Searching for human factors in the pandemic 

Since the outbreak of COVID19, the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine (CHM) at The University of Hong Kong, has been working hard to explore the social, economical and political dimensions of the pandemic.

“CHM is unique as a hub that links science, public health, history and anthropology to address some of the biggest health challenges facing societies in Asia and globally,” said Professor Robert Peckham, MB Lee Professor in the Humanities and Medicine and CHM Director, in an interview with the Bulletin, a biannual magazine published by HKU’s Communications and Public Affairs Office.

In its latest issue, the Bulletin featured the work of the centre in an article titled “The Human Factor.” See the full article here.

The Centre has published articles in the international media, and online forums, including The BMJ, The Independent, Foreign Affairs, East Asia Forum, New Statesman, Prospect Magazine, and Anthropology News.

FightCovid19.hku.hk has posted some of CHM’s work here. Below are additional links to CHM publications on COVID-19.

Articles by  Robert Peckham:

• “War of the Worlds: Covid-19 and Pandemic Belligerence,” Items [Social Science Research Council] (August 11, 2020) [online essay].
• Past Pandemics Exposed China’s Weaknesses,” Foreign Affairs [Council on Foreign Relations] (March 22, 2020).
• “The Contagious Power of Fear,” New Statesman (March 11, 2020).
• “Why the World Health Organization is Calling Coronavirus an “Infodemic,”” Prospect Magazine (March 4, 2020).
• “COVID-19 Infodemic: To Stem the Tide of Panic, We Need to Understand People’s Fears, Not Condemn Them,” South China Morning Post (March 1, 2020).
• “Can We Overcome Pandemics?” Bloomberg: Digital Originals (February 24, 2020).
• The COVID-19 Outbreak Has Shown We Need Strategies to Manage Panic During u  xx aa Waze linko opo
•  Epidemics,” British Medical Journal (February 21, 2020).
• “Coronavirus is Testing the Limits of China’s – and Hong Kong’s – Preparedness,” South China Morning Post (February 14, 2020).
• “A Health Emergency is No Time to Sideline the Medical Humanities,” Times Higher Education (February 10, 2020).
• “Coronavirus Panic,” The Independent (January 30, 2020).

Others:

• “Hong Kong’s COVID-19 debate: are health and freedom really at odds?” East Asia Forum (June 2, 2020)
• “Going Viral in Hong Kong,”Anthropology News (March 3, 2020)