As we mark five years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, this exhibit documents how Georgetown University scholars and archivists preserved the narratives and artifacts created during a time of worldwide upheaval. What were the takeaways, what do we want to "remember" retrospectively?
The impact of COVID-19 on the Georgetown community was unlike any previous pandemic or global crisis in the history of the world. We moved online, cultivated new methods for learning, and realized strategies for caring for each other in ways that we never imagined. In this exhibition, we look back on those early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, weaving together the multiplicity of ways in which the Georgetown community perceived, experienced, and embodied the pandemic period. From the very top - where Dr. Tony Fauci directed the US National response, which reverberated around the world–to the most intimate ways in which frontline workers cared for those who were struggling to breathe in hospitals across the District of Columbia–our community was deeply involved in our local and global story. In these images, we remember those moments.
The Lamp Association
The Lamp Association kept a light burning in prayer for the Georgetown community during a DC measles outbreak in 1872 and the flu pandemic of 1918. A solar light and a fundraiser to support Hoyas in need was brought back in April 2020.
National Leadership
In 2020, Dr. Anthony Fauci served as the chief medical advisor on COVID-19 to the US president. After serving 6 presidents and navigating the world through a myriad of pandemics, Dr. Fauci has left behind a solid foundation for the future of infectious disease and public health professionals.
Today, Dr. Fauci is a Distinguished University Professor in the GU School of Medicine’s division of infectious diseases.
"I think that the importance of entering into a career of public health is as compelling now as it has ever been because of the challenges, but I think the younger people will have to realize they will be faced with a different set of challenges than I was faced with in the early years of my career.”
"We were dealing with a moving, evolving target in an unprecedented outbreak and as a public health person, you have to rely on the data that you have at a given time…not only the actual data, but also the changing interpretation of it. There was a feeling that scientists and public health officials were flip-flopping on us, and that was very difficult.”
“When I first entered the field, there was a great deal of confidence and respect for science and the scientific process ...when you’re trying to articulate sound public health principles, it becomes a lot more challenging when you're dealing with and pushing back against a swarm of misinformation and disinformation.”
-Anthony S. Fauci, MD
Read “What keeps me up at night” by Anthony S. Fauci
Blue Heart of Thanks for Caregivers and Colleagues
“Lighting up a blue heart in Darnall Hall for our healthcare workers at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Thank you to all of those who are working hard to care for our community” (Posted to GU Twitter [now X], April 20, 2020).
Redeploy GU
In July 2020, GU announced a Redeploy Program to move staff to public health roles. In 2021, the Washington Post wrote, “Georgetown University Staff Resist after Being Asked to Take New Public Health Roles or Unpaid Leave.” GU leaders, including President John J. DeGioia, formally thanked Redeploy staff in May 2021 (Image: HR website).
Dr. Ranit Mishori
Dr. Ranit Mishori, chief public health officer, was a campus leader in the COVID-19 response, including testing and vaccines. Mishori collaborated with Marc Barbiere, director of emergency management and other campus colleagues (Photo: March 14, 2021).
Katrina Griffin of Hoya Hospitality
Katrina Griffin of Hoya Hospitality hands a boxed meal to a student in October 2020. Griffin and colleagues worked to provide meals to the 500+ students living on campus during the fall 2020 semester, as the Hoya reported (Photo: October 20, 2020).
Ira Reeves, Auxiliary Services
Ira Reeves, lead clerk in auxiliary services, and Georgetown colleagues ensured the continuation of the mailing services operation of the university (Photo: October 14, 2020).
Sofia Syed (G’21), Nursing Student
Sofia Syed (G’21), a master’s-level nursing student, administers the Covid vaccine to Bill Begal, a city resident. Syed and medical student Shelby Davis-Cooper (M’23), pictured in the background, worked with a group of GU volunteers at a city government-university clinic in March 2021
(Photo: March 14, 2021).
Making PPE for DC Healthcare Workers
In 2020, surgical face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) were in short supply. Staff and volunteers used 3D printers from Lauinger Library’s Maker Hub to print, pack, and ship face shield frames from their homes for healthcare workers
in the D.C. area.
Black Lives Matter
The Georgetown community participated in demonstrations in D.C. following George Floyd's murder in 2020. Read the open letter to the Georgetown University School of Medicine Administration calling for meaningful action to address
racial health inequities as driven by segregation, discriminatory incarceration, and disparities in healthcare quality.
Long Covid
Ken Kaplan’s infection in early 2022 developed into Long Covid. Kaplan conducted an auto-ethnography of his experience, journaling and eventually interviewing others about their Long Covid expereince. Ken graduated from SFS in 2023 and is now a medical student at Columbia University.
Unmasked
Illustrations of Emily Mendenhall’s Unmasked: COVID, Community, and the Case of Okoboji tell the story of the first pandemic year in a small tourist town in Iowa. Author Emily Mendenhall and artist Aaron Gronstal grew up in Okoboji and spent part of the pandemic there.
Pandemic Policy
Dr. Rebecca Katz and the Center for Global Health Science and Security (CGHSS) team made several important contributions to public policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Katz gave expert testimony, informed policy measures, and developed a comprehensive database of policies and plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Outbreak Atlas delivers lessons-learned about disaster preparedness and lifts the curtain on outbreak responses across different fields and at various levels to ensure a shared understanding for controlling the next outbreak.
CCGHSS produced guidance to encourage individuals to proactively minimize health risks, injuries and exposures while protesting.
At the height of the pandemic, over 100 undergraduates and graduate
students worked with the CGHSS team to capture and code policies from
across the US and around the world. The COVID Analysis and Mapping of
Policies visualization tool is a comprehensive database of
policies and plans to easily identify effective policies and
plans to reduce the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Archiving COVID-19
During the Spring 2020 semester, students in Dr. Ananya Chakravarti’s classes HIST 129 (Modern South Asia) and HIST 224 (Women, Film and Indian History) created an online archive of the COVID-19 pandemic as a lasting record of an event of world-historical importance.
Visit the Archiving COVID-19 virtual exhibition:
https://www.archivingcovid19.com/
Social Media
Students documented social media from around the world including WhatsApp content in Punjab, India; Nextdoor posts in Vancouver, WA, USA; memes on Twitter, TikTok videos, etc. to see how the pandemic affected and was affected by social media.
Corporate/Economic Response
The pandemic devastated many businesses while others thrived. Through advertisements, corporate mailers, government announcements and other sources, these collections document the role corporations played in the pandemic and the effect of the pandemic on corporations.
Art Documenting the Virus
For many stuck at home, art provided a much-needed respite and outlet from the pandemic. Work in this collection reflect students’ anger at the systemic injustices in the US that were exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic and showcase the role played by art and artists.
Personal Narratives
Through personal diaries and reflections, both in written form and in other media such as collages and photography, the collections in the archives capture the experiences of the pandemic in a deeply personal and poignant way.
Impact on Communities
Students documented the impact of the pandemic on communities around the world from Pakistan and Chile to Hyannis, Massachusetts and Boulder County, Colorado.
Testimonials
These collections adapted the techniques of oral history to an online environment to capture the voices and experiences of various communities.
We got through it — together
Students in Professor Myriam Vuckovic’s Global Health Promotion class surprised her with this wonderful tribute at the end of their last Zoom class in Fall 2020.
The transition to remote teaching and learning during the pandemic presented enormous challenges to students and faculty across Georgetown and the world.
Dr. Joel Michael Reynolds and Schnerp working from home.
Signs thanking Medstar Georgetown healthcare workers. (Photo: April 23, 2020)
Visit University Archives and Contribute Materials
Visit the Booth Family Center for Special Collections on the 5th floor to see documents and photographs from the University Archives, including the first Public Health Alert Regarding the Coronavirus on January 24, 2020, examples of COVID signage used in Lauinger Library, and screenshots of the University's COVID-19 dashboard from 2022 and 2023.
Do you have University-created items that show Georgetown University’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic (signage, email or other forms of communication to the campus community, meeting minutes from University committees or task forces, planning documents)? We’re also interested in collecting materials that reflect the pandemic’s impact on members of the University community on a personal level.
To contribute to University Archives contact Lynn.Conway@georgetown.edu
The Library is grateful to the following faculty, staff, and students who contributed to this exhibition:
Dr. Emily Mendenhall, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rebecca Katz, Dr. Ananya Chakravarti, Dr. Bill Cessato, Dr. Myriam Vuckovic, Kim MacVaugh, Beth Marhanka, Nina Chereath, and Clare Buckley.