As the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact medical systems in the greater Washington region and beyond, Marymount University’s School of Science, Mathematics and Education is doing what it can to support health care professionals in a variety of ways.
This month, faculty members in the school’s Biology & Physical Sciences Department demonstrated the University’s core value of service to others by donating 50 boxes of gloves and 10 pairs of safety goggles to Emerson Clinical Research Institute. With research sites across D.C. and Northern Virginia, the Institute has the mission of bringing new clinical research studies to the diverse patient populations at community-based clinics, in order to increase participation of minorities in research.
“I kept hearing stories about how people in health care were in need of PPE, and I knew that we had supplies at Marymount in our labs that could help,” said Dr. Amanda Wright, the Associate Professor who helped spearhead the donation.
After getting department chair Dr. Todd Rimkus on board with the project, Dr. Wright enlisted the help of lab coordinator Katie Sprinkel, who volunteered to collect all of the supplies and deliver them to wherever they were needed. When deciding where to donate the items, Dr. Susan Agolini suggested they go to Emerson Clinical Research Institute – which is led by a Marymount alumnus, Dr. Fabian Sandoval.
“He has done so much over the years to help our students gain valuable experiences in terms of internships and jobs. We thought this was a nice way to give back to him and his cause,” Dr. Wright added. “This really was a group effort – Saints helping Saints!”
In response, Dr. Sandoval posted a video on his LinkedIn page, thanking Marymount University for the donation and showing his appreciation.
“In trying times like these with the coronavirus, it’s nice to know that organizations and universities like Marymount donated all these gloves and safety goggles for our clinic so we can continue to do our work,” Dr. Sandoval said.
He also encouraged viewers, speaking in both English and Spanish, to support Marymount’s Student Emergency Fund campaign, which is being utilized to assist current students who are facing unprecedented challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Click here for more information on the Fund or to make a donation.
