COVID-19 Contingency Planning Committees

Dear Yale Faculty and Staff,

As we approach the end of classes for the spring term, we write to provide an update on our process for developing options for the next academic year. Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has benefited immensely from the input of Yale experts. We want to continue to draw from the depth of knowledge and experiences of our community as we plan for fall 2020 and spring 2021.

To advise us on teaching, research, practice, and preservation across the university, we have charged six COVID-19 contingency planning committees. These committees will consult with colleagues around the university and with student representatives.

Four of the committees focus on the continuity of Yale’s mission:

• Academic Continuity Committee
  • In-person Education Planning Subcommittee
  • On-line Education Planning Subcommittee
  • Residential and Extracurricular Planning Subcommittee
• Research Continuity Committee
  • Clinical Practice/Clinical Research Subcommittee
  • Research in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Subcommittee
  • Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences Subcommittee
• Creative and Artistic Practice Continuity Committee
• Operations Continuity Committee

These four committees will advise on priorities, strategies, policies, and logistics in their respective areas. Their work will be informed by the deliberations of two ongoing committees that have been meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: the Public Health Committee and the Emergency Policy Committee. The Public Health Committee is assessing current scientific and medical evidence related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Emergency Policy Committee is analyzing our emergency management and operations plans. They will offer invaluable information to guide the work of the other four committees.

The members of each of these committees are listed below, and we express our gratitude to everyone who has agreed to serve. 

With the input of these committees, we will continue to make decisions based on the expertise and ingenuity of our faculty and staff. Of course, we recognize that some choices may be out of our hands, as we will abide by orders and regulations from government agencies and elected officials. And decisions will need to be made despite the uncertainty that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, in the complex and rapidly changing environment of this public health emergency, it is critically important that we think proactively about the months ahead.

We look forward to providing updates about next steps as plans develop. In the meantime, you can find the latest announcements and information at the Yale COVID-19 Actions and Response website.

Sincerely,

Peter Salovey
President
Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology

Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry

COVID-19 Contingency Planning Committees

Academic Continuity Committee

Pericles Lewis (Chair), Vice President for Global Strategy,  Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature

Susan Sawyer, Senior Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel

All subcommittee members are part of the full committee.

In-person Education Planning Subcommittee*

Pericles Lewis (Chair), Vice President for Global Strategy,  Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature

Melvin Chen, Deputy Dean, Yale School of Music; Professor in the Practice of Piano

Emily Erikson, Associate Professor of Sociology, Joseph C. Fox Academic Director of the Fox International Fellowship

Jennifer Frederick, Executive Director, Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

Tamar Gendler, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy

Heather Gerken, Dean and Sol and Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Jonathan Parr, Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry

Mark Saltzman, Goizueta Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Physiology, School of Engineering and Applied Science; Head of College, Jonathan Edwards College

Heather Tookes, Professor of Finance, Yale School of Management

John Witt, Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Head of College, Davenport College

On-line Education Planning Subcommittee*

Pericles Lewis (Chair), Vice President for Global Strategy,  Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature

Lynn Cooley, Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; C. N. H. Long Professor of Genetics

Jessica Brantley, Professor of English; Chair, Department of English

Nelleke van Deusen-Scholl, Director, Center for Language Study; Professor (Adjunct) of Linguistics

Erika Edwards, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Larry Gladney, Phyllis A. Wallace Dean of Diversity and Faculty Development, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Professor of Physics

Ben Polak, William C. Brainard Professor of Economics and Professor of Management  

Greg Sterling, Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean of the Divinity School, Lillian Claus Professor of Divinity

Lucas Swineford, Executive Director of Digital Education, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

Vince Wilczynski, Deputy Dean, Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science

Residential and Extracurricular Planning Subcommittee*

Pericles Lewis (Chair), Vice President for Global Strategy,  Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature

Julia Adams, Professor of Sociology and International and Area Studies; Head of College, Grace Hopper College; and Chair, Council of Heads of College

Ryan Brasseaux, Dean, Davenport College; Lecturer, American Studies

Marvin Chun, Dean, Yale College; Richard M. Colgate Professor of Psychology and Professor of Neuroscience

Andrew Forsyth, Assistant Secretary for Student Life, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Kimberly Goff-Crews, Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Joy McGrath, Chief of Staff, Office of the President

Giuseppe Moscarini, Professor of Economics

Stephen Pitti, Professor of History and of American Studies; Head of College, Ezra Stiles College

Lloyd Suttle, Deputy Provost for Academic Resources, Office of the Provost

Research Continuity Committee

Clinical Practice/Clinical Research Subcommittee

Rob Goodman (Chair), Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging; Chair, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, School of Medicine; Radiologist-in-Chief, Yale New Haven Health

Nita Ahuja, William H. Carmalt Professor of Surgery; Chair, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine; Assistant Cancer Center Director, Surgery, Yale Cancer Center

Kevin Billingsley, Chief Medical Officer, Yale Cancer Center; Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine

Gary Desir, Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine; Chair, Department of Internal Medicine; Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, Office of the Provost

Roberta Hines, Nicholas M. Greene Professor of Anesthesiology; Chair and Chief, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine

Babar Khokhar, Associate Dean for Clinical Transformation and Associate Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine; Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, Yale Medicine

Maxwell Laurans, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine; Chief and Director, Perioperative Services, Yale New Haven Hospital

Peter Schulam, Professor of Urology; Chair, Department of Urology, Yale School of Medicine; Chief, Department of Urology, Yale New Haven Hospital

Cynthia Sparer, Senior Vice President of Operations, Yale New Haven Hospital; Executive Director, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital

Lisa Stump, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Yale New Haven Health System and School of Medicine

Eric Velazquez, Robert W. Berliner Professor of Medicine (Cardiology); Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine; Chief, Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital

Research in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Subcommittee

Michael Crair (Chair), Vice Provost for Research, Office of the Provost; William Ziegler III Professor of Neuroscience

Ronald Breaker, Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry

Jeffrey Brock, Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science; Zhao and Ji Professor of Mathematics

Lloyd Cantley, C. N. H. Long Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, School of Medicine

Lisa D’Angelo, Assistant Provost for Research, Office of the Provost

Jorge Galán, Lucille P. Markey Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Professor of Cell Biology; Chair, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine

Marla Geha, Professor of Astronomy

Anjelica Gonzalez, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science

Valerie Horsley, Maxine F. Singer Associate Professor, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Associate Professor of Dermatology, School of Medicine

Dev Hawley, Director, Facilities Operations and University Planning

Melinda Irwin, Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases), School of Medicine; Associate Cancer Center Director (Population Sciences), Yale Cancer Center

Anthony Koleske, Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and of Neuroscience, School of Medicine

Mark Lemmon, David A. Sackler Professor of Pharmacology, School of Medicine; Associate Cancer Center Director for Basic Science, Yale Cancer Center

Scott Miller, Irenee du Pont Professor of Chemistry

Jordan Pober, Bayer Professor of Translational Medicine and Professor of Immunobiology, Pathology and Dermatology, School of Medicine

Peter Reinhardt, Director, Yale Environmental Health and Safety

Valerie Reinke, Professor of Genetics, School of Medicine

Julie Zimmerman, Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Science; Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences Subcommittee

Susan Gibbons (Chair), Vice Provost for Collections and Scholarly Communication, Office of the Provost; Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian

Kerwin Charles, Indra K. Nooyi Dean of the School of Management, Frederic D. Wolfe Professor of Management, Economics, and Policy

Jack Dovidio, Carl I. Hovland Professor of Psychology; Senior Advisor, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Alan Gerber, Dean of Social Science, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Charles C. & Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Political Science

Becca Levy, Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and Psychology, School of Public Health

Kathryn Lofton, Dean of Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Professor of Religious Studies, of American Studies, of History, and of Divinity; Chair, Department of Religious Studies

Joanne Meyerowitz, Arthur Unobskey Professor of History and Professor of American Studies

Fatima Naqvi, Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures

John Wargo, Tweedy-Ordway Professor of Environmental Health and Political Science, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

Steven Wilkinson, Nilekani Professor of India and South Asian Studies; Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Henry R. Luce Director, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies

Creative and Artistic Practice Continuity Committee

Emily Bakemeier (Chair), Vice Provost, Office of the Provost

Phillip Bernstein, Associate Dean, School of Architecture

Martin Bresnick, Charles T. Wilson, Jr. Professor in the Practice of Music, School of Music

James Bundy, Dean, School of Drama; Artistic Director, Yale Repertory Theatre; Professor of Drama

Daniel Harrison, Allen Forte Professor of Music Theory, Department of Music

Martin Kersels, Professor of Sculpture, School of Art

Kate Krier, Assistant Dean for the Arts, Yale College Deans Office

Operations Continuity Committee

Timothy Pavlis (Chair), Associate Vice President for Strategy and Analytics, Office of the Provost

John Barden, Associate Vice President, Chief Information Officer

Megan Barnett, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost

John Bollier, Vice President for Facilities and Campus Development

Caroline Hendel, Senior Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel

Branden Kelly, Associate Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Geraldine Sullivan, Assistant Vice President for Employee Relations and Staffing, Office of Human Resources and Administration

Rafi Taherian, Associate Vice President, Yale Hospitality

Emergency Policy Committee

Joy McGrath (Chair), Chief of Staff, Office of the President

Megan Barnett, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Provost

Jack Callahan, Jr., Senior Vice President for Operations

Anthony Campbell, Assistant Chief of Police, Yale Police Department

Cynthia Carr, Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel

Alexander Dreier, Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs, General Counsel, & Senior Counselor to the President

Donald Filer, Associate Vice President for Global Strategy, Office of International Affairs

Ronnell Higgins, Chief of Police, Yale Police Department

George Hines, Director, Emergency Management

Richard Jacob, Associate Vice President for Federal and State Relations, Office of Federal and State Relations

Janet Lindner, Vice President for Human Resources & Administration

Nathaniel Nickerson, Vice President for Communications

Lauren Zucker, Associate Vice President for New Haven Affairs and University Properties, Office of New Haven Affairs

Public Health Committee

Stephanie Spangler (Chair), Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity; University Title IX Coordinator, Office of the Provost

Sandy Bogucki, Professor of Emergency Medicine and of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Medicine

Nancy Brown, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine

Paul Genecin, Director, Yale Health

George Hines, Director, Emergency Management

Edward H. Kaplan, William N. and Marie A. Beach Professor of Operations Research, Professor of Public Health and Professor of Engineering, School of Management

Albert Ko, Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Medicine (Infectious Diseases); Chair, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Medicine

Ann Kurth, Dean, School of Nursing; Linda Koch Lorimer Professor of Nursing

Richard Martinello, Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of Pediatrics, School of Medicine; Medical Director, Infection Prevention, Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale New Haven Health, Quality & Safety

Joy McGrath, Chief of Staff, Office of the President

Saad Omer, Director, Yale Institute for Global Health; Associate Dean (Global Health Research) and Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), School of Medicine; Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health

Tina Tyson, Deputy General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel

Sten Vermund, Dean, School of Public Health; Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health

*Updated April 22, 2020