Echoes of the Pandemic: Dr. Iulia Vann on what it means to rise to a challenge

When the first case of COVID-19 arrived in Guilford County, former Public Health Director Dr. Iulia Vann was very new to the job. After a wave of fear and anxiety, she says something else quickly followed: determination. 

In the latest installment of Echoes of the Pandemic, Vann describes working with her team to meet unexpected challenges and moments when the intensity of it all set in. 

Interview Highlights: 

On leadership during the pandemic's early days: 

“Even if there were things that we didn't know as far as the virus, there was one thing that I knew very clearly, and that was that Guilford County Health Department had to rise to the challenge, to the task that was going to be in front of us, even if I didn't really know exactly what that meant.” 

On facing the reality of the crisis: 

“As soon as we started doing the COVID testing in the UNCG parking lot, that's when I started seeing people rolling through in those cars so sick and just so ill and just doing so bad that the gravity of the situation just hit me like smack in the face, right? I was seeing the numbers, I was getting the reports, we were hearing all of the other information that we were getting from other areas, but to actually see our people being driven by family members that were scared just to have this sick person in the car with them to get tested — it’s just something that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life.”

On working together: 

“Not that I did not believe in partnerships and collaborating before, but now I die by the idea that we have to be collaborative, we have to work together. We have to build and maintain relationships that will help us moving forward, for whatever the challenge that we're going to have.” 

*Editor's note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Music featured in this story is by Roary and Stars As Signals.