Wednesday, May 14, 2003
5–6:30 p.m.
Becton Dickinson Auditorium, Room W1020
On Wednesday, May 14, 2003, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will hold a seminar to examine the emerging Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic. Expert panelists will discuss up-to-date information about the epidemic’s spread, its history, how it is transmitted and how it may be controlled. The seminar will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. at the School of Public Health located at 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Md.
The panel will include faculty from the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS, dean of the School of Public Health, will moderate the discussion.
- Donald Burke, MD, professor and director of the School’s Center for Immunization Research, will examine the nature of coronaviruses and the emergence of SARS. He will also discuss what needs to be done to prevent the disease from spreading globally, the implications for travelers and the likelihood of a SARS vaccine.
- Randall Packard, PhD, chair and professor of the Institute of History of Science, Medicine and Technology at the School of Medicine, will examine past epidemics, specifically the 1918 flu epidemic, and why infectious disease epidemics are so devastating.
- Stephen Teret, JD, MPH, professor and director of the School’s Center for Law and the Public's Health, will discuss the legal and ethical issues of quarantines as a method for combating SARS.
- Trish Perl, MD, professor of medicine and director of Epidemiology and Infection Control at Johns Hopkins Hospital, will talk about treating the SARS patients, the number of cases in Baltimore and current prevention and surveillance strategies.
Webcast Information
Public Affairs Media Contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Tim Parsons or Kenna Brigham at 410-955-6878 or paffairs@jhsph.edu. Photographs of Donald Burke and Stephen Teret are available upon request.
