In April 2020, New York State’s Governor Andrew Cuomo commissioned Havidán Rodríguez, President, University at Albany, State University of New York, with leading a team of experts to study the environmental, socioeconomic and occupational factors causing Latinx and Black individuals in New York to be disproportionately harmed by COVID-19 (www.albany.edu/mhd). A project team, partially funded by the commission, built a novel interdisciplinary research collaboration known as the COVID-19 and Minority Health Disparities in NYS Engaged Researchers Working Group (hereafter ERs).

The University at Albany COVID-19 and MHD in NYS Engaged Researchers (ERs) are a dynamic interdisciplinary research and collaboration ecosystem of more than 35 UAlbany researchers and professionals who are partnering with other Universities and community organizations directly impacted by COVID-19 to produce new knowledge for research and practice. The work of the ERs has generated a wide array of outputs, including a white paper collection; journal articles, a virtual multi-campus and community conversation about health equity research and practice attended by more than 200 researchers, students and leaders of community organizations; and a monthly webinar series created in partnership with the Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS).

For additional information about this project please see: www.albany.edu/mhd or contact Theresa Pardo, Special Assistant to the President and Project Director for this initiative at .