Gabrielle Barr, B.A., M.S.I., is the archivist at the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum, where she is responsible for making physical and digital collections accessible to researchers, answering reference requests, and assisting with outreach endeavours. She has also taken an active part in trying to capture and preserve NIH’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, including spearheading the initiative “Behind the Mask: Real Stories from NIH Staff About Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
This past January marked the one-year anniversary of NIH’s role in addressing COVID-19. For many, it has been a year of hardships and grief, but the race to subdue this new virus has also tapped into the resolve and ingenuity of IRP staff who have already helped create diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapeutics. Let's take a look back to see a few examples of how IRP scientists and staff have contributed to the fight against COVID-19, as well as how the pandemic has changed life at the NIH.
NIH History Office Explores Life During a Pandemic
The NIH has played a critical role in supporting research and therapeutic development aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The people doing that important work have had their lives changed by the pandemic in many ways. For that reason, the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum has launched an initiative to encourage NIH employees and volunteers to share their professional and personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. These contributions will be the primary source material future historians will use to understand how NIH fared and adapted at this critical time.
This page was last updated on Thursday, March 30, 2023
