Pathogens in Pop Culture: Contagion, Outbreak, and Pathogen Response Transmission Interrupted

On this episode of Transmission Interrupted, join hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo, along with guest Syra Madad, as they discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency management, public health, and health care systems. They explore the challenges faced by hospitals, social vulnerabilities highlighted by the pandemic, and the importance of investing in resources for communities.
Additionally, they delve into the prevalence of infectious disease outbreaks in pop culture, including the movies Outbreak and Contagion. The speakers also discuss the tools and strategies used for emergency preparedness and response, how these have evolved over time, and the importance of prevention in addition to preparedness. Tune in to learn more about the impact of infectious diseases and pandemics on our society and health care systems.
GuestSyra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEP  Dr. Syra Madad is an infectious disease epidemiologist, science communicator, and writer. She currently serves as the Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health care delivery system overseeing special pathogen preparedness and response efforts across the enterprise. She's the Co-Principal Investigator at The Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management, fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Core Faculty at the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center and affiliate faculty at the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research at Boston University. Dr. Madad's work focuses on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from special pathogen outbreaks with an emphasis on health care and public health biopreparedness. 
HostsLauren Sauer, MScLauren is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Core Faculty of the UNMC Global Center for Health Security. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the director of the Special Pathogens Research Network.
She previously served as Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness where she ran the inpatient COVID19 biobank and served on the COVID-19 research steering committee for JHU. Lauren’s research focuses on human subjects research in bio-emergencies and disasters, in particular, ethical implementation of research and navigating the regulatory environment. The goal of her research is to provide health care facilities with the tools needed to conduct a clinical and operational research response in emergencies.
Rachel Lookadoo, JDRachel Lookadoo is an Assistant Professor in the Epidemiology department of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and serves as the Deputy Director of the Center for Biosecurity, Biopreparedness, and Emerging Infectious Diseases. She also acts as the Director of Public Health Policy for the Water, Climate, and Health program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ms. Lookadoo’s background is as an attorney, and she focuses on the various legal and regulatory issues that can arise in emergency preparedness and response. She specializes in public health impacts of climate change, healthcare surge events, isolation/quarantine law, crisis standards of care, infectious disease response, and general legal preparedness. Ms. Lookadoo also conducts emergency preparedness trainings and assessments for public health departments and healthcare facilities nationally. Ms. Lookadoo received her Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law, and her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.
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