During the 2019-2020 academic year and the following summer, SMU Institute for Leadership Impact projects, researchers, and students were featured many times in local and national media reporting.
Though it was punctuated by a pandemic that pushed the Institute for Leadership Impact to reorient much of its programming, the 2019-2020 academic year and the following summer offered the Institute’s projects, researchers, and students many opportunities for media exposure, particularly in the area of health leadership development research. Highlights included…
Leading on COVID-19
With the rise of COVID-19, Institute Director Eric G. Bing – a trained physician and epidemiologist – was called upon to participate in several media interviews about the spread of the virus and about mitigation strategies. Over the spring, Bing made several national appearances on CBS News, in which he recommended wearing face coverings and ramping up testing. He was later interviewed by the Dallas Observer for articles on the importance of face coverings and taking a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
Additional information and guidance on COVID-19 is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Innovating for Medical Leadership Development
As the Institute’s research in virtual reality surgery simulation expanded, many local and regional publications took interest in the project. Before the end of 2019, publications including D Magazine, KERA News, WFAA ABC 8, Park Cities People, and The Dallas Morning News had published stories that focused on or mentioned the Institute’s virtual reality work. Project team members anticipate continued media attention as the project enters a new phase focused on postpartum hemorrhage treatment.
Training Future Public Health Leaders
When COVID-19 forced SMU to make classes virtual in March, Bing restructured his Creating Impact in Global & Public Health course to use the developing pandemic as a real-time example. The course traditionally culminates in the Battle to Save Lives case competition, which was reoriented to focus on mitigating the spread of COVID-19 on college campuses. Two student teams from the class applied for RevTech Ventures grants to implement their solutions, and NTX Inno reported that both teams won grants.
Selected Student and Alumni Spotlights
Khris Beeson ‘20, who took Creating Impact in Global & Public Health in 2020 and became a Global Health Intern at the Center for Global Health Impact after graduating, was featured in a July 2020 Dallas Morning News piece about her collaboration with Bing.
Kaitlyn Contreras-Castro ‘20, who has served as a research assistant at the Institute since 2018 and has taken Creating Impact in Global & Public Health, was featured by SMU in Fall 2019.
Dominique Earland ‘17, who took Creating Impact in Global & Public Health during her time at SMU, is now pursuing a medical degree at the University of Minnesota. In March 2020, Earland was interviewed by Phi Beta Kappa about her path to medical school.
To learn more about our programs, visit our website, email us at leadershipimpact@smu.edu, and engage with us on Twitter.