TITANS IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 Dr. Paul Pedersen ’73 led OSF St. Joseph Medical Center’s efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic as the Bloomington, Illinois, hospital’s chief medical officer. Dr. Pedersen additionally advocated for Illinois healthcare workers and patients through his leadership role with the Illinois State Medical Society. Dr. John Herrmann ’74, clinical associate professor of epidemiology and health policy at the University of Illinois, and current vice chair of the State Board of Health Members for the Illinois Department of Public Health, provided leadership during the pandemic. Dr. Herrmann shared the basic virology of coronaviruses and the epidemiology of the pandemic in a Titan Talks webinar on April 23, 2020.
(Above) The Illinois Wesleyan University volleyball team was on an exhibition tour of Germany and Austria when the pandemic prompted an early return home.
again. … The gratitude came from the reminder that I was actually in Morocco, even if it was only for a short time.” Cruz Gonzalez had to rely on herself to navigate the difficult situation, but was thankful to have an ally at IWU. “Stacey Shimizu is the hero in my story,” she said. “She was so kind, patient, encouraging and resourceful.”
uuu Illinois Wesleyan volleyball coach Kim Nelson-Brown awoke to a knock on her hotel room door in Salzburg, Austria, at 2:30 a.m. on March 12. She picked up her phone to check the time and was alarmed to see dozens of missed calls and text messages. A half-hour earlier, seven time zones away, the U.S. had announced restrictions on travel from European countries. Although there were
many unknowns at the time, the decision to cut short the remainder of the team’s exhibition tour of Austria and Germany was made out of an abundance of caution. Just how that would happen required swift coordination. Nelson-Brown worked with Illinois Wesleyan Athletic Director Mike Wagner and a travel company to quickly devise a plan. “Obviously, at 2:45 a.m., there’s not a whole lot to do,” Nelson-Brown said. “But our travel company contacted me and encouraged us to start packing and head immediately to the airport.” The group, which included two coaches, 14 student-athletes and 22 family members, departed at 5:15 a.m. that morning for the airport in Munich, which was believed to offer the best chance for the group to travel together. They sought a flight — any flight — that would return them to the United States.
Director of Economic and Fiscal Policies at Center for New York City Affairs at The New School James Parrott ’74 is working with the New York City government, philanthropists and the nonprofit community on understanding and responding to COVID-19’s economic impact in New York City. His early analyses in late March and early April helped call attention to the magnitude of the unemployment crisis and were widely cited in the local and financial press. Mike Mason ’80 addressed the value of maintaining a positive attitude in the midst of a crisis situation during his Titan Talks webinar on May 21, 2020. Mike’s role as senior vice-president and chief security officer at Verizon requires him to lead a large, sophisticated organization in a manner that keeps them focused on the mission while maintaining their own well-being and that of their families. Mike very passionately discussed the critical value of leaders maintaining a positive attitude as they navigate their teams through the current pandemic crisis. Dr. Eric Bieber ’82 provided leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic as president and chief executive officer of Rochester Regional Health, a large (continued on page 15)
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