Skip to main content

Berkeley Public Health researchers awarded emergency COVID-19 research seed funding from UCOP

  • Published

Two UC Berkeley Public Health professors have been granted seed money from UCOP for projects to help California address critical needs of high-risk populations brought on by the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Dr. Brenda Eskenazi, director of the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health, was awarded a grant to determine what obstacles may hinder Latinos who work in agriculture in the state’s Salinas Valley from complying with mandatory COVID-19 safety measures. It will also assess changes in mental health related to COVID-19 fears for parents and young children in the same population.

Professor of Community Health Services Dr. Lia Fernald was awarded a grant for a project that seeks to understand the effect that COVID-19 mitigation strategies, such as shelter-at-home orders, have on disadvantaged California families with children. Her work will then inform a national survey that can assess how to best support families living in poverty nationally over the course of the pandemic.

Read more about UCOP’s seed funding here

People of UCBPH found in this article include:

Berkeley Public Health researchers awarded emergency COVID-19 research seed funding from the University of California Office of the President © 2020 by UC Berkeley School of Public Health is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Creative Commons Credit must be given to the creator Only noncommercial use is permitted No derivatives or adaptations are permitted
  • What is CC BY-NC-ND 4.0?

    CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

    You are free to:
    • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
    • The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
    Under the following terms:
    • BY Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
    • NC NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
    • ND NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
    • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
    Learn more:

More in category “Newsroom”:

The history of vaccine hesitancy, from smallpox to COVID-19

October 6, 2025

What’s going on with the COVID-19 vaccine?

UC Berkeley professor Elena Conis explains how attitudes and federal policy about vaccines have evolved in the U.S.
September 5, 2025

Center of Excellence in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health secures $1.8 million five-year federal funding

We asked infectious disease expert John E. Swartzberg for insight into what’s going on, and who will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines this fall.
August 19, 2025

Dr. Robert Spear, schistosomiasis expert and respected public health mentor, dies at 86

The competitive grant renewal supports UC Berkeley’s long-standing commitment to excellence in MCAH education and training.
August 6, 2025
View all in category “Newsroom”
©2025 UC Regents; all rights reserved