Preeti N. Malani, MD, MSJ, is the Chief Health Officer and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Michigan. As Chief Health Officer, Dr. Malani serves as an advisor to the president on matters of health and wellness of the university community. We spoke with Dr. Malani about her experience helping lead the campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In reflecting on the past two years, what words come to mind to explain how you have watched the University of Michigan community tackle the pandemic?

Although finding a way to continue the university’s core mission during a pandemic has been imperfect, noisy, and often exhausting, I am always inspired by our campus community. I’ve witnessed so many acts of kindness and compassion big and small. So many people, especially in the spring of 2020, stepped up and said, “How can I help?” The words that come to mind are “resilience” and “resourcefulness.”

What has this experience been like for you as the Chief Health Officer at U-M, and a U-M parent as well?

It’s been an honor to support my alma mater and community during this extraordinary time. So much of what I’ve done during the pandemic is not public health per se but crisis communication. There has been an ongoing need for good information throughout the pandemic, and over time we’ve gotten better at the communication aspects. Vice President of Communications Kallie Michels and her team have been critical members of the public health response committee, helping all of us make sure we are sharing information in a clear, productive, and proactive way. Sometimes I think my training as a journalist has been more important during the pandemic than my training as an infectious diseases specialist!

As a U-M parent, I am always thinking about how uniquely difficult this time has been for our students. When the university made a rapid, largely unplanned pivot to virtual learning in March 2020, controlling the spread of COVID-19 was all that mattered. While most students returned to the safety and comfort of their permanent residences, others would not be able to continue learning if they left campus. I am very proud of the efforts to support students throughout this time, especially those who could not continue to learn if they returned “home.” Yet loneliness and social isolation have become major health concerns for students. I often say it during townhalls and other meetings: “COVID is not the only risk to our health.” This is especially true as students are balancing rigorous academics and the need for meaningful social interaction with so many other responsibilities, all while trying not to get COVID.

How did the public health and medical community on campus help lead the way in educating the campus community and the broader public throughout these two years?

The Campus Health Response Committee, led by my friend and longtime colleague Dr. Robert Ernst, has been hard at work coordinating the public health response for nearly two years. One of the silver linings to what has been a global tragedy is that people who normally did not talk to one another have been working together on a daily basis in 2020. Those deep relationships will help support future work as we think about how to better integrate well-being programs with the university’s academic mission, all while strengthening efforts around social connectedness for students, faculty, and staff.

What have we learned from two years of the pandemic that we can apply to health on campus, and in general, going forward?

The pandemic has been a powerful and painful reminder of the large gaps in equity and justice that exist in our community, disparities that manifest prominently in the health and well-being space. COVID-19 has changed every aspect of life—how we work, how we learn, how we interact with one another, and how we think about health. As we transition back to more in-person activities and SARS-CoV-2 shifts closer to endemicity, the public health infrastructure and strong relationships built around the pandemic are being leveraged to address other pressing health concerns including mental health.

Amid the changes, fear, and uncertainties that came with the pandemic, what are some ways you witnessed Wolverines helping others cope and manage?

This has been a difficult time for everyone. What I see are many individuals who are trying to find ways to move forward alongside the pandemic. Throughout this time there have been two extremes, along with a lot of people trying to navigate the middle ground. “Public health” means “what I do affects you” and “what you do affects me.” Moving forward requires broad cooperation and respect as well as empathy. People are tired, stressed, worried, and many are grieving. When we practice empathy all of us can cope and manage better.

What is something you want everyone to keep in mind as we continue to navigate throughout the rest of this academic year?

Uncertainty is difficult, so kindness matters more than ever. I’m very hopeful that we are finally entering a period of relative “recovery” from COVID. My advice for everyone, especially our students, is to find ways to connect—ideally in person and with people who are different from you. During the rest of the semester, find ways to make Michigan your own. Things are improving in terms of COVID but progress might not be a straight line. We need to remain flexible and do what we can to keep moving forward together. As we like to say, “Take care of Maize and Blue and take care of yourself.”