Heroes Wear Many Faces: Colleges and Universities Retooling to Fight COVID-19 (A Running List, Week Two)

As of 05/08/2020, there are 450 amazing schools included on this list…and counting!

Colleges and universities across the country are closing their doors to their own students amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. As traditional classes are canceled and postsecondary instruction moves online to mitigate the spread of the virus, some of these same institutions are welcoming COVID-19 patients and healthcare workers to campus. This is all part of a nationwide effort to battle this unique public health crisis.

**Editor’s note** This article will be updated frequently as we learn about more schools that have joined the fight against COVID-19. If your school is involved, let us know by contacting us here!

We have broken up this article into weekly section updates. The links to the older lists are here:

Other schools are doing their part by serving as testing sites, donating personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses, and conducting important medical research that could help put an end to the pandemic. In this article, we’ll highlight the efforts of the colleges and universities who have taken extraordinary measures in the fight against the coronavirus.

Boston, Massachusetts

Date added: 04/10/2020

Like many other universities across the nation, Boston University has found a use for their residence halls now that students have been sent home due to social distancing measures. The school will be providing 75 beds for employees of the local homeless shelter, Pine Street Inn.

BU is also working in partnership with MIT to develop a smartphone app to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The app is designed to notify users who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Date added: 04/10/2020

To do their part to alleviate the public health crisis, Bradley University has made a significant donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) to nearby OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. Supplies were gathered from the school’s various departments, including engineering, psychology, and chemistry. The total donation included over 2,500 masks as well as other supplies like gloves and gowns, for instance.  

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Date added: 04/10/2020

Researchers at Brandeis University are examining the novel coronavirus at the cellular level to determine how it penetrates membranes. Leading the research is the university’s assistant professor of biochemistry and virologist Tijana Ivanovic. Ivanovic is collaborating with Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories to conduct her studies. The goal is to better understand how COVID-19 affects the body and discover possible treatments.

Dr. Tijana Ivanovic and her team are studying how the novel coronavirus delivers genetic material (RNA) by penetrating a cell membrane.

Columbia University

New York, New York

Date added: 04/10/2020

columbia top colleges america

To help with the influx of coronavirus patients in the city, Columbia University has offered up its soccer stadium for use as a field hospital. Known as “the Bubble,” the stadium will hold nearly 300 patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19.

The school is also allowing medical students from its Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons to graduate early so that they can contribute directly to the fight against COVID-19.

Researchers at the university’s Mailman School of Public Health have also been studying the potential for Covid-19 to re-infect an individual after he or she has recovered. The results of the study could have serious implications for not only individual behavior, but public policy as well.

Florida Polytechnic University

Lakeland, Florida

Date added: 04/10/2020

Florida Polytechnic University has commandeered the school’s 3-D lab for the purpose of making critically-needed personal protective equipment for healthcare workers amid the pandemic. The lab’s supply of 30 3-D printers are cranking out headbands and stabilizers for medical face shields. Currently, the production is capped at about 80 components daily.

Mercer University

Macon, Georgia

Date added: 04/10/2020

mercer-university

Mercer University’s School of Medicine has formed a COVID-19 Response Team in order to help members of the community during the pandemic. Students are offering a variety of services to the public such as grocery delivery, childcare, and more. Community members are also invited to join the volunteer effort.

Mercer’s School of Medicine students are also organizing supply drives for personal protective equipment (PPE) in short supply amid the pandemic. Working with Medical College of Georgia volunteers, the students have also created and delivered care packages to area healthcare workers on the front lines.

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

Date added: 04/10/2020

Doing what they can to aid in the COVID- relief effort, administrators at Northeastern University have approved the use of its student dormitories for self-isolation spaces. Approximately 135 beds will be reserved for first responders. Meals and laundry services will also be provided.

Researchers from the university have also created a model illustrating the spread of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. Using data collected from travel patterns, this model has already shed new light on the timeline of the virus’s infiltration into the country.

Northern State University

Aberdeen, South Dakota

Date added: 04/10/2020

northern-state-university

With students moved off campus due to social distancing measures, Northern State University has found a way to put its empty dorms to good use. Approximately 150 suites from three different residence halls are being made available to Brown County’s first responders and healthcare workers who need to protect their families from possible exposure to COVID-19.

First responders and health care employees who work around COVID-19 and need to isolate from family now have a housing option available at Northern State University.

Shelton State Community College

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Date added: 04/10/2020

Stepping up to join numerous other community colleges around the nation, Shelton State is rallying together its resources to provide healthcare workers throughout West Alabama with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to safely care for coronavirus patients. The donations so far include N95 masks, face shields, gowns, and gloves, for instance.

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

Date added: 04/10/2020

Graduate microbiology students at Southern Illinois University- Carbondale are hard at work producing a solution used in the testing of COVID-19. Their work is filling a state-wide shortage of testing supplies. Impressively, the students (who are still enrolled in classes) are producing 10,000 vials of the solution weekly.   

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Date added: 04/10/2020

Stanford University Medicine has partnered with Apple to develop an application for first-responders throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo, California. The app evaluates these first responders’ self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and connects them with testing sites where they will receive priority triage. The university has plans to scale the project throughout California and expand it to other states as well. They also hope to make the app and its services available to other essential workers such as grocery store clerks and government employees, for example.

Engineers at Stanford have also developed a prototype for a new type of protective face mask for healthcare workers and first responders. The new design features an oxygen enrichment component which will allow individuals wearing the mask to breathe easier while simultaneously preventing exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Like many other colleges and universities across the country, Stanford is also transforming its student dormitories into apartments for healthcare workers and first responders who need a place to stay during the pandemic.

Stanford is also partnering with the University of California- San Francisco to study the spread of the coronavirus in the Bay Area. Funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the research will be two-pronged and will include participants from the healthcare community as well as the public at large. Results of the study could add to the existing body of knowledge about Covid-19’s spread and factors related to antibodies and immunity.

Texas A&M University-Central Texas

Killeen, Texas

Date added: 04/10/2020

Texas A&M University-Central Texas has donated over a hundred coronavirus testing kits developed through the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory to local hospitals and medical facilities. The kits were made from supplies usually used in the treatment of animals, but are completely safe for humans. Hundreds of other kits are ready to be distributed to hospitals and clinics in need.

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Date added: 04/10/2020

University at Buffalo

Biostatistics experts at the University at Buffalo are analyzing data to help public officials determine how to best respond to the spread of the coronavirus. As part of a task force established by local health commissioners and county executives, researchers from UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and the Public Health School are working to provide insight into when and where the pandemic will peak. The results of their research can help inform decisions about where to send supplies, when to open businesses, and possibly even how to treat COVID-19 patients.  

The school is also working to help improve COVID-19 detection and treatment. In partnership with Roswell Park, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Catholic Health System, the school will study the cells that create antibodies for the novel coronavirus in an effort to discover which patients will become seriously ill after contracting COVID-19. Researchers say the results could help not only individuals but the public at large as policymakers and public health officials make impactful decisions about healthcare resources and the economy.

On another front, UB is also helping local families find food resources amid the public health crisis. Researchers at the university have developed a map of local businesses and organizations offering free food to residents of the area. This includes food banks, community centers, and schools offering free meals and nonperishables.

In addition, the University at Buffalo has also developed a new smartphone app that can help to track and mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Called PocketCare+, the app has the capability to follow patients with positive diagnoses of the novel coronavirus and notify people whom they have come in contact with.

University of Illinois-Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Date added: 04/10/2020

Understanding the critical need for healthcare providers during this unprecedented public health crisis, the University of Illinois- Chicago is allowing almost 200 of its medical students to graduate early to join the front lines of the battle against the novel coronavirus. A virtual graduation ceremony will be held for the students in May.

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky

Date added: 04/10/2020

In a resourceful move, the University of Louisville is using a giant network of computers across the state of Kentucky to screen for potential COVID-19 drug therapies. The computers being employed are located in 48 different Kentucky school districts. U of L has plans to screen more than 10,000 different drugs, a process that could take up to a year.

The school has also developed a method for sterilizing N95 respirators. The technique will help reduce the current shortage of critical PPE by making the masks reusable. U of L has plans to sterilize approximately 7,000 of the masks per day for nearby medical centers.

On a different front, the school’s College of Business is lending a hand to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the area to help them weather the economic storm caused by the pandemic. Through the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship, the college is offering individualized business advice through a hotline service. Calls will be answered by the center’s director Suzanne Bergmeister.

University researchers have also been looking into a drug therapy that could block the novel coronavirus from infecting human cells. U of L is seeking FDA-approval for the therapy, which uses a synthetic DNA component called an aptamer to prevent COVID-19 from replicating. Research into other possible treatments for the virus is also ongoing at the university.

University of Louisville researchers are also helping combat Covid-19 using artificial intelligence. Scientists from the school’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering have developed an Adaptive Robot Nursing Assistant (ARNA) designed to help clean possibly contaminated areas in clinical settings. The robot is not intended to replace hospital custodial staff.

The university is also probing another drug’s potential to treat the novel coronavirus. Q-griffithsin was initially investigated as a potential HIV treatment but has shown potential for treatment of other types of coronaviruses. If approved for Covid-19, the drug will be available in the form of a nasal spray.

University of Lynchburg

Lynchburg, Virginia

Date added: 04/10/2020

Following the lead from numerous other medical schools across the nation, the University of Lynchburg has approved the early graduation of its medical students amid the current public health crisis. A virtual graduation was held for students who completed the school’s Doctor of Medicine program. The students also received video messages from the university’s president as well as the dean of the School of PA Medicine.

University of Nevada-Reno

Reno, Nevada

Date added: 04/10/2020

Student volunteers from the University of Nevada-Reno’s School of Medicine are participating in a variety of different efforts to contribute to the COVID-19 fight. Roughly 70 medical students are performing critical services such as conducting health screenings, fielding hotline calls, and staffing drive-thru testing centers. Others are offering assistance to healthcare workers on the front lines such as childcare, grocery shopping, pet care, and more.

Fighting the pandemic with information, the University of Nevada-Reno has also launched a weekly Q&A program for local farmers struggling amid the Covid-19 crisis. The series has been named “Agriculture: Living Beyond a Pandemic.”

The university’s Nevada Genomic Center is also studying the DNA of the novel coronavirus. Through DNA sequencing, researchers are working towards identifying the different strains of Covid-19 that have permeated the state. Results will be added to an international database.

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York

Date added: 04/10/2020

Like many other universities nationwide, the University of Rochester has decided to allow its medical students to graduate early to join the fight against COVID-19. Nearly 100 new doctors will be available to help licensed doctors in the treatment of coronavirus patients. The graduation of the 2020 class comes six weeks earlier than planned. A virtual graduation will be held in lieu of a traditional ceremony.

The University’s Medical Center is also studying coronavirus immunity. Researchers will recruit volunteers for the study, which will seek to determine whether recovered COVID-19 patients develop an immunity to the virus and for how long.

Fort Lewis College

Durango, Colorado

Date added: 04/09/2020

Efforts on behalf of Fort Lewis College to donate much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals were spurred by the co-chair of the biology department, Steve Fenster, whose wife works at nearby Mercy Regional Medical Center. Hearing firsthand reports of a critical PPE shortage, Fenster turned to his school for help. The result? Thousands of donations, including gloves, masks, gowns, and aprons.

Greenville Technical College

Greenville, South Carolina

Date added: 04/09/2020

Joining a growing trend amongst schools and universities nationwide, Greenville Technical College is donating crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices to local hospitals. In addition to five ventilators, the school has also contributed thousands of masks and gloves as well as hundreds of gowns to nearby Prisma Health.

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College

El Cajon, California

Date added: 04/09/2020

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College’s response to the pandemic has been two-fold. Like many other schools with respiratory care programs, the college has donated the use of its ventilators to nearby hospitals who need them to treat patients who are gravely ill with COVID-19. In addition, a chemistry professor at the school helped evacuate sick passengers from a cruise ship last month. Jeff Lehman volunteers for the National Disaster Medical System when he’s not teaching community college classes.

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, Indiana

Date added: 04/09/2020

ivy-tech-community-college

Ivy Tech Community College is committed to providing ongoing support to its community through the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has already donated much-needed PPE to local hospitals. Plus, its Advanced Robotics and Automation program is 3-D printing face shields for healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus. In addition, many of the school’s campuses and facilities are being used as field hospitals and alternative care sites.

“Ivy Tech Community College has always been focused on making our communities stronger – and that has never been more important than it is right now. Accordingly, we are dedicated to mitigate the damaging effects of COVID-19 and provide relief for those on the frontlines – healthcare providers, first responders, essential workers, and all those who are courageously battling to keep us safe.” 

Sue Ellspermann, Ph.D., President, Ivy Tech Community College,

Lawrence University

Appleton, Wisconsin

Date added: 04/09/2020

Lawrence University has joined the growing number of colleges and universities across the country donating personal protective equipment to nearby healthcare providers. The university’s contribution to the local COVID-19 relief effort includes 25 boxes of PPE, including gowns, labs, coats, and gloves. Most of these lab supplies were taken from the school’s biology and chemistry departments.

The university has also contributed the use of one of its residence halls to the COVID-19 relief effort. Trevor Hall will be used by the City of Appleton to house personnel amid the public health crisis. Rooms will be available for the next several months.

Manhattanville College

Purchase, New York

Date added: 04/09/2020

An assistant professor of communications and media at Manhattanville College has a personal inspiration for his contribution to the COVID-19 cause. Justin Capalbo’s mother is a nurse working on the front lines of the pandemic on Long Island. In response to the shortage of personal protective equipment—or PPE—needed to protect healthcare workers like his mom, Capalbo turned to Manhattanville College’s new “Fab Lab” where he was able to use 3-D printers to produce medical face shields. The effort is an extension of the college’s larger efforts to contribute PPE and other medical equipment to those who need it the most.

Miami Dade College

Miami, Florida

Date added: 04/09/2020

Miami Dade’s recent contribution to the coronavirus relief effort may save lives. The school’s medical campus provided 17 ventilators to nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital for the treatment of critical coronavirus patients. The machines were previously used for teaching purposes in MDC’s healthcare programs.  

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, California

Date added: 04/09/2020

Responding to the nationwide call for unused medical equipment, Modesto Junior College has donated the use of six ventilators to the Covid-19 response. These in-demand machines were picked up by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services but could end up in the Strategic National Stockpile to be used in states most affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Napa Valley College

Napa, California

Date added: 04/09/2020

Napa Valley College has turned over the use of its eight ventilators to help diminish the shortage of medical equipment amid the pandemic. The equipment was retrieved from the school by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services but may be sent to New York to add to the Strategic National Stockpile to help those hospitals who need these ventilators desperately. Napa Valley College offers an associate’s degree program in respiratory care.

Purdue University-Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Date added: 04/09/2020

To help in the COVID-19 response, Purdue University Northwest is using 3-D printers from its College of Technology to produce parts for medical face shields used by healthcare workers. The networked system of printers is being monitored by PNW students from their homes. InHealth, a local ambulance service, will be the beneficiary of the production.

Rose State College

Midwest City, Oklahoma

Date added: 04/09/2020

Rose State College is now among the many colleges and universities across the U.S. who are donating their supply of ventilators to hospitals. The school was contacted by AllianceHealth Durant who at the time had only five ventilators available for patients. Rose State responded by loaning out three ventilators to help with the shortage. Other items donated include surgical masks, respirator masks, and gloves.

The school is also using 3-D printers from its STEM lab to produce medical face shields and components for healthcare workers at nearby Alliance Health Midwest Hospital.

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Date added: 04/09/2020

Sonoma State University is pitching in to help its community prepare for the impact of the pandemic. The school has offered up the use of its residence halls and recreation center to house individuals affected by COVID-19. The donated space will provide nearly 600 extra hospital beds for those with mild symptoms or patients awaiting test results.

SSU is providing much needed support to the healthcare workers by taking in the overflow of patients from over-crowded hospitals.

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

Date added: 04/09/2020

The National Science Foundation has awarded researchers at the University of Central Florida a grant to study an anti-viral coating that could be used on personal protective equipment (PPE) in the future. The coating, made of nanostructures, will be tested at a lab certified to work with actual samples of the coronavirus.

The University of Central Florida is helping its community diagnose COVID-19 patients by hosting a drive-thru testing service on the campus of the university. UCF is partnering with local Aventus Biolabs to gather and process up to 250 coronavirus tests per day.

University of Mary

Bismarck, North Dakota

Date added: 04/09/2020

The University of Mary has given over the use of its Fieldhouse to the COVID-19 relief effort. The indoor gymnasium, typically used for intramural sports, is being converted into a field hospital as part of North Dakota’s preparation efforts amid the spreading pandemic. The state’s governor says he hopes the facility will not have to be used, but it has already been stocked with cots and supplies just in case.

University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, Texas

Date added: 04/09/2020

Students at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease are helping track the spread of the novel coronavirus. Over a dozen graduate students are contributing to the effort, which involves testing genetic samples for COVID-19. Over 500 samples have already been tested, around 20 of which came back positive.

Tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus is an important tool in the arsenal of those fighting the COVID-19 outbreak.

Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, North Carolina

Date added: 04/09/2020

Western Carolina University’s College of Engineering and Technology is discovering new uses for its supply of 3-D printers amid the pandemic. Professors and students are using the printers from the school’s Rapid Center to produce visors for face shields worn by health care workers as part of their personal protective equipment. The school has other plans for the printers as well; WCU has been contacted by nearby emergency services personnel with a request for custom connectors for emergency gear.

Western University of Health Sciences

Pomona, California

Date added: 04/09/2020

Western University of Health Sciences has joined numerous other schools who are 3-D printing medical masks for healthcare professionals, thanks to associate professor of optometry D. Joshua Cameron. Cameron began by using a prototype published on the website Make the Masks as well as his home printer. With help from friends and colleagues, he is now producing about a hundred masks per week.

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Instructors from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Arts & Letters have accepted the challenge of creating personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers to use while caring for their patients. So far, 250 masks have been donated on behalf of the university, and there are plans to donate 3-D-printed visors for face shields as well.

Florida International University

Miami, Florida

Date Added: 04/08/2020

florida-international-university

Florida International University is helping its state diagnose patients with the coronavirus. The school will be opening a drive-thru testing site at the Miami-Dade Youth Fairgrounds. The triage of patients will be performed by FIU researchers, faculty, and medical students.

The school also loaned nearly 30 ventilators to Florida’s emergency coordinators to be used in areas where there is a shortage of these life-saving machines.

FIU has also raised $1 million to help support local restaurants. The funds will go directly to restaurants and their employees in order to help them weather the economic impact of the COVID-19 health crisis. Part of the proceeds came from a food and wine festival that would normally benefit the university’s operations and scholarship funds.

The university has also developed an online information dashboard that illustrates the prevalence of Covid-19 in its local area. The dashboard provides visual data depicting cases of the coronavirus by location, gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Public health officials and local policymakers will use the tool to determine where resources are most needed to keep the coronavirus at bay.

High Point University

High Point, North Carolina

Date Added: 04/08/2020

High Point University is providing virtual educational experiences for children during this public health crisis. Through the school’s Mobile Lab, students and faculty members will be providing online resources as well as live sessions with children. Standout events include a science-inspired artwork showcase, a Cell Art Collaborative, and the Meet-A- Scientist event.

HPU is also making food donations to the city of High Point’s Housing Authority. So far, the school has donated approximately 350 meals to feed the community’s elderly and disabled residents amid the pandemic.

Housatonic Community College

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Housatonic Community College has joined the long list of schools across the country employing their 3-D printers for the benefit of healthcare providers. In the midst of the public health crisis, the school is using its inventory of nine 3-D printers to help alleviate the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in local hospitals and other medical facilities. So far, the school has produced 150 of the frames that hold face shields in place.

Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Boston, Massachusetts

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Doing its part to support healthcare workers in the battle against COVID-19, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is donating housing and parking to employees of nearby hospitals. The facilities will mainly be used for doctors and nurses who need to rest between shifts. The total donation from the school will include 150 housing units and nearly as many parking spaces.

Mercer County Community College

West Windsor, New Jersey

Date Added: 04/08/2020

The Fashion Merchandising and Design program at Mercer County Community College is hosting a virtual Sew-a-Thon as part of its efforts to help eliminate the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the midst of the public health crisis. Meetings will be held on Zoom and are open to the general public. The goal is to sew as many medical masks as possible for healthcare providers and community members.

Across campus at the school’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab, MCCC is producing hundreds of medical face shields to provide protection to healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Using 3-D printers, professors at the school are producing 75 of these shields per day for local healthcare providers.

The ‘Sew-a-Thon’ will be held every Saturday of April with its kickoff on April 11. The virtual meet-ups will be from noon to 3 p.m.and held via zoom. Anyone interested in joining can sign up online or contact the coordinatr of the MCCC Fashion Merchandising and Design Program Katina Lindsay. 

The Times of Trenton, Richard Greco, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 2020

MiraCosta College

Oceanside, California

Date Added: 04/08/2020

MiraCosta College has plans to contribute a large supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to its local hospitals and healthcare facilities. Using resources from its Technology Career Institute (TCI), the school is producing face shields, face masks, and decontamination boxes. The masks and shields have already been allocated to Rady Children’s Hospital.

Mount Saint Mary College

Newburgh, New York

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Nursing students from Mount Saint Mary College are foregoing typical senior-year traditions and experiences to join professionals on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19. Several students are stepping up to provide support services at hospitals throughout the Hudson Valley, including Northern Dutchess Hospital and Northern Westchester Hospital, for example.

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Oakland University has opened its empty student dorms for doctors and other healthcare providers who need a place to stay during the pandemic. Custodians at the school have been hard at work cleaning and preparing the rooms, and volunteers are even making care packages and welcome signs to greet the new residents as they arrive. Both Beaumont and Ascension hospitals will be offering the rooms to its employees.

On the research front, the school is conducting an online study designed to track COVID-19 symptoms. Once completed, the study will help improve diagnostic procedures for the novel coronavirus. The university is currently accepting participants.

Students from the William Beaumont School of Medicine will also be assisting with an antibody study using serological blood testing. As the university conducts the large-scale study, students will help with the processing of samples and data entry. They may also assist with data analysis after the trial is complete.

Raritan Valley Community College

Branchburg, New Jersey

Date Added: 04/08/2020

In response to a request from Rutgers University, Raritan Valley Community College has stepped up to help produce PPE for healthcare workers in the region. The school is currently making 30 face shields per day, but it has plans to double production. The shields will be donated to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

“RVCC was asked to join the effort in producing the PPE by the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Affairs of Rutgers University. The PPE is being distributed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick and Somerset”

My Central Jersey, April 8, 2020

Saint Edwards University

Austin, Texas

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Saint Edwards University has donated a large supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to its region’s first responders who are currently dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The school’s contribution included 120,000 pairs of gloves as well as over a thousand masks and hundreds of surgical gowns. The equipment was donated to community agencies on behalf of the university’s School of Natural Sciences.

St. Petersburg College

Clearwater, Florida

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Hospitals and medical clinics in the Tampa Bay area are well-stocked with personal protective equipment (PPE), thanks to St. Petersburg College. The school emptied its Health Education Center of unused masks, gloves, and other equipment to give to nearby healthcare professionals. The university also loaned out its ventilators and are 3-D printing face shields.

Tarrant County College

Fort Worth, Texas

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Tarrant County College has changed graduation requirements for its nursing students who are in the final year of their programs. Usually, the students are required to participate in hands-on clinicals at a local hospital, but this year, prospective graduates will be able to complete these clinicals virtually. The change came in response to social distancing guidelines as well as the current shortage of healthcare professionals. More than 100 students are set to graduate from the school’s nursing program this May.

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date Added: 04/08/2020

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University think they’ve found a viable COVID-19 vaccine that could bypass lengthy testing requirements. CORAVAX combines the coronavirus itself with an already available vaccine and could possibly be brought to market much quicker than other vaccine candidates. The university is looking to partner with a vaccine manufacturer and begin animal tests soon.

Medical students at the university have also coordinated a volunteer network to match donations of critical supplies and PPE to healthcare workers in the region. So far, the initiative has garnered the support of over 200 volunteers who have been able to distribute a massive amount of medical supplies to nearby healthcare facilities, including over 6,000 surgical masks, 824 respirators, and 750 face shields.

Graduate students and teachers at the university have also been hard at work creating a solution vital to coronavirus testing efforts. This viral transport media helps preserve patient samples while they are transported to the laboratory for testing. The team has already filled more than 6,000 test tubes with the much-needed VTM.

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Date Added: 04/08/2020

university-of-vermont

The University of Vermont has handed over the use of its Patrick Gymnasium to be used as a field hospital. The facility has already been prepped to house fifty patients, but that number could double. The site will be used in the case of hospital overflow.

UVM has also made the decision to allow its nursing students to graduate early so that they can join the front lines of the COVID-19 battle. Nearly 100 students will receive their credentials on May 1st. They will also receive temporary licenses from the Vermont State Board of Nursing so that they can begin providing much-needed healthcare services right away.

In a gesture of gratitude, the University of Vermont has also illuminated its Student Center in blue lights to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic. At 8 pm each night, the lights are turned on as a way of expressing thanks.

Appalachian College of Pharmacy

Oakwood, Virginia

Date added: 04/07/2020

Faculty members at the Appalachian College of Pharmacy have spearheaded an effort to reduce the shortage of hand sanitizer in its local communities. Using their compounding lab, professors are making the sanitizer for local grocery stores, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, for example. The school is also looking for ways to scale the project through partnerships with local businesses.

The production of personal protective equipment like hand sanitizer is essential in combatting the spread of the coronavirus and the Appalachian College of Pharmacy is taking a lead role in protecting its local communities.

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas

Date added: 04/07/2020

Helping on the research front, Baylor College of Medicine is conducting clinical trials for COVID-19 treatments. The first study will examine the effects of the antiviral drug Remdesivir. Participants in the study will be patients hospitalized for the novel coronavirus at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center or Ben Taub Hospital.

More recently, the school has also begun testing the drug Tocilizumab on coronavirus-induced pneumonia. Baylor will be one of 50 sites across the globe probing the prospective Covid-19 treatment.

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Date added: 04/07/2020

Medical students from Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine are doing what they can to help in the fight against COVID-19 by collecting personal protection equipment (PPE). Students are asking the community for help as they gather unused N95 masks, surgical masks and gowns, sanitizers, and even plastic rain ponchos to distribute to local healthcare workers.

Cazenovia College

Cazenovia, New York

Date added: 04/07/2020

Cazenovia College students and faculty have rallied together their resources to contribute amidst the pandemic. For example, the school’s dining services have donated food to school districts and low-income families. The school’s health center and campus services have also donated personal protection equipment (PPE) to the Madison County Emergency Management Team as well as the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corporation. Students enrolled in the college’s fashion design program are also making cloth masks for community members.

Chattahoochee Technical College

Marietta, Georgia

Date added: 04/07/2020

Chattahoochee Technical College is contributing to the battle against the novel coronavirus by providing hospital beds to nearby Piedmont Mountainside Hospital. The beds are normally used in the school’s myriad healthcare training programs but are now being reserved for coronavirus patients. A local towing service stepped up to transport the beds free of charge.

Elizabethtown Community & Technical College

Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Date added: 04/07/2020

A CADD instructor at Elizabethtown Community & Technical College has taken the initiative to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic one face shield at a time. In addition to teaching eight online classes, Brent Doty has already printed 50 face shields for local healthcare workers.

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, California

Date added: 04/07/2020

Loma Linda University has developed an out-of-the-box approach to helping fight the pandemic. Medical students at the university have created a program called LLU Aid, which pairs student volunteers with healthcare professionals who need a little extra help during this challenging time. Students will offer personal assistance to these front-line workers, which could include grocery shopping, dog-walking, or other errands.

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Date added: 04/07/2020

oregon-state-university

Oregon State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has contributed a much-needed liquid in the effort to diagnose COVID-19 cases. The college’s lab techs developed a “viral transport medium” used to preserve test samples while they are in transit to the official testing lab. OSU donated three liters of the medical-grade solution, enough to move 1,000 tests.

The university is also conducting a community-wide, door-to-door COVID-19 testing initiative in order to better understand the prevalence of the virus in Corvallis. Called TRACE-COVID-19, the effort is a multidisciplinary collaborative that will consist of gathering nearly 1,000 test samples from randomly selected residents of nearby neighborhoods.

An OSU researcher has also published the findings of a study that suggests dietary supplements could help fight off COVID-19. Adrian Gombart, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, says his study revealed that vitamins C and D as well as zinc and docosahexaenoic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) can help one’s immune system handle the virus. Researchers say nutrition should be used in addition to other preventative measures such as handwashing and social distancing.

Penn State College of Medicine

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Date added: 04/07/2020

Medical students at Penn State College of Medicine have found an innovative way to reach out to hospitalized kids during this public health crisis. Members of the student organization BraveCubs are using videoconferencing technology to read stories to sick children. These same students usually visit kids in local hospitals but are taking precautions to stop the spread of the virus.

Story Time with BraveCubs

During this time of social distancing and uncertainty we are pushed to develop creative new ways to spread magic and joy. Join BraveCubs for a live story time with one of our characters on Wednesday at 4 pm! We plan to launch individual e-visits for inpatient and community friends in the near future! Let us know when you would want more individualized visits by filling out this non-binding interest form: https://forms.gle/dD8q4mR6T3TWY33S9 and join us on Wednesday for story time!

Posted by BraveCubs on Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Quinsigamond Community College

Worcester, Massachusetts

Date added: 04/07/2020

Quinsigamond Community College is pulling out all the stops to help in the COVID-19 relief. Not only is the school making huge donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), but it’s also using its 3-D printers to produce innovative respirator masks for local healthcare workers. These new masks were designed by an associate manufacturing technology professor and purportedly work better than N95 masks.

Regis College

Weston, Massachusetts

Date added: 04/07/2020

Approximately 40 students at Regis College are volunteering at a virtual call center to track down members of the community who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus. It’s all part of a new initiative called the Community Tracing Collaborative. Operating under the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, the program has been put in place to slow the spread of the virus. It’s currently the only initiative of its kind in the U.S.

“Massachusetts will be the only state in the country putting together this kind of programming,” [Governor Charlie] Baker said. “There’s no nationwide tracking that’s currently being done and we anticipate that we need to get out ahead of this.”

WCBV 5 News, April 3, 2020

San Antonio College

San Antonio, Texas

Date added: 04/07/2020

Fighting COVID-19 on the creative front, San Antonio College is using its 3-D printers to develop prototypes for a new kind of headband for face shields used by healthcare workers. The headbands are injection-molded and based on another prototype developed by Prusa 3-D, a private company out of Czechoslovakia.

Southern Maine Community College

South Portland, Maine

Date added: 04/07/2020

Respiratory therapy students at Southern Maine Community College are joining the front lines of the COVID-19 battle alongside veteran RTs at Maine Medical Center. Students participating in the program won’t work directly with patients; instead, they’ll support respiratory therapists by delivering medications and breathing treatments.

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Date added: 04/07/2020

The University of California is opening its coffers to help in the global fight against COVID-19. The school recently announced that it will award $2 million in research funding to scientists across the state. The college urges applicants to submit proposals immediately as the need for insight into the virus is urgent.

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, California

Date added: 04/07/2020

university-of-california-irvine

Medical students at the University of California-Irvine are doing their part to contribute to the front-line battle against COVID-19 by providing desperately needed medical devices and protective equipment. These first-year med students are leading a campus-wide initiative to produce thousands of acrylic face shields and face masks for local healthcare professionals.

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa

Date added: 04/07/2020

The University of Iowa has been approved as a testing site for clinical trials of the drug Remdesivir and its effects on COVID-19. One of only 70 sites across the globe to test the anti-viral drug, the university will test the treatment on patients hospitalized with the novel coronavirus who also have evidence of a lung infection.

Students at the university are also coordinating efforts to provide local hospitals with the necessary medical supplies to fight COVID-19. They’ve set up donation centers to collect much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Donors do not leave their cars during the donation process, and all items are sanitized immediately.

In addition, a researcher at the school’s Carver College of Medicine may have found a vaccine for COVID-19. Testing of the potential immunization will begin in the Fall.

University researchers are also partnering with scientists from UCLA to study the risk of coronavirus spread in emergency rooms across the nation. The research has been funded by the CDC and is being conducted primarily through the Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Results of the study will inform guidelines for how emergency rooms respond to future outbreaks.

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Date Added: 04/07/2020

The University of Pennsylvania is preparing to test the much-talked-about hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its ability to treat COVID-19 patients. Usually used to treat both malaria and arthritis, there has been some anecdotal evidence that the drug may also have healing effects on coronavirus patients. This study will attempt to confirm these claims. The initial study will enroll 400 patients.

The university is also producing critical PPE for healthcare providers through an initiative called Project SHIELDS. Currently, the team is producing 400 face shields daily using 10 3-D printers. Their goal is to make over 100,000 of these reusable plastic shields to distribute to healthcare workers across the state of Pennsylvania and the country.

In addition, researchers from Penn Medicine are studying the effects of convalescent plasma on the treatment of the novel coronavirus. The study will probe how COVID-19 patients fare after receiving a transfusion of blood plasma from a donor who has recovered from the illness.

University researchers are also training dogs to detect the coronavirus in individuals by using their powerful sense of smell. Eight Labrador retrievers are being trained at UPenn to identify the odor of the virus in humans.

Across campus, the university’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies is launching a free online course to teach the general public how to cope with the pandemic. Entitled “Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty, the educational resource aims to help individuals maintain a positive outlook, decrease symptoms of anxiety, and build their relationships, all while social distancing.

Bates College

Lewiston, Maine

Date added: 04/06/2020

Using its resources to aid in the coronavirus battle, Bates College is collaborating with three other colleges throughout the state to 3D-print personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, specifically visors for face shields. The school has also donated a large supply of hand sanitizer, nitrile gloves, and surgical masks to Central Maine Medical Center.

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine

Date added: 04/06/2020

Bowdoin College is making good use of its 3-D printers to manufacture visors for face-shields to donate to nearby hospitals. So far, the school has donated over a dozen of these visors to LincolnHealth. Currently, approximately eight visors are being produced per day, but there are plans in place to scale the production.

Catholic University of America

Washington, D.C.

Date added: 04/06/2020

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A scientist at the Catholic University of America is donating vaccine patents royalty-free to aid in mitigating the worldwide pandemic. Biology professor Dr. Venigalla Rao is partnering with the university to make his research available to other scientists in order to help develop a viable coronavirus vaccine. Rao is also the director of the school’s Center for Advanced Training in Cell and Molecular Biology.

“On March 23, Catholic University announced it would be offering royalty-free licenses on patents for Rao’s work on the bacteriophage T4 virus platform and vaccine delivery systems. Eligible recipients can either make use of Rao’s vaccine candidates or use their own technology in combination with his platform.”

-Catholic News Agency, April 2, 2020

Gwinnet Technical College

Lawrenceville, Georgia

Date added: 04/06/2020

Like many other colleges and universities across the United States, Gwinnet Technical College is providing donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) to help in the pandemic response. Notably, the school’s donation included the ventilators used in its Respiratory Care program. The generous contribution was made to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Jackson College

Jackson, Michigan

Date added: 04/06/2020

Like several other institutions of higher education across the nation, Jackson College is volunteering the use of its facilities to serve as a field hospital if necessary. Preparations are underway to ready the school’s field house should nearby Henry Ford Allegiance Health become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

La Salle University

Philadelphia University

Date added: 04/06/2020

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Doing its part to assist during the public health crisis, La Salle University is partnering with an alumnus to manufacture face shields for nearby medical facilities. A materials engineer at Johnson & Johnson, Lualhati has already printed 200 face shields from his personal residence using printers on loan from the university.

The school has also joined numerous other universities across the nation that have provided temporary housing to healthcare professionals during the public health crisis. St. Basil Court Residence Hall on the campus of La Salle University will host medical personnel from nearby Einstein Healthcare while they work on the front lines.

Lackawanna College

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Date added: 04/06/2020

Lackawanna College is fighting the battle against COVID-19 on the economic front. Teaming up with the local United Way, the school is setting up a relief fund for families in the area who are struggling financially due to the pandemic. Funds will be available to help with rent, groceries, utilities, and more.

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

Date added: 04/06/2020

Mt. San Antonio College has donated five ventilators from its respiratory care program to help in its state’s battle against COVID-19. The devices will first be inspected at a biomedical facility before being dispersed to hospitals throughout California. The school has also donated several laryngoscopes to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

Murray State University

Murray, Kentucky

Date added: 04/06/2020

Engineering students at Murray State University are helping battle the novel coronavirus by producing face shields for healthcare workers. Using 3-D printers at the school’s Institute of Engineering, the students are using materials donated by the community to manufacture the shields for donation. They’ve already produced 200 and plan to make more as necessary.

Ohio University

Athens, Ohio

Date added: 04/06/2020

ohio-university

Third-year students in Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine will be working on the front lines of the state’s fight against Covid-19. Starting in mid-April, approximately 250 medical students will begin working in local health clinics, supporting medical staff and helping mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. School officials say the experience will also be educational, as students will learn more about the virus and current treatment methods.

“Our students have been asking, ‘How can we help?’” said William Burke, D.O. (’88), dean of the college’s Dublin, Ohio, campus, who led the effort to put together the contents of the new rotation. “Our students are willing to go above and beyond to provide service to help their communities. And we think this meets not only their desire, but also the needs of the state of Ohio.”

-Gallipolis Daily Tribune, April 4, 2020

Researchers at the university are also working towards therapies that will prevent a certain complication of Covid-19 known as a cytokine storm. The study will be conducted through the university’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

Post University

Waterbury, Connecticut

Date added: 04/06/2020

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Post University, like many other universities across the nation, is making good use of its recently vacated student dormitories. As classes have moved online to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, school officials are readying the facilities to house the community’s first responders. Many of these essential workers fear exposing their families to COVID-19 and therefore, need a place to stay until the pandemic is over.

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia

Date added: 04/06/2020

Shenandoah University recently donated around 2,500 masks to Valley Health. The majority of these masks were N-95 masks used to protect healthcare workers in clinical settings. The equipment was taken from various departments across campus, including the nursing and pharmacy departments as well as the Wilkins Wellness Center.

Sullivan University

Louisville, Kentucky

Date added: 04/06/2020

Sullivan University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has made a large contribution to its state’s efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The school’s recent contribution to the University of Louisville health system included nearly 7,000 gloves and 1,500 surgical masks as well as other personal protection equipment (PPE) such as gowns and hand sanitizer pumps.  

SUNY-Albany

Albany, New York

Date added: 04/06/2020

SUNY-Albany is partnering with the state of New York to open a new drive-thru coronavirus testing center. The center will be located in the parking lot of the school’s Colonial Quad and will be open to Capital Region residents.

Drive-thru, limited contact testing is a step forward in getting a handle on this pandemic.

University of Delaware

Newark, Delaware

Date added: 04/06/2020

Researchers at the University of Delaware are using supercomputers to model the COVID-19 virus in hopes that it could lead to effective treatments and vaccines. The assistant professors in the school’s chemistry and biochemistry department received a grant from the National Science Foundation to fund the work.

Across campus, Department of Mechanical Engineering staff members have designed a new type of protective face mask called the HensNest. The prototype is made up of just a few plastic pieces and is easy to assemble. It is still awaiting FDA approval, however.

University of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Date added: 04/06/2020

To help out in the fight against Covid-19, the University of Kentucky is offering up its indoor football field to be used as a temporary hospital. The school’s Nutter Field House will prepare to house 400 hospital beds as well as shower units and a laundry service. The overflow facility should be ready within two weeks.

The Colleges of Nursing, Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the university are also collaborating on a project intended to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic. The “Heart-2-Heart” program is a letter-writing initiative that encourages community members to send local healthcare providers a written expression of thanks during these challenging times.

University of Maryland-Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland

Date added: 04/06/2020

University of Maryland Baltimore

The University of Maryland- Baltimore is teaming up with local small businesses to feed essential workers during the pandemic. The program, named Food for Our Front Lines, provides free lunches for those who continue to go to work despite the public health crisis.

The university’s School of Medicine is also expanding COVID-19 testing throughout the state of Maryland through a new testing initiative. Funded by a $2.5 million state grant, the initiative will allow for up to 20,000 additional tests per day over the coming months.

Another effort initiated by UMB’s School of Medicine is a study probing the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment. The trial will include front-line healthcare workers as well as family members of individuals already infected with COVID-19. Participants will be given either the drug or a placebo for a period of two weeks.

University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

uwf best colleges in florida

Date added: 04/06/2020

Joining several other universities across the country, the University of West Florida is currently 3D-printing full-face shields for healthcare workers. The shields are being manufactured at the school’s Sea3D Lab in downtown Pensacola. According to the university, the goal of the project is 60 shields per day and 1,440 per month.

UC-Davis will also be participating in pre-clinical testing for a vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus. The candidate, called VaxiPatch, is a dermal patch that is affixed to the patient’s arm.

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