As 2021 draws to a close, COVID-19 remains a pervasive influence over life at Yale and across the world. And yet, even as a new surge in cases portends a winter of uncertainty, a look back at the past year offers many reminders of just how much more we now know about this global threat, the remarkable importance of vaccines and other public health measures, and the resiliency of humankind.
After reviewing the many hundreds of stories published on Yale News this year, we identified several about Yale’s response to the pandemic that especially resonated with readers and that best capture how the university and our experts have helped make sense of — and respond to — this disruptive disease. You’ll find a list below.
In a second list below, we highlight several non-COVID stories about the people and projects that inspired us and gave us hope for a healthier and more equitable 2022 — and the new initiatives that will position the Yale community to be a leader in tackling the challenges of the future.
The response to the COVID-19 threat continues
How Yale transformed itself during a time of pandemic
As the new year began, Yale News reviewed how the campus community pulled together to do the work of the university in the face of unprecedented challenges, and looked ahead to the spring semester.
Yale faculty help White House tackle the COVID-19 crisis
As chair of the White House’s COVID-19 Equity Task Force, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, the C.N.H Long Professor of Internal Medicine, Public Health, and Management at Yale, became a national voice on racial inequities in COVID-19 treatment and outcomes. Meanwhile, Abbe Gluck, the Alfred M. Rankin Professor of Law and professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine, was named special counsel to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 Response team. She also worked in the Office of White House Counsel on other health care issues, including the Affordable Care Act..
Yale launches COVID-19 vaccination program for campus and community
In early January, Yale launched its COVID-19 vaccination program in the Lanman Center at Payne Whitney Gymnasium, as vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer gained final approvals for use in the United States.
Yale scientists map the shape of the SARS-CoV-2 genome
After spending nearly a year cataloguing and exploring the SARS-CoV-2 genome’s intricate makeup, a team of Yale scientists revealed a map of it with an unprecedented level of detail, including more than 100 identifiable structures.
Yale targets COVID-19 with innovative computational design methods
In February, Yale scientists developed a new class of antiviral agents that showed promise for creating COVID-19 therapeutics — exhibiting particular effectiveness when used in tandem with the drug remdesivir, another antiviral medication approved for use against the virus.
Rare COVID-19 response in children explained
For most children, COVID-19 infection results in a relatively mild illness. In a few cases, however, a severe immune reaction occurs. During the spring, Yale research found that such rare, life-threatening reactions may be triggered by high levels of alarmins, molecules that make up part of the innate immune system.
The Lanman Center’s COVID-19 journey comes full circle
The Lanman Center, which early in the pandemic was converted into a field hospital, and later into Yale’s primary vaccination center, returned to being simply a gym during the summer, as the vaccination operations were shifted to the Rose Center on Ashmun Street.
U.S. vaccination campaign prevented up to 279,000 COVID-19 deaths
In July, a Yale-led study found that the COVID-19 vaccination campaign launched in the United States in late 2020 had, at that point, saved some 279,000 lives and prevented 1.25 million hospitalizations. Researchers warned, however, that these gains could be reversed by the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Study examines severe breakthrough cases of COVID-19
In September, Yale researchers provided important insights into what were then becoming known as “breakthrough” COVID-19 cases — in which fully vaccinated individuals are infected by SARS-CoV-2 — and which populations are particularly vulnerable to serious breakthrough illness.
For unvaccinated, reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 is likely, study finds
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists had been unclear about how long immunity lasts after an unvaccinated person is infected. In October, a Yale-led team of researchers found an answer: Strong protection following natural infection is short-lived, lasting as little as three months or less.
Vaccines effective against most SARS-CoV-2 variants
In October, a Yale-led study found that two of the commonly used COVID-19 vaccines provide protection against multiple variants of the virus that causes the disease, including the highly infectious Delta variant. Their findings also showed that those infected with the virus prior to vaccination exhibit a more robust immune response to all variants than those who were uninfected and fully vaccinated.
Appeals to community spirit, shame most likely to shift vaccine attitudes
In November, a study by Yale political scientists and public health experts found that, when it comes to persuading people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s more effective to appeal to community spirit than to self-interest.
Severe breakthrough cases drive home urgency of boosters
Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections tend to be mild, but Yale research published in December showed that more older adults have developed severe breakthrough cases during the Delta variant phase of the pandemic, particularly after a longer period of time had elapsed since their last vaccination. The findings, researchers say, reveal the importance of booster vaccinations.
Unvaccinated white evangelicals appear immune to pro-vaccine messaging
White evangelical Christians have resisted getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at higher rates than other religious groups in the U.S. In November, a Yale study found that persuading these vaccine holdouts had only become more difficult.
A new threat emerges: What we know about ‘Omicron’
In December, as a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, began to spread throughout the world, public health leaders scrambled to better understand how contagious the new variant is and whether existing vaccines are effective against it. Yale doctors offered insights into the emerging threat.
Non-COVID stories
At Yale, new neuroscience institute to unravel the mysteries of cognition
In February, Yale announced the establishment of the Wu Tsai Institute, an ambitious new research enterprise that will supercharge Yale’s neuroscience initiative and position the university to reveal the brain in its full, dynamic complexity, thanks to a historic gift from Joseph C. Tsai ’86, ’90 J.D. and his wife, Clara Wu Tsai.
Peabody renovation offers unique view of iconic dinosaur mural
As a historic renovation of the Peabody Museum proceeds, conservator Mariana Di Giacomo is charged with keeping a close eye on the iconic mural “The Age of Reptiles,” by celebrated artist Rudolph Zallinger. The experience has allowed her to appreciate layers of detail. In February, Yale News caught up with her — and shared a dazzling gallery of images.
Yale scientists repair injured spinal cords using patients’ own stem cells
In a promising early trial, researchers from Yale reported in February that patients with spinal cord injuries experienced substantial improvements in motor function — such as the ability to walk or to use their hands — after an intravenous injection of bone marrow-derived stem cells.
Humanities Quadrangle: A cherished Yale icon reimagined
After 30 months of renovations, the redesigned Humanities Quadrangle — formerly the Hall of Graduate Studies — put a vibrant new face on Yale’s longstanding excellence in the humanities. The refurbished building includes dynamic spaces that promote connections among departments and programs and the cultivation of new ideas.
How a Yale scientist and a rock star named an ant for a Warhol ‘Superstar’
The late Jeremy Ayers — once known as the gender-bending performance artist Silva Thin — may seem like an unlikely namesake for an ant. But thanks to Yale ecologist Douglas B. Booher and rock star Michael Stipe, who shared a decades-long friendship with Ayers, a new species from the forests of Ecuador will honor his legacy and his reverence for the diversity of life.
With a gift from David Geffen, Yale’s drama school goes tuition-free
During the summer, the university announced that present and future students at Yale University’s drama school will no longer pay tuition, thanks to a landmark $150 million gift from entertainment executive and philanthropist David Geffen.
Psychedelic spurs growth of neural connections lost in depression
Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug found in some mushrooms, has long been studied as a potential treatment for depression. Yale research published in July detailed exactly what happens in the brain after a dose of psilocybin, and what makes its medicinal properties so promising.
The forecast for Mars? Otherworldly weather predictions
In August, Yale scientists published a study of atmospheric patterns on Mars and Saturn’s moon Titan that will help lay the foundation for more accurate forecasts of weather on other worlds. Researchers say such forecasts will be vital to the safety and success of future research missions.
Analysis unlocks secret of the Vinland Map — it’s a fake
In 1965, Yale scholars created a sensation with the revelation of the Vinland Map, which was thought to be the earliest known European depiction of the New World. This summer, a team of Yale researchers said it proved the map to be an elaborate 20th-century forgery.
For ‘Project ’14,’ Yale ensembles premiere new music by composers of color
In October, a series of performances by the Yale Glee Club, Yale Bands, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra held in each of Yale’s residential college courtyards marked a return to live music on campus following a year of lockdowns and a response to the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. (With video.)
With new $140+ million Yale pledge, Yale, New Haven promote growth, economy
In November, Yale and the City of New Haven reconfirmed their historic, three-century partnership for a new generation, announcing a six-year commitment that increases the university’s annual voluntary financial contribution to the city and creates bold opportunities for inclusive economic growth that benefit the entire community.
Ahead of ‘The Game,’ Coach Reno embraces the positive
Tony Reno, now in his ninth season as head coach of the Yale football team, is more focused on creating a culture of responsibility, camaraderie, and integrity than on wins and losses — but that hasn’t kept the Bulldogs from finding success on the field.
For Yale student, looking for opportunity in hardship delivers success
On the long road to Yale College, Obed Gyedu-Larbi labored as a domestic aide and Greyhound baggage handler. He also founded a non-profit to feed and clothe homeless people in New York City. “For me,” he said, “it was important to not only work hard for myself.”
