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eBriefing 
Coronavirus: What You Need to Know
Reported by
Posted March 13, 2020
Presented By
Overview
The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing growing fear and confusion around the world. With conflicting information available from different sources, how do you know what’s real and what’s not? This eBriefing will present the latest science-based information on the epidemic and answer practical questions about the virus.
In This eBriefing, You'll Learn
- What is the new coronavirus (COVID-19)?
- What groups of people are most at risk from COVID-19 and why?
- Are any treatments available? What new treatments are under development?
- Do we know if seasonal change will affect the spread of coronavirus?
- Where can you find reliable information on the disease?
Speakers
Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH
University of Minnesota
Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H.
Merck & Co.
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What You Need to Know About the New Coronavirus
Speakers
Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH
University of Minnesota
Michael Osterholm is one of the nation’s foremost experts in public health, infectious disease and biosecurity. As the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, he is an international leader on the world’s preparedness for pandemics. He has led numerous investigations into internationally important disease outbreaks, including foodborne diseases, hepatitis B in health care settings, and HIV infection in healthcare workers, and he is a frequent consultant to the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Defense and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2001 to 2005, Dr. Osterholm served as a special advisor to the secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to bioterrorism and public health preparedness. From June 2018 through May 2019, he served as a Science Envoy for Health Security on behalf of the US Department of State. He has also been appointed to the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity and the World Economic Forum’s Working Group on Pandemics, among other prominent advisory positions.
Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH
Merck & Co.
Julie L. Gerberding is Executive Vice President and Chief Patient Officer, Strategic Communications, Global Public Policy, and Population Health Merck & Co. She joined Merck in January 2010 as president of Merck Vaccines and led efforts to make the company’s vaccines more available and affordable to people in resource-limited countries around the world. She left her tenured faculty position at the University of California, San Francisco in 1998 to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion and then served as the CDC Director from 2002 to 2009. As director, she led the CDC through more than 40 emergency responses to public health crises, including anthrax bioterrorism, SARS, and natural disasters. She also advised governments around the world on urgent issues such as pandemic preparedness, AIDS, antimicrobial resistance, tobacco, and cancer. She has received more than 50 awards and honors, including the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Distinguished Service Award for her leadership in responses to anthrax bioterrorism and the September 11, 2001 attacks. She was named to Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 2005 through 2008 and to TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2004.