New Post-doc at PANSOC

masv on 2. August 2022

Alexandra (Sasha) Blinkova is a researcher at risk (due to the Russian invasion into Ukraine) in the interdisciplinary field of religious studies. She has a PhD in philosophy of religion and religious studies from St. Petersburg State University (Russia) having successfully defended the dissertation on the topic of religious education in Russian schools and comparison of Russian model with the ones represented in the European Union countries.

Her research interests stem from the desire to understand how religion is manifested in contemporary world. In particular, it includes contextualization of religious tradition; analysis of educational policies in the field of religion with a focus on ideology and values; religious attitudes towards life threatening issues like organ transplants; correlations between religiosity and wellbeing, religiosity and aggression.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, her research focus has been drawn to the rapid spread of religious information in social media showing the power of religion regarding people’s responses to the pandemic as well as reshaping of religion itself by the pandemic. As a member of the OsloMet Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC), she has been invited to resubmit a MSCA proposal for Postdoctoral Fellowship and carry out a pilot project on religion and pandemics in social media. 

Yo can find Sasha’s e-mail and social media profiles here: Our team – Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC) (oslomet.no)

New publication: Disparities in the offer of vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway

masv on 10. July 2022

You can read the new paper here: Disparities in the offer of COVID-19 vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway: a cross sectional survey study | BMC Public Health | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

Vaccination is key to reducing the spread and impacts of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Migrants, compared to majority populations, tend to have lower vaccination rates, as well as higher infection disease burdens. Previous studies have tried to understand these disparities based on factors such as misinformation, vaccine hesitancy or medical mistrust. However, the necessary precondition of receiving, or recognizing receipt, of an offer to get a vaccine must also be considered.

Methods

We conducted a web-based survey in six parishes in Oslo that have a high proportion of migrant residents and were hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate differences in reporting being offered the COVID-19 vaccine based on migrant status. Different models controlling for vaccination prioritization variables (age, underlying health conditions, and health-related jobs), socioeconomic and demographic variables, and variables specific to migrant status (language spoken at home and years lived in Norway) were conducted.

Results

Responses from 5,442 participants (response rate of 9.1%) were included in analyses. The sample included 1,284 (23.6%) migrants. Fewer migrants than non-migrants reported receiving a vaccine offer (68.1% vs. 81.1%), and this difference was significant after controlling for prioritization variables (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.52–0.82). Subsequent models showed higher odds ratios for reporting having been offered the vaccine for females, and lower odds ratios for those with university education. There were few to no significant differences based on language spoken at home, or among birth countries compared to each other. Duration of residence emerged as an important explanatory variable, as migrants who had lived in Norway for fewer than 15 years were less likely to report offer of a vaccine.

Conclusion

Results were consistent with studies that show disparities between non-migrants and migrants in actual vaccine uptake. While differences in receiving an offer cannot fully explain disparities in vaccination rates, our analyses suggest that receiving, or recognizing and understanding, an offer does play a role. Issues related to duration of residence, such as inclusion in population and health registries and health and digital literacy, should be addressed by policymakers and health services organizers.

Dødens skip – Kong Sverre. Hvorfor døde så mange av rekruttene ombord av spanskesyken i 1918?

masv on 20. June 2022

Christina Stylegar Torjussen er masterstudent i historie ved Universitetet i Sør-Øst Norge (Ole Georg Mosen som hovedveileder) og har samtidig vært assosiert med PANSOC hvor hun også har hatt Mamelund som biveileder. Hun har jobbet med å finne ut mest mulig om soldatene og hvorfor det gikk så galt med mange av dem. Skipet var stasjonert i Horten og tok imot 500 rekrutter i oktober 1918. Snart var 158 av dem smittet. Av disse fikk halvparten lungebetennelse og 27% av dem døde. Andelen som døde var mye høyere enn i resten av samfunnet (som var 2% høsten 1918). I episoden forteller Torjussen også om hvordan det er å skrive masteroppgave ved siden av full lærerjobb, og litt om hvordan det er å være en del av PANSOC, et fremragende forskningsmiljø ved OsloMet.

Du kan lytte til podkasten her: Dødens skip – Kong Sverre. Hvorfor døde så mange av rekruttene ombord av spanskesyken i 1918? – Viten og snakkis (oslomet.no)

Portrett av kvinne med sjø i bakgrunnen.

Call for applications for Visiting Researcher Program to do research on Indigenous Peoples & Pandemics

masv on 14. June 2022

The 1918-20 influenza pandemic hit the native communities in Alaska hard. These children in an orphanage in Nushagak, Alaska, lost their parents. Summer of 1919. Source: Alaska Historical Library
The 1918-20 influenza pandemic hit the native communities in Alaska hard. These children in an orphanage in Nushagak, Alaska, lost their parents. Summer of 1919. Source: Alaska Historical Library

Pandemics are one of the most pressing global threats to human life and security, and they have especially serious impacts on Indigenous people throughout the world.

The Centre for Advanced Study (CAS) funded project Social Science Meets Biology: Indigenous People and Severe Influenza Outcomes – CAS, to be held from August 2022 to June 2023, will bring together interdisciplinary researchers to foster conversations that integrate medical, epidemiological and social perspectives. The primary aims are to increase understanding of the commonalities and varieties of Indigenous experiences when faced with pandemic diseases and better appreciate the diversity of pandemic consequences faced by Indigenous vs. non-indigenous peoples.

As part of this project, we welcome applications from advanced PhD students and post-PhD academics at all career stages for a short visit to Oslo during the 2022-2023 academic year. The venue is CAS at the The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters | Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi (dnva.no) in Oslo.

Applicants with Indigenous background are especially welcomed, but non-Indigenous researchers are also encouraged to apply. Visiting researchers will be expected to give a talk on their research and will have the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations and proposals with CAS fellows.

We encourage applications from science-oriented researchers with interests in Indigenous people’s experiences with historical, current, and future pandemics. Examples of topics of interest are:

  • Disparities in disease outcomes or impacts of public health measures based on Indigenous status, taking socioeconomic and other types of inequalities into account.
  • Syndemic interactions among multiple infectious conditions or with non-communicable diseases, chronic health conditions, intergenerational trauma and colonization.
  • Relationships between infectious disease epidemics and other crises such as financial crisis, wars, extreme climate events and climate change.

The visiting researcher program will cover transportation costs to Oslo and hotel accommodations for 1-2 weeks.

Please send a CV and cover letter with a short description (1-2 pages) of your research interests and objectives for a visit to Oslo, as well as anticipated timing or availability for travel, to Professor and group leader Svenn-Erik Mamelund (masv@oslomet.no).

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 August, 2022

Fall 2022 Webinar Schedule

masv on 14. June 2022

Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC)

We are pleased to announce the fall webinar series. All talks will be held Thursdays at 1600 CET (Oslo time) unless otherwise noted. Please contact jessicad@oslomet.no if you need a link.

15 September: Kirsty Short, The University of Queensland, “Obesity and viral disease: lessons for pandemic preparedness.”

22 September: Nele Brusselaers, Antwerp University & Karolinska Institutet, “How science affected Covid-19 policy in Sweden.”

29 September: Sushma Dahal & Gerardo Chowell, Georgia State University, “COVID-19 mortality among Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in Mexico.”

6 October: Alexi Gugushvili, University of Oslo, “The COVID-19 Pandemic and War: The Case of Ukraine.”

20 October, 1500 CET: Masato Shizume, Waseda University, The Great Influenza Pandemic in Japan: Policy Responses and Socioeconomic Consequences.”

27 October: Ben Schneider, Oslo Metropolitan University, TBA

3 November: Heather Battles, The University of Auckland, “A historical syndemic? Measles and scarlet fever in the Victorian goldfields.”

17 November: Esyllt Jones, University of Manitoba, TBA

1 December: Tobias A. Jopp and Mark Spoerer, University of Regensburg, “Tracing the temporal and spatial course of the Spanish flu in Germany.”

Call for applications for Visiting Researcher Program

masv on 23. May 2022

Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC)

PANSOC welcomes applications from advanced PhD students and post-PhD academics at all career stages for a short visit to Oslo during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Visiting researchers will be expected to give one public talk on their research and one internal talk (for example, a methods workshop or discussion of current or future work). Visitors will also have the opportunity to discuss potential collaborations and proposals with PANSOC-affiliated researchers.

We encourage applications from researchers in all fields of social sciences and humanities with interests in the social aspects of historical, current, and future pandemics. We are particularly interested in topics such as:

  • Disparities in disease outcomes or impacts of public health measures based on socioeconomic and other inequalities.
  • Syndemic interactions with non-communicable diseases and chronic health conditions.
  • Relationships between infectious disease epidemics and other crises such as wars or extreme climate events.

The visiting researcher program will cover transportation costs to Oslo and hotel accommodations for one week.

Please send a CV and cover letter with a short description (1-2 pages) of your research interests and objectives for a visit to Oslo, as well as anticipated timing or availability for travel, to Svenn-Erik Mamelund (masv@oslomet.no).

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31 July, 2022

PANSOC-affiliated students submitted their theses

masv on 21. May 2022

Here they are: these PANSOC affiliated researchers all submitted their masters theses this week on pandemic topics. Congrats, we are so proud of you!

Kan være et bilde av 3 personer, folk som står og innendørs

Picture shows from left to right, Carla Hughes, Lara Steinmetz and Christina Torjussen, at a conference in Bergen fall of 2021.

Jessica Dimka invited to ERC interview

masv on 20. May 2022

PANSOC has received excellent news this Friday: co-leader Jessica Dimka has passed step 1 and has been invited to interview for an ERC Starting Grant. Her proposed project, EpiDynamics, focuses on interactions and feedback between seasonal infectious diseases and chronic health conditions in order to understand health, demographic, and ultimately evolutionary changes in human populations over time.