Free Webinar On COVID-19 Vaccine

Source: UMass News And Media

UMass is hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine webinar featuring a panel of scientists and public health experts to dispel misinformation and explain the vaccine’s role in overcoming the pandemic.

Making the Case: The COVID-19 Vaccine Webinar is scheduled for 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. The event is free and open to the public. Register here. Webinar participants are invited to submit questions when they register, and the panel of experts will answer as many as possible. 

“COVID-19 vaccines are critical to the health and well-being of millions of people in Massachusetts and billions around the world, but they must be taken in large numbers to have the most positive effect,” says Sheila Pennell, a clinical assistant professor of nursing who helps lead the COVID-19 testing operation for the UMass Public Health Promotion Center and supervises students now administering the COVID-19 vaccine at the Campus Center.

The panelists will share their perspectives as active science, nursing, and public health experts and will review historic vaccination programs around the world as they also address the importance of COVID-19 vaccine participation. 

In addition to Pennell, the panelists are:

Craig Martin, UMass Professor of Chemistry and member of the Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology. For more than three decades, Martin’s research group has studied the enzymology of T7 RNA polymerase, the enzyme used in the synthesis of mRNA vaccines.

Sarah Goff, UMass Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and a practicing physician. Goff’s research focuses on issues of quality and equity in the U.S. healthcare system, with an emphasis on women and children’s health and healthcare.

Kevin Cranston, Assistant Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He is the director of the department’s Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, which tracks and combats infectious disease.

Robin Hynds, UMass alumna, Senior Vice President of Network and Strategic Operations, and Chief Cinical Integration Officer at Lawrence General Hospital. She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare, and her recent work during COVID-19 has focused on ensuring adequate access to testing and vaccines, especially in underserved communities. 

Barbara Osborne, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at UMass. In her 30-plus years, she has investigated various aspects of the immune response to pathogens. Osborne has authored over 140 scientific publications and co-authored Kuby Immunology, a best-selling immunology textbook. She also co-founded two biotech companies.