University Capacity to Raise Public Awareness of Measures to Combat Covid 19: a Russian University Experience

Abstract

The goal of the paper to explore the university capacity to contribute to the public good during the current health emergency.The above statement is explored in the paper with regard to the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (Moscow, Russian Federation).The research materials include open mass media sources where the academic faculty of the University provide their comments and expert opinions.The research design integrated the analysis of academic papers to shape the research theoretical background and empirical studies. They stood on the ground theory approach and inductive techniques to aggregate the concrete items of data through context-based search of the relevant information.The research findings reveal that in two months of strict quarantine, RUDN University doctors gave 16 interviews to the country's leading TV channels and print media about the forecast of the pandemic in Russia, the nature coronavirus infection in different countries and in different people, analysis of drugs that suppress coronavirus and methods of treatment, the special danger of coronavirus for smokers, the need for proper nutrition in a pandemic, the importance of special attention to the health of pregnant women and the need for constant attention to the psychological state and behavior of children, etc.Further, the university volunteering activities contributed both to the public support in general, and fostered youth sustainability, as well.The above data leads to the conclusion the university community realizes the importance of its social mission for satisfying the information needs of the population, understands the importance of applied research that really helps people in emergency situations.