April 26-28 — The University of California, Davis, will host a workshop that explores lessons learned through university and community partnerships during the COVID-19 pandemic in hopes of lessening  devastating consequences locally, nationally and globally as well as aiding in prevention of future epidemics and pandemics. Plenary sessions featuring case studies will be available to the public by livestream.

The pandemic showed not only the power of universities to play vital roles in public health crises — for example the Healthy Davis Together program involving UC Davis, the city of Davis, and Yolo County Public Health — but also the opportunities to do more in future health crises. Representatives from universities, public health departments, the private sector and governments will share their experiences of successfully working together to tackle the pandemic and takeaways for COVID-19 and future public health crises. Plenary sessions will include case studies from around the country, as well as the presentation of the Roadmap for Academic Integration into Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention, and Response that the participants will develop throughout the workshop.

The meeting is organized by UC Davis Grand Challenges, Healthy Davis Together and the Bay Area Global Health Alliance.