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Read a paper:
National Institutes of Health socia=
l and behavioral research in response to the SARS-CoV2 Pandemic, Trans =
Behav Med, 2020 Oct 8; 10(4): 857-861. =
Dr. Monica Webb Hooper
Behind the Mask
December 23, 2020
Barr: Good afternoon. Today is December 23rd, 2020. My name is Gabrielle= Barr. I am the archivist at the Office of NIH History and Stett= en Museum and today I have the opportunity of speaking with Dr. Monica Webb= Hooper. Dr. Webb Hooper is the Deputy Director of the National Insti= tute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and today she will talk abou= t three of her COVID-related activities as she does very many things in her= role at NIH, so we will focus on three. So, thank you very much for being = with me today and talking about some of your experiences.
Webb Hooper: Absolutely. Thanks for the invitation.
Barr: So, to begin, you've been doing a lot of work on NIH's produ= cts initiative. Can you, briefly, describe what the RADx [Rapid Acceleratio= n of Diagnostics] program is, what its objectives are, and whom it is desig= ned to serve?
Webb Hooper: Sure. The NIH Office of the Director committed half of its = one billion dollar Congressional appropriation for COVID-19 testing re= search, that is 500 million dollars to focus on underserved and vulnerable = populations. This is the major initiative that we refer to as Rapid Acceler= ation of Diagnostics =E2=80=93 Underserved Populations or RADx-UP. And I th= ink it's also really noteworthy that this is, to my knowledge, the largest = NIH investment in health disparities research for a single initiative.
This is a new consortium of community-engaged research projects that are= focusing on increasing access and uptake of COVID-19 tests. This consortiu= m will generate data from these projects that will help us understand dispa= rities in infectious disease transmission and outcomes, and it will be real= ly useful for evolving the science on strategies to reduce disparities, thr= ough the use of FDA-authorized diagnostics. Importantly, RADx-UP is also fo= cused on the social, ethical, and behavioral implications of testing unders= erved groups. So, we will be studying what happens when you test underserve= d populations, what are the next steps that we should be thinking about, es= pecially among individuals who may not have the privilege of being able to = self-isolate. How can we make sure that patients interpret their test resul= ts correctly? So, this is a really significant initiative and it is the one= component of RADx, overall, that is focused on increasing access.
Barr: So, there are many underserved and vulnerable populations in the U= nited States, unfortunately. Are there particular groups or communiti= es that this project is focusing on?
Webb Hooper: Absolutely. RADx-UP is prioritizing those populations that = are underserved, including racial and ethnic minority groups, sexual a= nd gender minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and unde= rserved rural communities, as well as populations that are COVID-19 vu= lnerable due to medical, geographic, and social factors, including pregnant= women and children, individuals with medical comorbidities, older adults, = homeless populations, persons with disabilities, individuals with substance= use disorders or serious mental illness, migrant communities, residents of= tribal lands or reservations, and many others.
Barr: That is quite a lot. What actions have you taken to reduce dispari= ties, and have you tailored how you have interacted with these particular g= roups in individual ways?
Webb Hooper: It is a great question and I think the answer is that= RADx-UP is a new initiative so we are learning as we go, and the goal will= be to generate data that really helps us understand the appropriate and ef= fective actions to reduce health disparities with testing as the primary co= mponent, and then understanding the cultural and community nuances and need= s for tailoring that we don't yet have the answer for. We know about = this from research in other areas, but because COVID-19 is an unprecedented= situation, and there are lots of factors that are influencing one's access= and uptake for testing, we will be learning a great deal about the actions= that need to be taken to reduce these disparities. You know, when you thin= k about that, we are unsure what the trajectory for COVID looks like, and w= hen we will be on the other side of this pandemic, and when people will be = vaccinated, but testing will always be an important part of this condition = as long as it exists. So, we think this is a really important initiative, a= nd we are confident that we'll be learning a lot of information that will h= elp us not only to address health disparities as it relates to COVID-19, bu= t we think it also provides an important window of opportunity to understan= d strategies for addressing health disparities that have existed for decade= s, and longer than that, in a way that is meaningful and impactful.
Barr: Is it too early to assess what are some things that you and others= working on this initiative have learned so far?
Webb Hooper: Well, I think there are lots of things that we have learned= thus far from observational data. I developed a model that helped me think= about the factors that contribute directly to COVID-19 cases and outcomes.= I think that COVID-19 is illustrative of the overarching health disparitie= s in the United States more broadly, so, in this model we can theme the fac= tors as being related to health and healthcare, socioeconomics, and social = determinants of health, and we cannot ignore the backdrop of systemic inequ= ities which are also associated with poor health outcomes. Some of the fact= ors that we might think about are housing insecurity and food insecurity. M= uch has been reported about racial/ethnic minorities being employed in esse= ntial jobs that force exposure to the virus, and to give one example among = nurses, who are mostly women, nurses of Filipino descent comprised just abo= ut four percent of the U.S. workforce, but nearly a third of registered nur= se deaths due to COVID-19. This represents the largest racial/ethnic minori= ty group to die of the disease within this workforce, followed by Afri= can American nurses. So, we have learned that COVID-19 racial and ethnic di= sparities are driven by differences in exposure. There are structural issue= s that are taking place here rather than biological or genetic factors.
Barr: That's interesting. I know that RADx-UP has different phases of it= . What phase are you currently in with this program?
Webb Hooper: We have made great progress in record time with RADx-UP. We= have completed the awards for phase I of this initiative. Phase I co= nsisted of three funding opportunities, and then an opportunity for a large= coordination and data collection center. Two of the mechanisms were testin= g research projects. These are the projects that are focused on how we can = increase access and uptake of testing, getting testing completed in as many= populations that we prioritize as possible, and so we have awarded 30 site= s that are large networks and research centers who already have established= relationships within communities and with community organizations. We also= funded smaller individual grants to conduct testing research projects, and= we awarded 23 of those, and then we also awarded 16 grants that are focuse= d on the social, ethical, and behavioral implications of testing. These, co= mbined with our coordination and data collection center, which is a large, = very large, grant, that will manage this consortium over the four years =E2= =80=93 is a total of 70 grants awarded in its first phase, and we are start= ing the process of planning for phase II.
Barr: What will phase II encompass?
Webb Hooper: Well, phase II is expected to be an extension and expansion= of phase one. We will be in 2021 developing funding opportunities th= at adjust for the changed landscape. Everything with COVID-19 changes week = to week and when we developed the opportunities for phase I, there were not= FDA-authorized vaccines on the horizon. Now that we have vaccines that are= approved or that are authorized and there might be other vaccines that are= also approved, we have to factor in how that will relate to this landscape= . There are also new testing technologies and we want to understand how we = can incorporate them and provide access, in effective and culturally respon= sive ways, to our communities. So, as we move into planning for phase II of= RADx-UP, we will be thinking about and planning for the future in terms of= how we can ensure that diagnostic testing for COVID-19 remains a priority,= but also adjusting for the changes in the landscape.
Barr: Yes, definitely. So, with this initiative, what has it been like t= o work with researchers as well as with community organizations? There= have very different needs and mentalities, I am sure.
Webb Hooper: Well, you are correct, and as a community engaged scientist= , I greatly appreciate this question. In my experience working with co= mmunity stakeholders in terms of the meaning and the richness of research, = from where I sit the significant involvement of stakeholders at all levels = and disciplines, and community organizations as well as lay community membe= rs, is a must in the context of research among underserved populations and = so, this has been a cornerstone. Community engagement and community engaged= research are cornerstones of the RADx-UP initiative.
Barr: Can you speak a little bit about how you have been involved person= ally with this initiative?
Webb Hooper: Sure. I have had the honor and the privilege of serving as = a co-chair of the RADx-Up working group. My co-chair and I have really been= involved from the beginning to help design this initiative, to help bring = the various staff who are working across NIH together to work on the develo= pment of the funding opportunities. So, I had=E2=80=94 especially starting = at NIH when I did, which was just as the pandemic started=E2=80=94it was re= ally an amazing opportunity for me to be able to infuse my voice as a commu= nity engaged scientist, who is focused in my research program primarily on = racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved and under-resourced comm= unities. I was able to bring that perspective into this initiative in a way= that I hope was helpful, and I hope is going to be impactful in the scienc= e that results from this. Our working group was a highly engaged group of p= rogram and other staff from across NIH, who came together and worked dilige= ntly over a period of months to develop four funding opportunity announceme= nts. We managed the review process, we managed the webinars that were the l= aunch pad for this consortium to really take shape, and many of these folks= are going to be involved as we move into phase II.
Barr: What was it like, the timeline between when you first starting to = draft these notices to getting them out there?
Webb Hooper: The timeline was short. We had deliverables and we had to p= roduce funding opportunities as quickly as possible given the urgency aroun= d this pandemic. We started at the end of April and our first funding oppor= tunities receipt dates were in August and then September, and we completed = the funding for phase I in early November so, it was a short time frame to = bring a 500-million-dollar initiative together.
Barr: Yes, definitely. What has been the biggest challenge so far with w= orking on RADx-UP?
Webb Hooper: I think that the challenges have really been mostly a= bout making sure that we could develop a quality product in such a short ti= me, and at the time that we started the initiative there was not much that = we could derive from the science because there were so many unanswered ques= tions, very few publications with peer-reviewed findings that we could draw= from. That was one of the challenges; we had to often draw from what we kn= ow about health disparities in general and apply it to what we could observ= e what is happening with COVID-19. I think that what we ended up with was a= really strong, robust set of applications and a set of projects that are g= oing to make for a consortium that is like none that we have ever seen, tha= t are all focused on the same goal. We are excited and we expect to see rap= id impacts from these projects that can hopefully lead to longer-term solut= ions.
Barr: Yeah, definitely. I think we are going to move on to another initi= ative that you are involved with=E2=80=94the CEAL [Community Engagement All= iance] program. What has been your role in NIH=E2=80=99s CEAL initiative?= p>
Webb Hooper: CEAL is the NIH Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID= -19 Disparities, and I have the honor and privilege of co-leading the = program team. This is an initiative that is co-led by the NIMHD director Dr= . Eliseo P=C3=A9rez-Stable and the NHLBI director Dr. Gary Gibbons. They ar= e the co-chairs of the initiative and I co-lead the program team with Dr. G= eorge Mensah at NHLBI. I have had the role of helping from the very beginni= ng when we started this initiative in July, 2020, to think about, programma= tically, what the initiative should be focused on, helping to develop its m= ission, its vision, and helping to craft the questions that we seek to answ= er, and think about the impact that we hope CEAL will have.
Barr: In your view, what has been the most exciting part of this endeavo= r?
Webb Hooper: CEAL has been very exhilarating, and I think that, probably= , the most exhilarating part is understanding that it must move very quickl= y. CEAL was stood up even faster than RADx-UP and that is amazing in and of= itself. We have witnessed from the beginning an infrastructure develop, re= ally de novo, so we now have 11 CEAL teams that are funded across 11 states= . They are focused on addressing really important issues such as education = about COVID-19, combating misinformation, addressing distrust, and working = with community organizations and other stakeholders to have a positive impa= ct, and encourage individuals to consider participating in COVID-19 clinica= l trials, vaccine trials, therapeutic trials, prevention trials, and also t= hinking about how we can ensure that the populations who are disproportiona= tely affected are willing to accept the vaccines once they are eligible to = receive them. Doing all of this in a very short time, maybe about a 90-day = time period, has really been intense, it has also been exhilarating, and it= has been just very rewarding to see the project come together. I think tha= t CEAL is also important because it creates an infrastructure that has the = potential to stand the test of time, that is to live long beyond, hopefully= , our days when COVID is in the rearview mirror. We would like to see this = refocus, if you will, on community engagement and community engaged researc= h come back into the forefront of the things that we should be thinking abo= ut not only as we work with underserved populations, but as we think about = how to address biomedical science problems and how we address medical condi= tions and their management in general.
Barr: What do you think, and this is may be a side issue, but what do yo= u think are a lot of problems between communities and the science? In scien= ce, you know, medical: hospitals, doctors, institutions like NIH, the CDC, = there sometimes seems to be a big disconnect.
Webb Hooper: Well, I think at times there can be and when you think abou= t it, part of it depends on how we define communities. We know that there a= re pervasive health disparities that are observed among underserved populat= ions in the United States, particularly those who have had a long history i= n the United States, and we also know from the literature and from the repo= rted lived experiences over decades that the distrust that has been built u= p over time is because of situations that have happened, unfortunately. And= what we are seeing is the collision of social issues that have been elevat= ed in 2020, things that have been there and under the surface for a long ti= me for many people, are now in the forefront. I think that there is a bit o= f a rift that we have to address openly and honestly. We have to seek to un= derstand it, address it openly and honestly, and seek to understand what th= e strategies and approaches might be to really help to mend some of the maj= or concerns that communities report. We must take it seriously if we want t= o see the health care systems and other large systems work well with commun= ities. We have to demonstrate that we are serious about positive change wor= k collaboratively to see change become a reality. I think that one of the s= ilver linings, if you will, is that COVID has created is an opportunity in = the areas of health care, public health, social determinants of health and = health disparities, to look closely at our systems and how we have been ope= rating. It is very complex, but I think we have an opportunity to try to ad= dress some of the problems that we have faced for many years.
Barr: Do you feel like with the CEAL initiative that you all are learnin= g and taking in as much as you are trying to dispel misinformation and do e= ducation? Do you feel like it is the give and take or is it more one way th= an another?
Webb Hooper: The goal of CEAL is to be bi-directional and that is one of= the primary principles of community engaged research. It has to be bi= -directional. If the work is coming from one [group] of scientists telling = communities what they should be doing or scientists thinking that we have t= he power, ability, and the lack of humility to think that we can fix commun= ities, then we're not likely to have the positive impact that we hope to ha= ve. CEAL is a very bi-directional initiative. The leadership of CEAL includ= es scientists, it includes community-based stakeholders, including faith-ba= sed stakeholders and others who have strong connections and have a large re= ach across the country with various communities. And we are intentional abo= ut ensuring that along the way we have the buy-in of all the stakeholders a= nd the affected communities and that is, I think, one of the things that ma= kes CEAL quite unique from other initiatives that are happening.
Barr: So today, what have been some obstacles that you have faced with t= his program? As well, has there been any surprise findings?
Webb Hooper: Obstacles is a good question, and I think thus far the obst= acles have been trying to understand the misinformation and the source= s of misinformation, the depth of disinformation, which is the deliberate s= pread of false information that makes it difficult to understand the choice= s and make informed decisions about the options that might be best for indi= viduals or their families. We have addressed=E2=80=94we are working still t= o address=E2=80=94these concerns by developing tip sheets and resources.&nb= sp; We have set up a fantastic website that is now in its third release. It= is www.covid19community.nih.gov. We have gone through th= e landscape of needs to try to be as responsive as possible, recognizing th= at there are so many contextual and community nuances, and that is where we= rely on the expertise of our CEAL research teams who are working on the gr= ound with communities every day, and who understand that in different geogr= aphic locations and within different communities, customized resources may = be needed. Those are some of the biggest challenges that we are still worki= ng to overcome.
Barr: Yeah. I had a chance to look at the site and it is quite impressiv= e, so, that is really nice. I think we are going to move on to another= way that you have been partaking in COVID activities and NIH, which is adv= ocacy, which you do a lot of in your role as Deputy Director. So, in w= hat ways have you shed light on health disparities related to COVID and adv= ocated for changes to be made?
Webb Hooper: Well, when it comes to COVID-19 and really all the work tha= t I am involved in, I approach it more from a science perspective rather th= an advocacy, although in many respects the data derived from science is to = be used, and should be used, for advocacy purposes. One of the first things= that we worked on was a commentary about racial/ethnic disparities in COVI= D-19 and we were fortunate that the commentary was published in the Journal= of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In the commentary, we talked a= bout the data that existed then. So, this commentary was published earlier = in the pandemic in May 2020 and we talk about the disparities that were obs= erved and, unfortunately, have persisted among African Americans, American = Indians, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders and Latinos, and we wrote ab= out some of the reasons that underlie some of these health disparities. We = also discuss the importance of recognizing and addressing the complex struc= tural and social determinants of health, addressing racism and discriminati= on, addressing economic and educational disadvantages. We cover the importa= nce of addressing health care access and equality. We also focus on the rol= e of individual behavior as well. And so, that was one of the first things = and that article has gone on to be cited many times and to be well utilized= in the field. That is what we want =E2=80=93 to inspire researchers to rea= lly delve in on these topics to try to understand them and move us closer t= o being able to address them.
Barr: Yes. What are some concrete short-term and long-term solutions tha= t you think that can be enacted to bring about some of the changes that we = see are needed with COVID-19?
Webb Hooper: You asked a great question. I think about this from a multi= -level perspective. Right, we need solutions that are at the individual lev= el, at the interpersonal level, at the community or neighborhood level, at = the health systems level, and at the policy level. These projects have focu= sed, primarily, on solutions at the individual level and when you think abo= ut it from that approach, we need consistent and accurate messaging, we nee= d systematic data collection that is also longitudinal so that we can repor= t accurately on demographic and social determinants of health. Part of that= depends on clinical systems so, you need systems level work because those = are the entities that report to local and state public health departments a= nd to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We, also, I think, in= the short term, need to focus on how we can ensure access to high quality = care, how we can resolve testing deserts. You know, these are things that w= e have the ability to do something about, and I think on the positive side = that since the pandemic started, when this was new and testing was scarce, = that we have seen a major improvement in our infrastructure for COVID-19 te= sting. There are still areas that you would refer to as testing deserts, or= geographic locations where test sites are not easily accessible, but I thi= nk we have made progress in that way, and as new technologies became availa= ble, such as the ability to complete home testing for COVID. There are ways= , and it just means that there are solutions that are coming, that have hap= pened, and we can expect in the short term.
Then, as we think about long-term solutions, we need more science that c= an result in improved understanding of COVID-19. It is a condition that we = are still learning so much about every day, and this understanding from sci= entific studies may lead us to more targeted and effective community and he= althcare system-based interventions, so we certainly need to move beyond th= e individual level to look at how the data that we are generating can guide= intervention efforts, preventive health care, and how this information can= be used to guide policy. I think that is where we are going. One important= aspect of that, though, is making sure that the science does continue with= this lens of community engaged intervention development, implementation an= d evaluation, and that is really what will help us lay the foundation for s= ystem-wide goals around decreasing health disparities.
Barr: Yes, that is really great. Have certain formats and channels worke= d better for you than others in discussing health disparities related to CO= VID-19? I know that you have done some writing, you have done some speaking= , you have done some webinars, so have you found one has been better a= t reaching people than others?
Webb Hooper: Well, we are now in a virtual world and so, our formats and= channels are much more limited than they were. Our options are essent= ially to write and to publish information and you can publish in multiple w= ays. You can publish, of course, in peer-reviewed journals, but you can als= o publish on blogs, you can share on social media channels, and other kinds= of ways to send the messages out. In my in my experience thus far, I have = felt that townhalls, webinars, and the opportunities to engage in Q&As,= to have scientific discussions, and discussions with community organizatio= ns are great ways to reach people. One that I found that was really great, = [was with] one of my former partners. When I was in the in the academic set= ting, I delivered kind of a fireside chat with that organization, who focus= es on addressing the needs of sexual and gender minorities and the unique c= oncerns that these groups have with COVID-19. I found that experience and c= hannel to be phenomenal and allowed for a more intimate in-depth discussion= of some of the unique issues that communities are facing. Those are the ki= nds of activities that I find rewarding and I think help us all gain unders= tanding and work through, in a collaborative way, some of the many challeng= es that we are all facing.
Barr: Yes. Can you speak a little bit about how your training and backgr= ound has helped you with working with COVID-19? You are a clinical psycholo= gist, you have worked with other health issues beyond COVID, so, you have a= very broad perspective.
Webb Hooper: I do have a different perspective, and it is broad. I am a = translational behavioral scientist, and I am a licensed clinical healt= h psychologist, and I have dedicated my career and my life's work to the sc= ientific study of minority health and racial/ethnic disparities. This work = has focused on chronic illness prevention and health behavior change, and i= n my academic positions as a scientist, I led, for over 15 years, a communi= ty engaged research laboratory and we were focused on understanding multile= vel factors and biopsychosocial mechanisms that underlie modifiable risk be= haviors and the development of community responsive and culturally specific= interventions. We also conducted community-based participatory research wi= th a focus on distrust for healthcare and biomedical research in underserve= d populations. And joining NIH and having the opportunity to bring those pe= rspectives and bring these areas of science into the project that we are wo= rking on, has presented a great opportunity to bring that kind of experienc= e and knowledge to the forefront in these initiatives. It just happened, un= fortunately, that this pandemic would occur with my starting at NIH, and th= e focus on health disparities becoming such a national conversation at this= point. It is interesting how things work out, but my training lends itself= very well to addressing health disparities in COVID-19.
Barr: Yeah, it definitely does. Well, in addition to these initiatives, = what other COVID activities, just briefly, have you been involved with in y= our role, just to give people an idea of all the different things that you = do?
Webb Hooper: I will just mention one activity. This, actually, was the f= irst one that I started working on when I arrived and it is a COVID-related= initiative that is called the social, behavioral, economic impact of COVID= -19 in underserved and/or vulnerable populations. With that initiative we w= ere able to develop funding opportunities that focused on interventions ear= ly on that were in the area of digital healthcare. We know that telemedicin= e has become instrumental to the delivery of health care in this context, p= articularly when things were shut down, and it was sort of the only way to = see or communicate with a health professional. We also have a funding oppor= tunity that has generated a really robust response, which is fantastic, and= it is focused on community interventions to address COVID-19 in terms of t= he social, behavioral, and economic impacts, as we know that the pandemic h= as affected us in so many ways, such as mental health, and economics and so= cial factors. I am proud of that work as well.
Barr: That is really great. We are going to transition from your role as= a scientist to being a person living through this pandemic like every othe= r American in 2020. One of my questions is: have you been working on campus= at home or a combination, and what has the experience been like?
Webb Hooper: I was sworn in as Deputy Director on March 16, 2020, and it= was a really memorable moment for me. About half of NIMHD staff had b= egun telework and they were able to watch my swearing-in on WebEx, versus w= hat we anticipated, which was that we would all be in the room. I thought a= bout this=E2=80=94and it was so exciting to join NIH=E2=80=94for months, an= d then this would happen on the day of the swearing-in, but it was still an= amazing experience, and then, the very next day, the 17th, was the day tha= t we went to 100% telework. So, I have been working remotely my entire time= at NIH. I do work from home and the experience has been interesting. I thi= nk while some people would think that it is a really inopportune time to be= gin such a position, I don't see it that way. My learning curve has been st= eep and it has been intense, but it has been deeply meaningful work and I h= ave been able to develop relationships that feel like relationships where I= have met people face to face and I have only seen their faces on Zoom or W= ebEx. It will be so amazing when we can return to seeing each other and act= ually meeting each other in person, but I felt like everyone has been suppo= rtive. So it has been a great experience.
Barr: That is good. I can relate. I started on April 20th, so, I have al= so been remote the whole time. Definitely very different. What have been so= me personal challenges and opportunities for you that have arisen due to th= e pandemic?
Webb Hooper: There are challenges and opportunities. I think it is impor= tant to recognize that there are still some opportunities that have come ab= out even with the pandemic. I think on the personal challenges side, I am a= person who is very family oriented and my family lives in a different stat= e. My closest family members live in South Florida and the biggest challeng= e is not being able to travel, not being able to see my family in person, h= as been really the biggest challenge. I also have small children who are in= grade school, and the challenges of helping them make the transition to di= stance learning and make sure that they still have a great education. Those= have probably been the two biggest of the personal challenges but there ar= e opportunities and I think aside from the professional things that we have= discussed; I have had the opportunity to really pause on some of the thing= s I was working on, and some of the things I was doing, the constant hustle= and the constant go, and really take a minute to sit back and just hold st= ill for a second. Also, I really value spending time with my kids and= so I have seen much more of them than I would have seen, with the typical = working, driving, traffic, all of those things=E2=80=94I have seen so much = of my children. It has just provided an opportunity for so much quali= ty time with them that would just have never happened in any other circumst= ance.
Barr: That is very nice. Being remote and being part of NIH leadership, = how have you gone about attending to the physical safety and emotional well= -being of the staff who you help lead at your institute?
Webb Hooper: Yes. I mean, I think as a psychologist I am very concerned = with the psychological and emotional well-being of everyone and including o= ur staff at NIMHD, and some of the things that we have been focused on to m= ake sure that we stay connected to the staff are we have monthly town hall = meetings, we also have staff meetings regularly, we also have informal chec= k-ins. I check-in and have conversations with various staff just to make su= re that they are doing okay. I also thought, going into the holidays, that = NIMHD has a history of having an in-person holiday gathering, and I thought= it was really important to make sure that even though we are remote that w= e think about how we can gather for the holiday. Other staff were thinking = the same thing and making plans. So, last week, we had what I think was a g= reat virtual holiday gathering that was interactive and engaging and even t= hough it was in a virtual context, it was fun and enjoyable. Things like th= at, I think, are important to make sure that you stay connected.
Barr: Yes, definitely. This is a fun question. What is something about t= he holidays that will be different this year due to the pandemic for you?= p>
Webb Hooper: That is fun question? I am kind of bummed I cannot see my f= amily. Okay. But what is the positive?
Barr: I guess what are you most looking for, we can make this more fun. = I guess that was a little depressing. What are you most looking forwar= d to during the holidays this year? It has been a rough year for so many pe= ople.
Webb Hooper: It has. I enjoy the holiday season greatly and this year is= definitely different, but I think we will enjoy. I will be cooking, = I think, more than I usually would, and my children believe in Santa and th= ey believe in the magic of Christmas and that's always fun for me to be abl= e to help bring that magic to life for them. That is not different, but it = is different in the sense that it will be my nucleus, like my five, the fiv= e of us, my husband and my three kids. It will be just an opportunity for u= s to have a Christmas, which we never have had, that is focused on us and o= ur little family unit. We will make sure that we play lots of games, and we= make it a magical, memorable experience for the kids.
Barr: Yes, definitely. Well, is there anything else that you would want = to share as an NIH scientist or as a person living through the pandemic?
Webb Hooper: I think I have said a lot, but I just wish everyone, and I = wish you the best. I am
hopeful that we are going to come out on the other side of this and that= we will, hopefully, be better in many ways as a result. I just hope that e= veryone stays safe and healthy and that we have a fantastic 2021.
Barr: I do, too, thank you very much for your words and I wish you and y= our family very happy holidays and all the best.