What can we learn from COVID-19? A free webinar on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time will explore that question.

Hosted by the Socrates Project, Learning Lessons from COVID-19 will feature medical doctor and health policy researcher Ahmad Firas Khalid. He will discuss what has been learned so far and reflect on the pandemic’s long-term effects on our health and social systems.

Khalid, who completed his PhD in health policy from McMaster in 2019, authored “Five ways to put evidence into action during outbreaks like COVID-19,” published on March 4 in The Conversation and on the Brighter World site.

The webinar will be moderated by Katie Moisse, science journalist and assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Science at McMaster. Khalid and Moisse will discuss the accuracy and relevance of COVID-19 media coverage — as well as the importance of moving the public dialogue towards the larger questions that need to be addressed.

Participants will be welcome to text their questions during the last 30 minutes of the event. Register here.

“The purpose of this online conversation is to lift the discussion to a societal level, beyond the immediate impact on individuals,” says Rina Fraticelli, director of the Socrates Project which is hosting the event in partnership with McMaster Alumni.

“If anything, this pandemic is showcasing our capacity for invention, for resourcefulness, for community,” adds Fraticelli. “The level of intelligence and generosity across our community is extremely heartening. It gives me hope that we can see it applied to building a better ‘new normal’.”

Although the Socrates Project’s in-person events have been cancelled for April and May, Fraticelli points out that plans are still moving ahead. SHIFT 2020, a festival slated for the end of September, will bring together scientists, artists, scholars, and community members for a series of events “that aim to shift our attention from the source of our crises to the sources of solutions.”

In the meantime, another virtual event, the Breckenridge Memorial Lecture: Legislating in Polarized Times, is scheduled for April 22. Other online events will be announced in the weeks to come.

Several past talks are posted on the Socrates Project YouTube channel.

The Socrates Project was created in 2018 to offer public lectures, workshops and cultural events that cross academic disciplines and connect McMaster with the wider community. The two-year pilot program is funded by generous support from Lynton (“Red”) Wilson, chancellor emeritus of McMaster University.

Register here for “Learning Lessons from COVID-19: With Dr. Ahmad Firas Khalid,” a live conversation on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time.