Public health

Census Day is April 1, but the government strongly encourages online responses, which can be submitted until Aug. 14 under a revised schedule.

The 2020 U.S. census: Time to make it count

Amid disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, the MIT community has an important role to play in the 2020 census.

March 31, 2020

Jonathan Parker PhD ’96, the Robert C. Merton (1970) Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management, is a leading expert in understanding how U.S. citizens use stimulus payments from the government, and how big an impact such efforts make on the national economy.

3 Questions: Jonathan Parker on building an economic recovery

MIT professor evaluates the effect of government stimulus on the crisis-hit U.S. economy.

March 30, 2020

As MIT classes resume today, online, faculty and the hundreds of staff who helped implement remote learning at MIT can pause briefly and catch their collective breath. “None of us have ever done this before, so we will navigate together,” says Dean for Digital Learning Krishna Rajagopal.

Rolling out remote learning

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, MIT enters a new mode for teaching and learning.

March 29, 2020

Donations from across campus are collected and sorted in MIT's Mail Services before distribution to area hospitals.

Scene at MIT: Donations of personal protective equipment ready for local hospitals

Labs across campus respond to a call; MIT sends thousands of items directly to area hospitals in need.

March 27, 2020

MIT faculty members have released a memo detailing the risks associated with using 3D printing to build PPE and Covid-19-related medical devices.

3 Questions: The risks of using 3D printing to make personal protective equipment

Professor Martin Culpepper provides caution on the use of 3D printing to make masks and other PPE for individuals on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis.

March 26, 2020

From developing vaccines to helping governments keep communities informed, a number of companies with MIT ties are working to address problems brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

MIT-affiliated companies take on Covid-19

A variety of companies with MIT ties are working to address aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

March 26, 2020

MIT joins a consortium of supercomputing resources to help speed the search for Covid-19 solutions.

MIT joins White House supercomputing effort to speed up search for Covid-19 solutions

Consortium includes industry, government, and academic institutions.

March 23, 2020

MIT makes plans for a quieter campus

With thousands now working and learning off-campus, the Institute aims to consolidate its footprint and conserve resources.

March 22, 2020

MIT community encouraged to respond to request for personal protective equipment

Area hospitals in need of PPE look to university labs and departments for donations.

March 21, 2020

This graphic of a simulated disease outbreak illustrates how a rapid public health response triggered by PRESAGED's early warning of pathogen exposures can significantly reduce the spread of a disease.

Early warning of disease exposure could improve public health responses

Lincoln Laboratory researchers explore the impact of technology that detects a person's exposure to disease-causing pathogens before symptoms manifest.

March 19, 2020

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.

Covid-19 diagnostic based on MIT technology might be tested on patient samples soon

A variety of MIT research projects could aid efforts to detect and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

March 12, 2020

A billboard in Liberia urges people to help stop the spread of Ebola, which was widespread in 2014-2015. A new study shows how a public awareness campaign helped people understand and cooperate with government efforts to control the disease.

How door-to-door canvassing slowed an epidemic

Study finds that in Liberia, volunteers limited damage from Ebola by distributing information within their own communities.

February 26, 2020

Most facilities for handwashing are located inside restrooms, which tend to be highly contaminated areas, the researchers say. Separate handwashing sinks outside of restrooms could help improve hand hygiene at airports, they suggest.

Study: To slow an epidemic, focus on handwashing

Improving the rate of handwashing at just 10 major airports could significantly slow the spread of a viral disease, researchers estimate.

February 6, 2020

“A lot of what has defined my time at MIT has been the different things that I’ve been able to get involved in,” says senior Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi.

Exploring the human side of health care

Senior and “people person” Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi brings a human touch to caring for people dealing with medical crises.

November 20, 2019

A new study co-authored by MIT researchers, looking at the spread of dengue fever in Singapore, shows how commuting affects the spread of illness in urban settings.

Tracking contagion in cities, using mobile phone data

Study shows how commuting and other forms of everyday travel help spread mosquito-borne disease in urban settings.