School Notes: School of Public Health
March/April 2021

Donation creates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Fund at YSPH

Yale School of Public Health’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion received a substantial boost recently with a generous donation from Dr. Pilar Vargas and her husband, Dean Sten H. Vermund. The gift, which creates an endowed fund exclusively dedicated to school DEI efforts, is the latest of several contributions Vargas and Vermund have made to the school since Vermund became dean in 2017. The fund is named in honor of Vargas’s parents, who believed in the power and potential of education and the importance of equal opportunity for all individuals to increase their knowledge and improve their lives.

Yale researchers find coronavirus variant in Connecticut

Connecticut governor Ned Lamont announced recently that Yale researchers, in collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), detected the first two cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 in the state. This is the same variant initially discovered in the United Kingdom that is associated with increased transmission. The variant cases were rapidly identified through a strong collaborative network at Yale to increase surveillance for the B.1.1.7 variant. The nasal swabs were tested by the Yale Pathology Lab and sequenced by the Yale School of Public Health. 

YSPH scientist oversees new guidelines for emerging tick disease

Babesiosis is a rapidly emerging tick-borne disease that threatens unsuspecting victims with moderate-to-severe illness. How this infection will be diagnosed and treated by medical professionals in the years to come is outlined in a new babesiosis guideline issued recently by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This guideline is the go-to source for health workers and patients throughout the United States and beyond, who are seeking the latest medical information. YSPH senior research scientist Peter Krause chaired a committee of 14 medical and health professionals from around the country and three patient representatives and is lead author of the new guideline, last updated in 2006.