Actors’ Equity has hired a new team of public health consultants to advise the union on COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Dr. Mark Cunningham-Hill, a physician who has consulted for GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson on recent virus outbreaks, leads the team, which includes Dr. Laura S. Welch, an occupational medicine specialist and Dr. Steven J. Anderson, a sports medicine doctor.
The union had been working with Dr. David Michaels, a former assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, since the start of the pandemic. Michaels is stepping away from the position due to a new public health project.
“The last two years have shown that COVID-19 allows no room for complacency; if anything, we must strive to be ever more informed, responsive and nimble,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “We are grateful for Drs. Cunningham-Hill, Welch and Anderson for stepping up as we continue to navigate this difficult time.”
This is the same team that advises the American Guild of Music Artists and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society on COVID-19 safety.
“AGMA and SDC look forward to working more closely with Equity as we all continue to navigate through the muddy waters of the pandemic,” Sam Wheeler, national executive director of AGMA and Laura Penn, executive director of SDC, said in a joint statement.
