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Resources include educational tools and ‘Most Interesting Dean in the World’ PSAs
JOHNSON CITY — Throughout the pandemic, East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health has mobilized its expertise and resources, posting almost 100 COVID-19 educational videos, updates, and public service announcements, which have surpassed 25,000 views.
“Our goal is to share useful information about the pandemic as widely as possible,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health. “Since COVID-19 is the dominant public health concern currently facing our nation, we knew the videos would get attention. But when we decided to look at the numbers, we were excited to see how many times these videos have been viewed.”
Wykoff’s weekly pandemic updates, released each Sunday, have received the most views – well over 10,000. Recorded by Wykoff and edited by Dara Young, media coordinator and academic advisor in the College of Public Health, these videos examine COVID-19 trends globally, nationally and in the Appalachian Highlands.
The other recordings consist of educational mini-videos that cover a variety of topics ranging from COVID conspiracy theories to understanding COVID-19 tests, two public health lectures on COVID-19 and a tongue-in-cheek series of videos titled “The Most Interesting Dean in the World.”
As its name implies, “The Most Interesting Dean in the World” is a parody of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” advertisements — with a twist of public health humor.
“Our ‘Most Interesting Dean’ series has been a breakout hit,” Young said. “It started as a creative idea for a public service announcement about masks. It got so much attention and such a positive response that it turned into five installments to promote good health habits during the pandemic.”
The college was also pleased with the public’s response to the Leading Voices in Public Health lecture titled “Coronavirus: Separating Fact from Fiction,” held live via webinar on Oct. 27. That lecture, which included a question and answer session with local public health and medical experts, was posted online among the other COVID-19 resources so that a wider audience could view it at a later time.
“My hope is that these COVID-19 resources will not only help answer important questions about the pandemic, but ultimately encourage good public health practices so that fewer lives are lost and more people can remain safe and healthy during the pandemic,” Wykoff said.
To view the College of Public Health’s video resources, visit www.etsu.edu/cph/covid19.php.