ONLINE: The UW Now
press release: Stream at the WAA YouTube channel.
Sept. 8: While there is still so much we do not know about COVID-19, our understanding of this virus continues to grow day by day. What have we learned over the past several months, and what do we think we may see in the months to come? What are we doing to make sure there are enough tests to go around and adequate resources to process them? What have we discovered about treating patients with COVID-19? When might we see a successful vaccine, and how effective will it be?
The next UW Now Livestream offers a Q & A session with three experts who will discuss what everyone should know about COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination. The talk will be moderated by Mike Knetter, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Our Guests:
Thomas Friedrich ’97, PhD’03, professor of pathobiological sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, is a renowned expert on evolution, immunity, and pathogenesis of pandemic viruses. Among other notable achievements, he discovered evolutionary “bottlenecks” in influenza virus transmission that could affect how bird flu jumps to humans. During the Zika and COVID-19 outbreaks, Friedrich collaborated with UW School of Medicine and Public Health colleague David O’Connor to pioneer ways to share information from experiments online in near real time, facilitating faster and more cooperative research around the world.
Phill Gross ’82, MS’83 is the cofounder and managing director for Adage Capital Management. The Boston-based firm manages some $30 billion in assets, mostly for nonprofit and academic endowments and foundations. Adage has outperformed the S&P 500 in 17 out of the 18 years of its existence. The firm is known for its unique analyst-driven investment strategies and for giving refunds to investors when the fund underperforms. In addition to being one of the fund’s two managing directors, Gross is responsible for managing one of the health care portfolios at Adage. Prior to founding Adage, Gross was a health care and retail analyst, an equity research director, and a partner at the Harvard Management Company for 18 years. Gross will update us on his views of the prospects for new COVID-related medical interventions and how they might shape the outcome.
Nasia Safdar MS’02, PhD’09 is a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, the vice chair for research in the Department of Medicine, and the medical director of Infection Control at UW Hospital and Clinics. She leads the Department of Medicine in its mission to reduce and prevent health care–associated infections by identifying, testing, and implementing novel interventions. Because of her work and research in this area, Safdar received a President’s Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2017, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers. In 2014, she received the John Q. Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement. Safdar is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the Society of Internal General Medicine.
Where: The UW Now Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
WFAA plans to host The UW Now Livestream weekly, featuring UW–Madison faculty and staff with unique expertise.
The pandemic has changed consumer spending habits practically overnight. From a surge in demand for baking ingredients and masks to the sudden halt of brick-and-mortar shopping, these changes have dramatically impacted our retail and service landscapes — and the jobs that go with them. What trends can we expect to see as the situation progresses? How might changes in consumerism during the pandemic reflect a larger shift in our social values?
The pandemic has changed the way many people and businesses think about the spaces we occupy. Many are also struggling to hold on to the spaces they have amid major economic changes. What could all this mean for the future real estate market? Will we need more commercial space to ensure safe distance between workers — or will the market for office space crash as more companies opt to have employees work remotely? Will people flee high-density lifestyles and urban areas that rely on public transit? Or will a vaccine get us back to normal?