Berkeley Public Health Researchers Awarded Emergency COVID-19 Research Seed Funding from the University of California Office of the President

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.