As America faces a shortage of contact tracers, Stanford students and faculty have recruited volunteers and performed research to explore the ethical implications of identifying people who may have come into contact with an infected person.

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“When COVID started, a lot of the clinics weren’t open and seeing patients as quickly as [they] needed to be seen,” said Melissa Bondy, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health. People reduced their cancer screening practices and were less likely to return to clinics to follow up on any suspicious findings or symptoms, according to Bondy.

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Even as the two become increasingly influential, the University has declined to take a stance on their views, instead advocating for the right of affiliates to express opposing views.

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