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Date: 10/12/2021
SPRINGFIELD – Springfield College hosted a virtual conversation with infectious disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder on Sept 30.
Gounder’s medical insights have been ever-present through a variety of roles and responsibilities. According to her website, Gounder has offered expertise on epidemics as a medical journalist for platforms like CNN, CBS, NBC and The New York Times. Along with serving as the president and founder of her own non-profit multi-media organization, Just Human Productions, Gounder also works on the COVID-19 Advisory Board for President Joe Biden.
Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper started the conversation by inquiring about Gounder’s initial interest in discussing medicine on a worldwide scale. Gounder revealed that her early years learning medical science made her want to have an impact beyond standard academics. “[Working in media] wasn’t something that I was set out to do…but what frustrated me were some of the limits of academia in terms of the impact I was having,” said Gounder.
After completing her education, Gounder worked internationally until 2012. She said most of her time was spent in South Africa, combating the HIV and tuberculosis epidemics while briefing representatives in congress about ongoing developments. Soon after, Gounder explained that she transitioned to medical journalism full time. She gained exposure covering the Ebola epidemic, working to confront the misinformation spewing from early reporting.
“It was really the lack of science in the reporting and the lack of understanding of public health that really concerned me. In my opinion, [the reporting] helped promote conspiracy theory thinking,” said Gounder. She shared her focus on medical journalism was to shift policy making and public perception into more of a scientific, fact-based approach.
Gounder’s diverse knowledge has been put to the test throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with offering media coverage, Gounder shared she has been seeing patients throughout the pandemic in Bellevue Hospital Center. “We saw very immediately firsthand how scary this could be. Back in the spring of 2020 we didn't have enough mask and face shield and gloves,” said Gounder. Despite working short-staffed and without extensive medical supplies, she shared her experience working internationally prepared her to solve problems with creative solutions.
On the medical journalism front, Gounder shared her biggest challenge comes from communicating the science behind COVID-19. “A lot of my work over the course of the pandemic is communicating to the public about what is happening in the science,” said Gounder. She described the experience as equally rewarding and exhausting, sharing that the pandemic has utilized each tool in her versatile skillset.
Gounder then discussed her expectations regarding the pandemic’s future. While most search for black and white answers, she said it’s important to remain flexible as ongoing developments continue to emerge. “One of the hardest things in this past almost two years now is that we really do need to be more flexible, and that means you’re learning from the new science and adapting,” said Gounder. She explained that one possible change could be an improvement in masks, with the common cloth mask not being as effective as initially perceived. Grounder also revealed that masking could become a regular occurrence in some areas even when the pandemic’s impact has diminished.
Readers can learn more about Dr. Gounder’s work at https://www.celinegounder.com/.