On Monday, I was on-boarded for temporary work as an analyst for the Public Health Agency of Canada--the government arm primarily responsible for national COVID response. I am only working on public platforms for now, and it is fascinating to see through the lens of a government insider.

Areas of focus, aside from the obvious, include looking at protecting vulnerable and key populations (and the unintended consequences of public health measures), sustaining science and innovation, and in general, looking at modalities for how public health organizations should adapt/evolve/reconfigure for the post-pandemic world. The latter is very interesting, but given I am, in effect, working for the Man--despite being brought it for my "outsider" knowledge--I am reminded by a lovely but anxious manager that my role is to analyse (and NOT to advise). Sigh. It will be a long six months, I think.

All this, on top of solo parenting and homeschooling three children, running a daily COVID Tweens Reading Group, and finishing up a COVID+SDGs chapter due on Sunday (!). And that research article from my PhD that needs another gloss over before submission. That article in Nature on the pandemic and women academics pretty much nailed it.