared a state of emergency.
Schools were closed, offices shuttered, stores locked and people were sent home to face isolation, uncertainty and a looming sense of fear and bewilderment. And now Zoom calls, masks, vaccines and mandates have become part of everyday life across the country.
How has society coped? What has been learned? Has anything changed?
Long before Dr. Bonnie Henry suggested people be kind to each other, Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, an Associate Professor with the Okanagan School of Education, was making the study of kindness part of his daily routine. Dr. Binfet is joined by seven other UBC Okanagan experts, who can field questions ranging from vaccine equity, online shopping trends, the importance of exercise and the impact of so much screen time on children.
Dr. Binfet, Director of the Centre For Mindful Engagement and Director of Building Academic Retention Through K-9s
Availability: Noon, Wednesday and all of Thursday, PST
johntyler.binfet@ubc.ca
Dr. Binfet’s areas of research include the conceptualizations of kindness in children and adolescents, measuring kindness in schools, canine-assisted interventions and assessment of therapy dogs. His new book written during the pandemic, Cultivating Kindness, will be available this summer.
Related to the pandemic, Dr. Binfet can discuss:
- University student wellbeing
- Being kind
- Why kindness matters
Kevin Chong, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Availability: Wednesday and Thursday, 9 to 11 am PST
kevin.chong@ubc.ca
Chong teaches creative writing, fiction, creative nonfiction, literary journalism, dramatic writing and different writing styles including short story, memoir, personal essay, and lyric essay. He is the author of six books, including The Plague, and wrote a book during the pandemic when the public reading of his play was cancelled due to COVID-19. Dr. Chong also established an online antiracist book club during the pandemic.
Related to the pandemic, Chong can discuss:
- Writer’s block
- Online book clubs
- Antiracist associations
Mahmudur Fatmi, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering
Availability: Wednesday, most hours and Thursday, 8:30 am to noon PST
mahmudur.fatmi@ubc.ca
Dr. Fatmi is a transportation modelling expert. He can talk about how people’s travel and online activities such as work-from-home and online shopping activities have changed during the pandemic, and the implications of these changes.
Related to the pandemic, Dr. Fatmi can discuss:
- Working from home
- Changes to transit during the pandemic
- Online shopping trends
Ross Hickey, Associate Professor, Faculty of Management and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Availability: Wednesday, 2 to 2:30 pm PST and Thursday, 2:30to 3:30 pm PST
ross.hickey@ubc.ca
Dr. Hickey is an economist who specializes in public finance, fiscal policy, government expenditure and taxation. Related to the pandemic, Dr. Hickey can speak about:
- Inflation
Susan Holtzman, Associate Professor, Psychology, Irving K Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Availability: Thursday, 9 am to noon PST
susan.holtzman@ubc.ca
Dr. Holtzman conducts research in health psychology with a special interest in stress and coping, close relationships, depression and social relationships in the digital age. Related to the pandemic, Holtzman can discuss:
- perceived increase in screen time for young children
- digital relationships
- breaking or keeping digital habits after two years of screen time
Jonathan Little, Associate Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
Availability: Wednesday and Thursday, 9 to 11 am PST
jonathan.little@ubc.ca
Dr. Little’s main research interest is on how to optimize exercise and nutritional strategies to prevent and treat health issues including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and chronic inflammatory conditions. He is also involved in interdisciplinary research within the Airborne Disease Transmission Research Cluster around mitigating risk of aerosol transmission in health-care settings.
Related to the pandemic, Dr. Little can discuss:
- Physical activity/exercise during COVID-19
- Impact of exercise and lifestyle on immune function
- Aerosols and COVID-19 transmission
Katrina Plamondon, Assistant Professor School of Nursing
Availability: Wednesday, various times in the afternoon PST, Thursday, 7 to 8 am, 11:30 am to noon, 2 to 3 pm PST
katrina.plamondon@ubc.ca
Dr. Plamondon’s research focuses on questions of how to advance equity action and vaccine equity. Related to the pandemic, Dr. Plamondon can discuss:
- Populism and social movements (e.g., convoy) and what this has to do with equity and rights
- Vaccine equity, particularly the relationship between global vaccine equity and how we can navigate the pandemic
- Equity considerations as we transition out of pandemic restrictions (e.g., lifting mask restrictions)
- Equity impacts and health systems considerations
Mary Ann Murphy, Associate Professor, School of Social Work and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Availability: Thursday, 10 am to 2 pm PST
mary-ann.murphy@ubc.ca
Dr. Murphy conducts research on families and relationships with a focus on aging, social welfare, intergenerational relationships and human rights.
Relating to the pandemic, Dr. Murphy can discuss:
- COVID’s impact on family cohesion and division
- Working from home
- Birthrates/family planning
