Research Program
The COVID-19 Initiative
COVID-19 has cost millions of lives worldwide, overwhelmed healthcare systems, devastated economies and changed society for years to come. The Schaeffer Center’s COVID Initiative is working to improve public health and get people back to work without fear of infection.
Program Leadership
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Neeraj Sood, PhD
Director, COVID Initiative, USC Schaeffer Center
Vice Dean for Research, USC Price School of Public Policy
Professor of Public Policy, USC Price School of Public Policy
Call for Proposals
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Response Policy Research Fund
Featured Research
Trends and Disparities in the Utilization of Influenza Vaccines Among Commercially Insured US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers attempted tp under how COVID-19 affected influenza vaccine utilization and disparities.
Did Prioritizing Essential Workers Help to Achieve Racial/Ethnic Equity in Early COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution? The LA Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study
Most US states and counties prioritized essential workers for early access to COVID-19 vaccines due to their heightened occupational risk. Racial/ethnic groups most impacted by COVID-19 are overrepresented among essential workers. This study estimates the effects of prioritizing essential workers on racial/ethnic equity in COVID-19 vaccination.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Policy Response on Health Care Utilization: Evidence From County-Level Medical Claims and Cellphone Data
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced federal, state, and local policymakers to respond by legislating, enacting, and enforcing social distancing policies.
COVID-19 Testing in Schools: Perspectives of School Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students in Southern California
School-based COVID-19 testing is a potential strategy to facilitate the safe reopening of schools that have been closed due to the pandemic. This qualitative study assessed attitudes toward this strategy among four groups of stakeholders: school administrators, teachers, parents, and high school students.
Shelter-in-Place Policies and Excess Mortality
Shelter-in-place policies were one of the most widely used policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neeraj Sood presented his research on the impact of these policies on excess mortality for a NBER research spotlight webinar.
Featured Perspectives
The High Cost of ‘Free’ Covid Testing
Insurance companies will inevitably pass the costs of free tests on through higher premiums or reduced benefits.
More than 7 in 10 L.A. County Adults Were Vaccinated or Had COVID Antibodies Before Delta and Omicron Surges
A new USC study shows herd immunity is unlikely to happen.
We Should Double Down on Treatments for Those at High Risk Instead of Pushing Boosters and Tests for Everyone
Billions of dollars now committed to home-testing masses of people could be saved if we tested only the symptomatic. Those funds would be better spent supporting access to affordable COVID treatment for people with a high risk of hospitalization.
How COVID Can Help Us Refocus on the How and Why of Value Assessment
The limitations of conventional approaches to value assessment are particularly clear when reflecting on our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Burden of 1 Million Excess Deaths: 13.5 Million Years of Life Lost During the COVID Pandemic
Schaeffer Center experts now estimate the average person who has died has lost 13.5 years of life. The researchers find that the average years of life lost increased over the second year of the pandemic despite vaccines being widely available.
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Ongoing Studies
Los Angeles COVID Response Innovations
Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Initiative
Program Team
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Rani Kotha, JD, MPH
Senior Strategist, USC Schaeffer Center
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Anna Rodriguez-Vasquez, MPH
Clinical Research Supervisor, COVID Initiative, USC Schaeffer Center
Funding for the COVID Initiative has been provided by the USC Office of the President, USC Office of the Provost, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, Hilton Foundation, Jedel Family Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Office of Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and various individual donors.