Posts Tagged

pandemic

I attended three notable events worth reporting on this past week. The first took place a week ago Saturday when UND hosted the annual Feast of Nations event at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Susan and I really enjoy this event, although this was the first time we were able to attend since the […]

On Wednesday we held our annual Holiday Party, and as with last year, it was a virtual event. But unlike last year the attendance was modest and down from last year. We suspect that this modest turnout was a reflection of our “pandemic/virtual meeting fatigue” and, interestingly enough, may have been a demonstration of one […]

This past Tuesday was notable in two regards. Most important of course is that it was the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The other event of note is that a federal court stopped (at least temporarily) the implementation of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination mandate for employees working on federal contracts. Since […]

Recently, I attended the virtual retirement ceremony for Dr. Rick Vari, held October 29, 2021, by the Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC) School of Medicine where Rick was the Senior Dean for Academic Affairs and a founding faculty member. Many of you will remember Rick when he was a faculty member here at the School before […]

This will be a shortened column because of the shorter week due to the Veterans Day holiday yesterday. I’ll begin with a tip of the hat to each of the countless military veterans who have dedicated at least a portion of their lives to the protection of the United States. Your sacrifices—large and small—on behalf […]

The next Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds event, “COVID-19 Updates,” will be broadcast via Zoom from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. This presentation features Avish Nagpal, M.D., clinical associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D. […]

As the pandemic continues, please consider the following reminder of the SMHS event procedure: All events (non-curricular activities), as defined by the University of North Dakota (UND), held on-campus as well as virtually require approval. This includes all group activities, public lectures, symposia, workshops, trainings, conferences, concerts, orientations, internships/co-ops and other campus activities. Curricular events […]

The rapidly evolving pandemic situation has been a major focus of attention as we gear up for the return of the majority of students – especially undergraduates – to the UND campus in a little over a week (of course, some SMHS students already are on campus and have been for a while). The challenge […]

I’m so tired of the pandemic and its impact on all of us! I’ll bet you feel the same way. And yet several events this week demonstrated that despite our collective pandemic fatigue, annoyance, and – yes – anger, the pandemic unfortunately isn’t done with us yet, due in large measure to the emergence and […]

This has been the first full week of study for the medical student class of 2025. Susan and I hosted a Welcome Reception for the class on Wednesday, but yet again this year it was virtual. Yesterday, the School hosted Family Day for the families of the students and I presented an overview of the […]

In view of the favorable trajectory of the pandemic in North Dakota over the past few months, UND has come out with new guidelines that will become effective on June 1, 2021. In multiple discussions with President Armacost and the leadership of UND, it became clear to us that special consideration should be given to […]

In view of the announcement by UND of new pandemic-related expectations that were effective on June 1, 2021, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) in turn has updated its own guidance on this matter, although there is no change in the expectations in those locations where direct patient care is provided (such […]

Today marks one year since the pandemic really started in earnest for Susan and me. On that Friday we retreated to our home and realized that our life – and that of our family, friends, neighbors, and literally billions of others – was about to change in profound ways. You know what I mean – […]

We’re just short of eight months into this pandemic and all of us have to be asking: Is this ever going to end? My last “normal” day was on Friday, March 13, of all days. Talk about bad luck! Since then, Susan and I haven’t been able to visit two of our grandkids or their […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strain on all of us, not only physically and socially, but financially, professionally, and personally. As such, several reports suggest that mental illness has been increasing rapidly over the past eight months. But guidance, support, and help are available. From noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, Dr. Andrew […]