Commentary

Recent Posts

Lessons from the Pandemic: Leadership and Childcare

How can schools reopen safely, and if they remain closed, will women's workforce participation be disproportionately affected? Tristan Patterson uses an adaptive leadership lens to suggest we can do better than "getting back to normal."

Does music matter in the age of COVID?

Augustana music professor Ardelle Ries sees making and listening to music as vital for health, wellness and even the human soul...especially during a pandemic that has brought concerts, festivals and choirs to an abrupt halt.

COMMENTARY || As a Sufi singer, I believe the sounds of world religions can cultivate compassion during COVID-19

Developing an "intercultural ear" can help prevent us from isolating ourselves from diverse communities in our midst, says U of A ethnomusicologist.

COMMENTARY || How the pandemic could reshape Edmonton's urban landscape

Encouraging greater density in the city doesn’t mean overcrowding—and could lead to better public health, argue urban planning experts.

COMMENTARY || Canadian prisons in the time of COVID-19: Recommendations for the pandemic and beyond

Short-term measures to protect workers and inmates during pandemic could lead to rethinking incarceration more generally, say criminologists.

COMMENTARY || Don't let pandemic deter taking your sick child to emergency

Emergency departments are safe, say U of A experts who explain when you should take your child to the hospital and what to expect.

COMMENTARY || Drive-thru mask giveaway won't prevent COVID-19

Alberta’s plan to distribute single-use protective masks through fast-food outlets is “inequitable and ineffective,” say public health experts.

Science in COVID-19 Crisis – A Leadership Experience During COVID-19

Billy Wang explains that in the face of the unprecedented effort to advance our understanding and address the COVID-19 crisis, it is imperative that we safeguard the integrity of science to avoid dissemination of misleading and unproven information that may lead us astray.

How to live from a place of hope

Hope is a fleeting concept for many and can seem even more so when faced with a pandemic. UAlberta professor emeritus, registered psychologist and founding member of the Hope Foundation of Alberta Ronna Jevne examines hope and what it means to find it.

COMMENTARY || Four strategies to help avoid the next pandemic

U of A virus expert offers recommendations that would be easier to implement and enforce than other public health measures.

COMMENTARY || We can’t stress the importance of social connection enough

As we deal with COVID-19, it’s important to use technology—the very tools once thought to encourage social isolation—to fight against it, says U of A sociologist.

Understanding the appeal of conspiracy theories

Recognizing the factors that lead to a willingness to believe in conspiracy theories—including fear, uncertainty and mistrust—can help us deal with misinformation and how it spreads, says Augustana professor.

We can’t stress the importance of social connection enough, says Augustana sociology professor

The detrimental effects of loneliness and isolation have been studied by sociologists and societies long before COVID-19. But now, more than ever, it's important to stay connected.

COMMENTARY || Women's heart health shouldn't take back seat to coronavirus

Patients with heart disease are delaying treatment because of COVID-19, but women may need it now more than ever, says U of A expert.

COMMENTARY || How much is a zombie apocalypse like a pandemic?

Film portrayals of barren streets and public panic resemble the real world in the grip of COVID-19, says U of A cultural historian.

5 tips on how to evaluate information during a pandemic

U of A Augustana public services librarian Kara Blizzard offers tips on how to sift through the overwhelming amount of information related to COVID-19.

How much is a zombie apocalypse like a pandemic?

Augustana musicologist and cultural historian Alexander Carpenter explores the ways in which the spread of COVID-19 have been likened to a zombie apocalypse, and how our reaction to the former has (fortunately) been more humanity, and less Hollywood.

COMMENTARY || COVID-19 cases in Africa could top one billion

Response must battle unique challenges, say global health experts who recommend a three-pronged approach.

COMMENTARY || Crisis or not, Alberta must not do an end-run around Health Canada

Regulation of new COVID-19 tests, drugs and vaccines is a federal responsibility for good reasons, say Alberta health law experts.

Biomimicry can be used to decrease or prevent the impact of future outbreaks of viral diseases, says Augustana biology professor

Professor Tomislav Terzin reflects on the anatomy of a virus and how we can use biomimicry to learn from living nature and apply the best solutions to human society to prevent or lessen the spread of future disease.

COMMENTARY || Now is not the time to abandon key drivers of post-pandemic recovery

Economic support from governments must include the energy, resource and agricultural sectors, argues U of A business dean.

What would Jane Austen do?

We’re turning to literature not just because we have more time on our hands but also because we’re trying to understand our moment.

COMMENTARY || In the middle of an emergency response, pause and reflect

Taking time to think about our values, priorities and goals is an essential step in the emergency response process, says U of A dean of students.

COMMENTARY || Now more than ever, we must fight misinformation. Trust in science is essential

Public health measures against COVID-19 depend on trust in medical science that is being eroded by an "infodemic," argues Timothy Caulfield.

COMMENTARY || Misinformation, alternative medicine and the coronavirus

Alternative medicine practitioners are leveraging fear of COVID-19 to sell unproven products and procedures, says U of A health policy expert Timothy Caulfield.