Gearing Up for Second COVID-19 Symposium on May 14

Gearing Up for Second COVID-19 Symposium on May 14

A panel of experts in medicine and science will present up-to-date information and answer questions at the second COVID-19 Symposium organized and moderated by UC Davis distinguished professor Walter Leal.

The free public awareness event will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. Viewers can register and post advance questions on Zoom at https://bit.ly/2SUJ7t5. For YouTube Live, the link is https://bit.ly/3b8TAau

UC Systemwide President Janet Napolitano, a former secretary of Homeland Security, will deliver the welcoming address. 

Panelists are Dr. Allison Brashear, dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine; Dr. Atul Malhotra, professor of medicine, pulmonology, critical care, UC San Diego Health; Dr.  Emanuel Maverakis, professor of dermatology and immunology, UC Davis School of Medicine; and Dr. David Lubarsky, vice chancellor of Human Health Sciences and chief executive officer, UC Davis Health.

Among others participating will be Dr. Jane Sykes, professor of small animal internal medicine (infectious diseases emphasis) and chief veterinary medical officer, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. James M. Hotaling, associate professor, Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Utah; and several other guests.

Viewers are invited to ask advance questions as well as questions live. Former NASA astronaut Steve Robinson, now a UC Davis professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will be among those asking questions. Professor Robinson, who graduated from UC Davis in 1978 with dual degrees in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, saw Earth from outer space four times during NASA shuttle missions, including the 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery.

Questions will include:

  • Can our pets place us at risk for contracting the coronavirus?
  • Can we get the virus through sexual transmission?
  • Can COVID-19 survivors get secondary infections?
  • What research is underway on COVID-19 therapies, management and testing?

Professor Leal, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a member of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology faculty, and a former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, co-chaired the 2016 International Congress of Entomology. He is donating his organizational skills and his cutting-edge technology and video-conferencing expertise to host the symposium. The first symposium drew some 4000 views from 10 countries. 

 “It is a pleasure to create these platforms to raise awareness and address COVID-19-related questions from the public,” Leal said. One appreciative comment brought it all home: “You are our heroes.”


By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Author - Communications specialist

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