Join us on April 20, 2026 at Columbia University (in-person at Earl Hall and virtually) for a free and public one-day symposium on "Long Covid and Society" from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
The conversation features sociologists, historians, anthropologists, patient advocates, clinicians, and scientists working around issues related to Long Covid’s impact on social inequalities. We will also feature researchers from Brazil and France to provide global perspectives on Long Covid.
Speakers for the day include Gil Eyal (Columbia), Larry Au (CUNY), JD Davids (CUNY), Abigail Dumes (Michigan), Emily Lim Rogers (Duke), Emily Mendenhall (Georgetown), David Scales (Weil Cornell), Melina Sherman (UCF), Pierre Robicquet (CSI), Andre Luiz Sica de Campos (UNICAMP), Renan Gonçalves Leonel da Silva (NJIT), Ilana Löwy (CNRS), Julia Moore Vogel (Scripps), Ian Simon (former Director, HHS Office of Long COVID), Cynthia Adinig (BIPOC Equity Agency and CYNAERA), Kathryn Varga, Yanze Yu (Columbia) and more.
Sponsors: Institute for Social and Economic Research Policy (ISERP), The Trust Collaboratory, Trans-Atlantic Platform for Social Sciences and Humanities (T-AP), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), The City College of New York, Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation (CSI) at Mines Paris - PSL
Schedule
9:30-9:45 am: Check-In and Coffee
9:45-10 am: Introductions and Welcome Remarks
We would like to encourage in-person participants to get to know one another, and have virtual participants contribute to a word cloud of issues that they would like for the speakers to address during today’s proceedings.
10-11:15 am: First Session: Lessons for Long Covid from Other Patient Groups
Emily Lim Rogers (Duke University), JD Davids (CUNY), Andre Luiz Sica de Campos (University of Campinas), Abigail Dumes (University of Michigan), Moderator: Gil Eyal (Columbia University)
In this session, we will explore the experiences of other patient groups, such as ME/CFS, HIV/AIDS, Zika, Lyme, and more. What lessons can we learn from these experiences for Long Covid? What are some tactics and strategies that we can learn to gain recognition and awareness? Are there alliances and bridges that can be built between Long Covid and other patient groups? To what extent is the category of infection associated chronic conditions helpful?
11:15-11:30 am: Break
11:30-12:45 pm: Second Session: Global Perspectives on Long Covid
Pierre Robicquet (Mines Paris – PSL), Renan Leonel Gonçalves da Silva (New Jersey Institute of Technology), Yanze Yu (Columbia University), Ilana Lowy (CNRS), Moderator: Larry Au (CUNY)
While Long Covid’s biology may remain constant, what the illness represents and what it means to be sick with Long Covid can differ drastically across social, political, and economic contexts. This session examines how social institutions shape the experience of Long Covid in different countries, drawing on experiences from France, Brazil, and China. How is the experience of Long Covid shaped by institutional context? What are some policies and practices that have benefited Long Covid patients, and can they be implemented elsewhere?
12:45-1:45 pm: Lunch
1:45-3 pm: Plenary Session: Learning from Patients, Scientists, and Clinicians
Julia Moore Vogel (Scripps), Ian Simon, Kat Varga (Cornell), David Scales (Weil Cornell), and others to be added, Moderator: Abigail Dumes (University of Michigan)
During this plenary session, we want to hear from patients, scientists, and clinicians and see what questions and problems they would like social scientists to address when it comes to Long Covid. This session will be centered on questions such as: How can the lived experiences of patients inform clinical care, scientific research, and policymaking? What are some ways that we can promote and respect the experiences of individuals living with Long Covid?
3:00-3:15 pm: Break
3:15-4:30 pm: Third Session: Advancing Inclusion and Trust in Long Covid Science
Emily Mendenhall (Georgetown University), Melina Sherman (University of Central Florida), Gil Eyal (Columbia University), Larry Au (CUNY), Moderator: Cristian Capotescu (Columbia University)
Patient voices have not always been included in discussions about research in Long Covid, to their detriment. Yet in order to produce trustworthy knowledge about Long Covid, patient experiences and expertise is needed. What can be done to harness the knowledge and expertise of patients to advance Long Covid science and medicine? How can we promote trust and inclusion in interactions between patients, clinicians, and scientists?
4:30-5 pm: Closing Discussion
We would like to break the audience up into small group discussions on things that they have learned during the day, and other things that they would like to learn more about down the road. The core research team is currently in the middle of their three year project studying Long Covid and society, and would appreciate input on topics and areas that they should investigate.
