COVID-19 public health experts for health writers

• Local jurisdiction planning expert and immediate past president of American Public Health Association
• Nursing faculty member who specializes in population health – including vaccinations and infectious disease 
• Philosophy of science professor on the history of hand-washing

Local jurisdiction planning expert and immediate past president of American Public Health Association

Pamela Aaltonen professor emerita of nursing and immediate past president of the American Public Health Association.

Her main research specialized in the use of information technology in the public health system. She also researched point of distribution preparedness and public health agencies. She can talk about what public health agencies (city, county and state departments of health) can do to plan and prepare for coronavirus – including the importance of reviewing a jurisdiction’s pandemic influenza preparedness plan and using those segments that are applicable to the coronavirus.

Contact: Please contact Amy Patterson-Neubert or Matthew Oates to get contact information for Aaltonen.

Media contact: Amy Patterson-Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu (now through March 23) or Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu (after March 23)

Nursing faculty member who specializes in population health – including vaccinations and infectious disease 

Libby Richards, associate professor of nursing, teaches courses on population health. She has talked to numerous media outlets about the 2019-20 influenza season, as well as measles, whooping cough and other infectious diseases. She also has provided basic safety tips to media outlets regarding COVID-19. 

Recent interview here and a piece written by her for The Conversation, “Why the flu shot cannot give you the flu (and why you should get one now).”

A photograph of Richards and other artwork associated with her work for media to use are available via Google Drive.

Contact: 765-494-1392, earichar@purdue.edu (also available for Skype interviews)

Media contact: Amy Patterson-Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu (now through March 23) or Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu (after March 23)

Philosophy of science professor on the history of hand-washing

Dana Tulodziecki, associate professor of philosophy, focuses on the philosophy of science and how scientific thought radically changed in the 19th century regarding the spread of diseases. She can discuss how one Hungarian obstetrician, Ignaz Semmelweis, was credited with discovering hand-washing as a way to reduce the prevalence of a fatal infection called childbed fever.

A related news release: This 19th-century doctor discovered the importance of hand-washing – now it’s the first line of defense for flu and COVID-19

A photo of the professor is available to journalists via Google Drive.

Contact: 765-494-4292, tulodziecki@purdue.edu

Media contact: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.