MICHELE STATZ

37, DULUTH

cal and economic forces that matter to the heart. It’s what motivates me every day.

Where is your favorite place in Duluth/Superior?

It’s not really a place, but the Misaabekong Ojibwe Language Immersion Program is easily my favorite part of being in Duluth. My daughter is enrolled in Misaabekong, and I can’t describe how meaningful her education has been to her or to our entire family. It is an incredible curriculum and a really amazing, committed community.

What have you learned in your time spent at home during the pandemic?

I don’t have a lot of time to reflect these days, but one thing that’s been hammered home is how much we all belong to each other. We all see how political and institutional forces try to deny this fact, but somehow that has made it even more humbling to observe how many people still express a sense of belonging or care.

It’s also been an interesting time to be a parent. Anytime I see someone scramble to be socially distant on a trail or call out “hello” from behind a mask, I have a really stark opportunity to talk to our kids about caring for and honoring our neighbors — because that’s what people are doing for us. It’s a good antidote to so much fear and cynicism.

CONGRATULATIONS, Michele Statz PhD

, on being recognized as one of the 2020 20 Under 40 Recipients! Thank you for being a champion in addressing access to justice in our rural & Native American communities.

What do you do?

(job, community involvement)

I’m an infectious disease physician at St. Luke’s hospital. I treat people with infections of all kinds, in the hospital and out of the hospital. This includes viruses such as COVID and HIV, parasite infections and bacterial infections — or as my husband calls them, “all of the creepy crawlies.”

I’m also involved in problem-solving for the homeless and unstably housed in Duluth with the Bob Tavani Medical Respite House, which combines things that are important to me including my church, CHUM, Loaves and Fishes, and health care and homelessness. This year I’ve been working with the Centers for Disease Control on a multi-center study studying the epidemiology of COVID-19. I’ve been leading the study site at St. Luke’s hospital to answer questions about how many people have the infection with or without symptoms, and how many times people can get COVID-19.