Mitigation of Pandemic Impacts on Children

The WSAS 15th Annual Symposium
October 26, 2022 |10 AM – 4 PM | Virtual Event

Speakers examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education, physical health, and mental health, and focused on emerging strategies for mitigating these impacts.

Keynote Speaker

Osaremen Okolo

Former Policy Advisor for Public Health and Equity, White House Office of the COVID-19 Response

Osaremen Okolo served as Policy Advisor for Public Health and Equity in the White House Office of the COVID-19 Response from January 20, 2021 through August 2022. Prior to the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Osaremen spent late Summer and Fall 2020 translating campaign promises into strategic implementation plans while working on the Domestic Policy Team of the Biden-Harris Transition. She was recruited to join the Transition after several years specializing in health policy on Capitol Hill—first as Ranking Member Patty Murray’s Legislative Aide for Health Policy on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions during the 115th Congress and later as Senior Health Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky during the 116th Congress.

Dr. Surabhi (Sara) Vora
Dr. Surabhi (Sara) VoraAssociate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Virology, Seattle Children's Hospital
Dr. Chris Anderson
Dr. Chris AndersonPediatrics Clinical Education Director, Washington State University; Medical Director, Project ADAM Inland Northwest
Dr. Kira Mauseth
Dr. Kira MausethCo-Lead, Behavioral Health Strike Team, Washington Department of Health; Owner, Astrum Health, LLC
Dr. Elaine Walsh
Dr. Elaine WalshAssociate Professor, Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington; King County Suicide Prevention Coalition
Dr. Eric Bruns
Dr. Eric BrunsDirector, Wraparound Evaluation and Research Team, University of Washington & Co-Director, National Wraparound Initiative and National Wraparound Implementation Center
Dr. Janet Englund
Dr. Janet EnglundPrincipal Investigator, New Vaccine Surveillance Network, Center for Disease Control; Seattle Children's Hospital
Dr. Benjamin Cowan
Dr. Benjamin CowanAssociate Professor, School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University
Dr. Pam KohlmeierFormer Member, Board of Partners with Family and Children; Former Member, Spokane Regional Health District Ethics Committee
Dr. Tona McGuire
Dr. Tona McGuireCo-Lead, Mental Health Group of the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management; Co-Founder, Health Support Team
Dr. Thomas May
Dr. Thomas MayFloyd and Judy Rogers Endowed Professor, Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Washington State University

WSAS 15th Annual Symposium Chair

John Roll, PhD
John Roll, PhDProfessor and Vice Dean of Research, Chair of the Department of Community and Behavioral Health; Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University

Symposium Program

10:00am Welcome – John Roll, WSAS President and Symposium Chair

 10:05am Keynote – Osaremen Okolo – Coming of Age During a Pandemic: A Path Forward from Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 to Ensuring the Equitable Health and Well-Being of All Children in the United States

 11:00am Describing the Impacts of COVID on the Physical Health of Children

  • Surabhi (Sara) Vora – What Does COVID-19 Look Like in Children?
  • Janet Englund – Prevention of COVID-19 Disease in Children
  • Chris Anderson – Impact of Delayed and Deferred Pediatric Care During the COVID Pandemic

 12:00pm Break

 12:30pm Impacts of COVID on Educational Settings and Strategies for Mitigation

  • Ben Cowan – COVID-19 School Closures: Impacts on Children and Parents
  • Kira Mauseth – Behavioral Health for Children & Youth: Long-term Considerations for Educators
  • Pam Kohlmeier – Child Abuse during Virtual Learning: Incidence and Detection, or the Lack Thereof

 1:40pm Impacts of COVID on Mental Health and Strategies for Mitigation

  • Elaine Walsh – The Impact of COVID on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Consequences and Opportunities
  • Tona McGuire – Toward the Way Forward: Triage to Stepped Behavioral Health Care for Youth Impacted by COVID and other Disasters
  • Eric Bruns – Learning from COVID: Data-Informed Lessons on How We Can Better Support Youth Behavioral Health in the Future

 2:50pm Tradeoffs in Mitigation Strategies

  • Thomas May – Bioethics, Children, and Infectious Disease Response

 3:30pm Continuing the Conversation

4:00pm Adjourn

Please share the Symposium Proceedings with your colleagues