Faculty Experts & Current Events Archives

Afghan children pass the time making the most of their surroundings at a makeshift camp for displaced Afghans fleeing the fighting between the Taliban and the Afghan Security Forces at Hasa-e-Awal Park, in Kabul, Afghanistan.MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES

For the many left behind in Afghanistan, a refugee crisis in the making

As the rushed evacuations of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies continues, both those people waiting to leave Afghanistan and those en route to a new country face serious challenges, say three Northeastern scholars.

by Molly Callahan August 23, 2021

Why the pandemic is more confusing than ever

Mask on. Mask off. Now, put your mask on again. Don’t leave your house. Hug your grandparents. Stop hugging Grandma. Trying to navigate the renewed risks of the pandemic amidst the Delta variant may make your head spin. “We are in a situation where the ground rules have changed,” says Rory Smead, associate professor of philosophy at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 23, 2021

U.S soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

A former US intelligence officer breaks down the mistakes in Afghanistan

The United States evacuation from Afghanistan has the makings of a human and political disaster—and it didn’t have to end this way, says Khushal Safi, who heads the international safety office at Northeastern. “You have a more savvy Taliban. It's the Taliban that were in Doha negotiating with Americans, the Taliban that sent envoys to neighboring countries to say, ‘Look, this is what we want to do,’” he says.

by Ian Thomsen August 19, 2021

Here’s how to make sense of the new guidance on booster shots. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Why the Biden administration now says we need booster shots for COVID-19

New research reveals that COVID-19 vaccine protections began to decline in the middle of the summer when the delta variant was sweeping through the nation. “As we get new information, as the data provides new clues and a new direction in terms of what we need to do, we have to then respond accordingly,” says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 18, 2021

Firefighters search for survivors inside a collapsed building, after Saturday´s 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti. AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn

Earthquake that rocked Haiti could trigger COVID-19 spike as assistance rushes in

Haitians, facing structural and political instability after the Aug. 14 earthquake, could face a deadly COVID-19 surge due to low vaccination rates and potential exposure from outside agencies, say Northeastern experts.

by Hillary Chabot August 17, 2021

Afghan citizens gather near the airport in in Kabul as the Taliban close in

What just happened in Afghanistan? And what comes next?

A humanitarian crisis is brewing in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the government, Northeastern political science experts say. The United States may end up taking in thousands of Afghan refugees, possibly opening the U.S. to more criticism if it doesn’t accept enough of them, the professors add.

by Peter Ramjug August 16, 2021

Migrants in the slums of the capital Mogadishu are seen trying to survive in makeshift tents in Mogadishu, Somali. Photo by Sadak Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Refugees often face violence, mental health issues in the cities where they had sought safety, study says

Refugees who experience violence in the North American cities where they’ve sought asylum suffer from devastating, long-lasting mental health issues—and those issues can impact them just as deeply as the violence they faced in their home country, says Carmel Salhi, assistant professor of health sciences.

by Hillary Chabot August 13, 2021

Chris Cuomo, CNN face ethical questions following his brother’s political demise

The CNN star is scheduled to return to the airwaves Monday evening, days after his brother resigned as governor of New York. Northeastern journalism experts say CNN management and Chris Cuomo himself share blame for the “messy situation” involving Gov. Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal.

by Peter Ramjug August 13, 2021

Large crowds of people with and without masks fill Times Square in New York City.

It could be too late to stop the Delta variant–and to achieve ‘herd immunity’; Here’s why

Now that cases are rising across the country again because of the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, even with more than half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, it’s time that health authorities rethink the pandemic “endgame,” says Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the Master of Public Health in Urban Health program at Northeastern.

by Tanner Stening August 13, 2021

Could there be an even more effective vaccine? This professor thinks so.

Existing COVID-19 vaccines have far surpassed public health officials’ expectations. But could they be improved upon even further? Yes, says Sidi Bencherif, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern. Here’s how.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 12, 2021

Faculty Experts & Current Events