COVID-19 – Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention & Control, Training and Technical Assistance (ARCIPC)

Mpox and the Monkey Pox Virus: Viral Naming and Genetic Influences

Dr. Elliot Lefkowitz joins us for a podcast to talk about Mpox, the Monkey Pox Virus, and how genetic mutations affects not only the effectiveness of viruses but how they are named and how scientists reach these conclusions.

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Elliot Lefkowitz, PhD
Professor, Microbiology, UAB, Executive Committee Member, International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses

The Future of COVID-19 Vaccinations

The FDA’s expert panel on vaccines met last week (Thursday, January 26, 2023) to discuss the future use of the bivalent COVID shot, signaling the start of the FDA’s pivot to a longer-term immunization strategy. This is an important first step in a process that could result in millions of Americans receiving an annual Covid booster, similar to the flu vaccine. Any such changes will require more discussion and decisions, but the FDA appears to be shifting from responding to the pandemic’s acute phase to a longer-term norm. Dr. Suzanne Judd, Director of the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joined the podcast to discuss these topics and the future of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Suzanne Judd, PhD
Director, Lister Hill Center for Health Policy, Professor, UAB School of Public Health

A Tridemic of Flu, COVID, and RSV this Winter Season (Winter 2022)

With three different respiratory illnesses circulating across communities in the U.S., are things out of the frying pan and into the fire? While COVID is still a concern and we should anticipate COVID to continue to circulate this winter, other respiratory viruses are making headlines. Hospitals throughout the country are dealing with an unprecedented, early spike in both flu and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. The collision of these three viruses have raised concerns about a potential “tridemic” this winter. Dr. Molly Fleece, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joined the podcast to discuss concerns about the upcoming cold, flu, RSV and COVID season..

New COVID Variants and Boosting Your Immunity (Fall 2022)

Although it’s pumpkin spice season, another pandemic winter is about to arrive. Though no completely new variants of the COVID virus have emerged yet, there are several new Omicron sub-variants. The Omicron variant first surfaced in the fall of 2021, and during the past year, various Omicron variants have primarily been responsible for COVID cases. Now there are some new variants, including BA.4.6, BQ.1, and BQ.1.1, as well as XBB. To answer some of our questions about these new variants we have invited Dr. Suzanne Judd, Director of the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to join our podcast.

This podcast is presented by the Alabama Reginal Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Thank you to our co-sponsor for this podcast, the Alabama Public Health Training Network at the Alabama Department of Public Health a community-based training partner of the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

The ABC’s of Viral Hepatitis: Update for Public Health Professionals (October 18 @ 12pm CT)

Presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance (ARC IPC), this virtual webinar will provide a snapshot of viral hepatitis epidemiology and an overview of the 2021-2025 US National Strategic Plan/Roadmap for Elimination which is highly relevant to the public health community. We will include a discussion about current surveillance data that reveals trends, challenges and opportunities, prevention through vaccination and approaches to treatment. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance (ARC IPC), Region IV Public Health Training Center, and the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

Describe key approaches to stopping the spread of viral hepatitis, eliminate it as a public health threat, and save lives
Discuss key strategies to increase vaccination and improve care and treatment of viral hepatitis
Describe the social determinants of health that contribute to the viral hepatitis epidemic and unequal burden of viral hepatitis in the United States

Speaker: Barbara DeBaun, MSN, RN, CIC, Improvement Advisor at Cynosure Health

EVALUATION

This webinar is co-sponsored by Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance, Region IV Public Health Training Center, and Deep South Center for OH&S .

Strategies for Combatting Health Misinformation (October 13, 2022 12pm CST)

Misinformation has been a risk factor throughout the pandemic, leading to more disease and death from COVID-19. Dr. Katrine Wallace (UIC School of Public Health) is an epidemiologist and social media science communicator who debunks misinformation and false claims about COVID-19 and the vaccines. In this webinar, Dr. Wallace will explain the difference between misinformation vs disinformation, discuss why disinformation is such a widespread public health issue, and identify strategies to combat health misinformation among your own friends/family/workplace. This webinar was co-sponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control and the Region IV Public Health Training Center.

Dr. Katrine Wallace,
Epidemiologist and Adjunct Assistant Professor
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics & Division of Community Health Sciences
School of Public Health
University of Illinois at Chicago

eVALUATION

Back to School Q&A with an Infectious Disease Pediatrician

It’s August and it’s not just kids back in class. School is now in session for germs, viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses that can make your child (or yourself as a parent, caregiver, or guardians) sick. Back-to-school is widely recognized in the medical community as a time when many children pick up infections from their classmates. As a parent or caregiver, what do you need to watch for? Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joins the podcast to discuss some common illnesses found in schools, the best way to treat them, and the importance of good hygiene practices to reduce the chances of catching these illnesses.

The Mystery and Epidemiology of Long COVID (September, 29 @ 12pm CT)

This webinar is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance. Two and a half years into the COVID-19 pandemic, there is emerging evidence that in some patients, its symptoms may linger for months or even years after the initial infection. While prevalence estimates vary widely, such ‘long COVID’ symptoms likely persist in more than 10% of all COVID-19 cases. This webinar, Dr. Stella Aslibekyan, Senior Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology, 23andMe and Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Kentucky, will summarize the current scientific debate about long COVID– is it an autoimmune disease, a consequence of comorbidities, or something else? We will draw on a recent study of 100,000+ COVID-19 cases to understand who is susceptible to long COVID, how long the symptoms can last, and whether vaccination can improve long COVID outcomes.

The Deep South Center for OH&S is an approved provider of continuing education units for nurses by the AL Board of Nursing (Provider ABNP0420 Expiration Date 12/22/2025) and has awarded this program 1.0 CEUs.

Watch on Youtube

Webinar Evaluation

Responding to the 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak (September 15 @ 12pm CT)

The Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance presents “Responding to the 2022 Monkeypox Outbreak.” In this webinar, Dr. Nicolas Van Wagoner, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, will provide a historical overview of monkeypox before 2022 and how the outbreak has reemerged globally, as well as in the United States. This webinar will outline the current state of monkeypox, and the public health response including testing, prevention, and vaccination, as well as provide guidance on communications to prevent misinformation and stigma.

Watch on Youtube

Evaluation link

Predicting Human Disease Risk from Animal-borne Pathogens (July 28, 2022 11am CST)

Dr. Barbara Han, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, will explore recent approaches that combine knowledge about animal ecology with machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to make predictions about where and from which species the risks of zoonotic outbreaks are greatest. Examples will emphasize the ongoing spillback transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to animals, the risk of establishing new viral reservoirs of COVID-19, and predicting wild reservoirs of bat-borne filoviruses (Ebola, Marburg) and rodent-borne pathogens such as monkeypox.

Dr. Han is a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York. She completed her PhD at Oregon State University during which time she also completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Venezuela. Dr. Han went on to complete consecutive postdoctoral fellowships in biological informatics (NSF) and machine learning (NIH) at the University of Georgia. Her research program at the Cary Institute develops predictive analytics of zoonotic diseases and is supported by grants from the NIH, NSF, and DARPA.

This webinar is cosponsored by the Alabama Regional Center for infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical Assistance Center, The Region IV Public Health Training Center, and the Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety.

Training Evaluation