The Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area (CUWMA)—a nonprofit collaborative with 18 higher education member institutions from across the Washington, D.C, metropolitan area, is hosting a series of discussions to address community concerns and answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.
These Consortium Community Conversations, “Vaxx Facts: Our ‘Shot’ at Recovery,” feature experts from the member institutions who have years of experience working and researching in public health, the sciences, and medicine, as well as presidents from the universities within the consortium.
George Mason University President Gregory Washington will be part of a panel of experts on Monday, April 19.
These panels address community concerns about the vaccines, especially among campus community members who may be vaccine hesitant. The events will have a Q&A format, with the moderators posing questions to the experts on the panel. There will also be time for questions from virtual attendees.
Monday’s panel will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Moderated by Gallaudet University President Roberta J. Cordano, the conversation includes the following participants, in addition to President Washington:
- Andrea Anderson, MD, FAAFP, Chair of the Board of Medicine and Associate Chief of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University
- Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS, Chief, Adult Clinical Studies, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Georgetown University, former Deputy Commissioner for Science and Public Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
On Friday, April 30, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick moderates a panel featuring Mason experts Saskia Popescu, PhD, MPH, professor in the Biodefense Program of the Schar School of Policy and Government and affiliate at the Center for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University Medical Center, and Jim Olds, PhD, professor of neuroscience and public policy, along with:
- Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD, University Professor of Medical Humanities, Professor of Health Policy and American Studies, and Professor of Medicine, George Washington University, and
- Cynthia Miller-Idriss, PhD, MPP, Director, Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, and Professor, Department of Justice, Law and Criminology, School of Public Affairs, American University.