Register now

In our first webinar of the series, go back in time and examine how the Justinianic Plague and the Black Death transformed peoples’ lives, and learn how new work in climate science and genomics is changing our understanding of the plague and its impact on society.

Dr. Lezlie Knox is associate professor of History and chair of the department. Her research focuses on the social and cultural dimensions of religious movements in later medieval Italy. She has published two books on women affiliated with the Franciscan Order, and she also has a particular interest in historical pandemics and how new research in ancient DNA and paleoclimates impacts our understanding of the persistence of plague.

Register now

Our second webinar of the series will focus on the main bioethical challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the ambiguous impact of Christian traditions to enlarge and address these challenges. As a case study, you will be introduced to the situation of indigenous in the Amazon region and the impact of COVID-19 in their community in the midst of an increasing presence of Christian missionaries.

Alexandre A. Martins is an assistant professor in a joint position at the Theology Department and the College of Nursing at Marquette. He is a theologian and bioethicist from Brazil. He received a Ph.D. in theological ethics/bioethics from Marquette University where he studied bioethics and global public health from a liberation approach. Then he received a Post-Doctorate Degree (habilitation) in Democracy and Human Rights from the Human Rights Center at Law School of University of Coimbra, Portugal. He is specialized in health care ethics and social ethics, especially in the areas of public health, global health, community based-approached and Catholic social teaching. Widely published, he has lectured in various countries. His last book in English was The Cry of the Poor: Liberation Ethics and Justice in Health Care (Lanham, MD.: Lexington Books, 2020) and a new book related to the COVID-19 pandemic is coming this October in Brazil: Covid-19, Política e Fé: Bioética em diálogo na realidade enlouquecida (São Paulo: O Gênio Criador, 2020).

Register now

In our third webinar of the series, there will be a discussion of how inequality has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans’ support for economic redistribution has remained quite stable over the last several decades, even as the gap between the very rich and the rest continues to grow. The pandemic, however, has laid bare the intersecting inequalities among class, gender, and race that put some Americans at greater risk of illness and death and more vulnerable to the economic fallout from the pandemic. This talk will explore how Americans’ concerns about economic inequality, preferences for social safety net programs, and attitudes about work and deservingness have shifted since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States.

Amber Wichowsky is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the Marquette Democracy Lab. Her research explores the intersections between politics and inequality, including class biases in turnout, money in electoral campaigns, and how public policy affects societal inequalities. She is also an occasional source for media coverage of electoral politics, including CNN, NPR, Fox News and several local news outlets. Her book, The Economic Other: Inequality in the American Political Imagination (joint with Meghan Condon, Loyola University Chicago) examines how Americans use social comparisons to make sense of income inequality and how such frames of reference affect attitudes about redistribution and feelings of political power (University of Chicago Press 2020). Amber's other publications include articles on voter turnout, welfare policy, campaign finance reform, legislative representation, presidential primaries, and an award-winning article on the civic implications of public policy evaluation. Amber and her Marquette colleagues from education, biology, law, and computer and data sciences have just begun a new project that examines how communities have mobilized in response to concerns about surface and groundwater contamination in Wisconsin. This project was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the American Political Science Association’s Research Partnerships on Critical Issues (RCPI) program. Amber received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University’s Center for the Study of American Politics. She previously worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C.

Register now

In the final webinar of the series, learn about the social and political consequences of disease and pandemics like the 1918 flu and HIV/AIDs in Sub Saharan Africa and some of the potential longer-term global effects of COVID-19.

Risa Brooks is Allis Chalmers Associate Professor of Political Science at Marquette University, an adjunct scholar at West Point’s Modern War Institute (2017-2020), and a non-resident senior associate in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Professor Brooks is the author of Shaping Strategy: The Civil-Military Politics of Strategic Assessment (Princeton University Press, 2008). She is also coeditor (with Lionel Beehner and Daniel Maurer) of the forthcoming Reconsidering American Civil-Military Relations: Politics, Society and Modern War (Oxford University Press) and coeditor (with Elizabeth Stanley) of Creating Military Power: The Sources of Military Effectiveness (Stanford University Press, 2007). She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, and her professional experiences include positions as research associate at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). She has served as associate editor for the academic journals International Security and Security Studies. Her research interests include U.S. and global/comparative civil-military relations, political violence and militant organizations, and the Middle East and North Africa region.

Meralis T. Hood, Comm ’02 is an education thought leader whose mission is to reshape the way we invest in the professionals who work with young people every day.

Most recently heading City Year Milwaukee as its Executive Director and Vice President, she maintains and reinforces strong and strategic relationships with Milwaukee Public Schools, City Year Milwaukee’s board, corporate and philanthropic partners, and the wider community. In this role she has led and supported 33 staff members and 120 AmeriCorps members.  

A strong believer that all students can succeed, she gives her time to the National Executive Leadership Group and Senior Leadership Team for City Year, Inc., working to accelerate and advance the mission of building a more equitable future for our youngest citizens.  Meralis was named to Milwaukee Business Journal's 40 under 40 in 2020. She serves as the Governor's appointee on the Wisconsin Humanities Council and is a member of the board of trustees for the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Meralis was born and raised in Milwaukee after her mother was recruited from Puerto Rico to serve as a bilingual educator in the city. Before joining City Year Milwaukee, Meralis was a veteran educator. She was the assistant principal at Bay View High School in Milwaukee Public Schools, a City Year partner school. Meralis was a bilingual teacher for nine years at MPS and then, transitioned into instructional coaching and administrative roles in the district. 

She holds a Bachelor of Art degree in advertising and public relations from Marquette University, a Master of Science degree in curriculum and instruction from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an Education Specialist degree in educational leadership and administration from National Louis University.

Meralis is a proud resident of Milwaukee where she lives with Nakia, her husband of 17 years, and their daughters Salma Esther and Sadie Isabel. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling with her family.   

Antonina Olszewski was raised on the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas prior to moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. Antonina attended the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and Marion University. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry, Genetics and History, and a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership and Quality with an emphasis on Servant Leadership. Additionally, she holds multiple Executive Certificates from the University of Wisconsin Madison Graduate School of Business and Cornell University, and carries a diploma as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Antonina has worked for Ascension health (or one of its legacy systems) since 2010. She has held roles as Foundation Director, Director of Community Health, and Director of Mission Integration prior to her current position as the Director of Spiritual Services for the Ascension Wisconsin market. She sits on the ABIDE Core Team which is working to integrate a comprehensive national Diversity, Equality and Equity strategy throughout Ascension and the communities in which it operates.

Prior to her transition to Catholic Healthcare, Antonina was the Program Coordinator for the Women Wellness program at the Marshfield Clinic.  She has a history of working in the financial industry in both Europe and the United States, and has taught as an adjunct professor for colleges in both Austria and Germany. On the personal side, Antonina is a published writer and long-time art collector, and speaks fluent German.

Antonina has served on various national committees for both the Association for Community Health Improvement (ACHI) and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). She has participated as a member on numerous community boards including The United Way, The American Cancer Society, The Community Center of Hope and The Rural Health Initiative. Her involvement with children has included work with the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, where she joined the Executive Committee of the BOD in 2020, Healthy Marathon County and Blessings in a Backpack. However, Antonina is most proud of her work with victims of human trafficking and domestic and sexual assault through her participation on the Board of Directors for The Women’s Community—where she was past president—and her participation in the development of the human trafficking training modules used nationally throughout Ascension.

Dr. William Welburn is the vice president for inclusive excellence for Marquette University’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. As executive director, Dr. Welburn is responsible for leadership in setting a strategic direction on campus diversity and inclusion by working with faculty, administrative, staff and student communities on a range of issues leading toward a more inclusive Marquette. His office’s portfolio includes implementation of the university’s strategic planning theme “A Culture of Inclusion,” and in assisting the university in full implementation of actions recommended by planning and climate assessment.

Sheena Carey, Jour ’81, Grad ’83, serves as internship director and lecturer in communication studies for the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University, is a consultant in the areas of intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity and workforce diversity, small group dynamics, and teambuilding. She has worked in creative collaboration with Coyaba Dance Theater in Washington, DC. and the Ko-Thi Dance Company in Milwaukee, WI. She wrote narrative poetry and performed spoken word for the dance productions. She is a graduate of Marquette University's Master of Arts program in Speech Communication and completed post-graduate coursework in Rhetorical criticism, Literary theory, and Africana Philosophy.