“We are the bearer of bad news, but if you can show compassion and let them know they're not alone, they really appreciate it,” says contact tracer Michelle Smith. “It’s not necessarily just about treating the symptoms but also the mental health part of it.”

Influencing the behavior of college students is tough under the best of circumstances. Throw a pandemic into the mix, and you’ve got a much more challenging situation. That’s where young CDC Foundation staffers like Gabe Trotz, Jordan Mills and McKenna Deaton come in.

Meet three young associate laboratory microbiologists who have been inspired to join the fight against COVID on behalf of their loved ones and their communities. All now work at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with support from the CDC Foundation and TikTok.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia, one of the greatest challenges was presenting a united healthcare response across 14,000 islands, 514 districts and 35 provinces. But as president of the Indonesia Epidemiological Association (PAEI), it was a challenge Dr. Hariadi Wibisono had faced before.

Public-health professionals in the Motor City are helping out their hometown and making a difference as part of the COVID-19 Corps—with support from the CDC Foundation and TikTok.

“This is my gap year,” says recent graduate Anya Bazzell, MD. But it’s certainly not a year off, as in August, Bazzell relocated to Martha’s Vineyard to serve as the case investigator/contact tracer team lead for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

"When COVID hit," says Tena Tiruneh of Heart to Heart International, "we asked ourselves, ‘Where can we do the most good?' We decided to focus on those who were asymptomatic because they could be the main factor in the spread of the virus and didn’t even know it.”

Since starting her work at the Santa Clara County Health Department, contact tracer Karem Valenzuela has seen first-hand how much of an impact her work can have on the community.