We collaborate regularly with epidemiologists from the Minnesota Department of Health to implement public health guidelines for campuses. Q: How have you been involved in Augsburg’s outbreak planning and COVID-19 response?Ī: I serve on the pandemic task force, a university-wide team of people that assembled after it was apparent that COVID-19 would significantly affect institutions of higher education across the United States. As an educator with a PhD in epidemiology and experience in public health settings around the world, her expertise has proved invaluable for the university’s grasp of the evolving global crisis and Augsburg’s response to maintain the health and safety of community members.īetween fielding student questions about the coronavirus, volunteering at COVID-19 testing sites, and ensuring the Augsburg community can trace contacts and reduce transmission on campus, Quella shared some perspectives on her work and where we go from here. One of the task force’s principal leaders is Alicia Quella, associate professor and director of Augsburg’s physician assistant program. Not all educational institutions have an epidemiologist on staff, but Augsburg is fortunate.

Weeks before that inflection point, Augsburg University administrators, faculty, and staff convened a COVID-19 task force. The United States saw an increase in COVID-19 infections, and some states-including Minnesota-applied stay-at-home orders to mitigate the spread. Remember those days of uncertainty in March 2020, when we had more questions than answers, and before most of us used terms like “coronavirus” and “social distancing”? Associate Professor Alicia Quella (Photo by Courtney Perry)

The Color of a Leader by Alicia Perry