Person-centered prevention is an important way that individuals can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, argues Diana Cervantes, assistant professor and director of the Master of Public Health Epidemiology Program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. She suggests using the ASK acronym – Accepting and taking action, Speaking out against stigmas, and being Kind – to battle the germ-focused and jeer-focused lenses through which many view the current global health crisis. Dr. Diana Cervantes is an assistant professor
and director in UNTHSC’s School of Public
Health. Previous to her current role, she served
as a bioterrorism response microbiologist and
epidemiologist for Tarrant County Public Health and
as chief epidemiologist for the Texas Department
of State Health Services, Health Service Region 2/3,
which provides services to 49 counties in North
Texas. In that role, Dr. Cervantes led a team of seven
epidemiologists to implement infectious disease
surveillance and prevention and control activities
in response to major public health issues including
Ebola and the 2009 influenza pandemic. She
recently was recognized as one of Fort Worth Inc.’s
“400 Most Influential People” for helping protect
the community’s health during the pandemic by
providing media interviews to answer some of the
public’s top questions about COVID-19 and provide
practical, science-based answers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx