The world is involved in a massive effort to defeat COVID-19. As societies reopen their communities, widespread testing and contact tracing efforts are underway to catch infections early before they can spread. A comprehensive public health strategy with a well-trained workforce is key to protecting lives and livelihoods.

The University of Oregon, in partnership with our local public health authority (Lane County Public Health) and our state leadership in the Oregon Health Authority, created the Corona Corps in June 2020 to harness student skill and energy to expand public health response to the pandemic.

We train student contact monitors, case managers and case investigation support staff through the completion of a comprehensive online course that covers public health basics and the practice of contact tracing, COVID case management and case investigation support. This is followed by a rigorous three-day in-person training covering contact tracing, data management, and workflow.

Trained Corona Corps members are placed within monitoring teams for the county and work from a call center at UO’s Health Center under the guidance of UO faculty/staff and LCPH personnel. The Corona Corps call center provides a safe, socially distanced workspace as well as support and camaraderie with fellow contact monitors and supervisors. Case managers and case investigation supporters work within the UO University Health Center Covid Care Resposne Team, a specialized part of the Corona Corps.

We are working with other Oregon colleges and universities, as well as public health departments across the state, to train and connect students doing similar work in the public health response to the pandemic.

Are you an Oregon student interested in being part of the Corona Corps’ Public Health Response Team?

Applications for paid positions are currently being accepted on a rolling basis for both undergraduates and graduate students.

Having an educational background in the health sciences (e.g., epidemiology and global health, prevention science, psychology) is helpful, but not required. More important are skills such as:

• A professional and positive attitude and work ethic
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with culturally diverse communities
• Comfort working with distressed individuals from a place of empathy
• Attention to detail and familiarity with online data-tracking platforms

We are particularly interested in recruiting students from diverse groups, which are often disproportionately affected by COVID-19.