Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Anthony Fauci will discuss concerns and dispel myths around the COVID-19 vaccine at a VCU virtual event Friday. (NIH)

Anthony Fauci to speak at VCU virtual event Friday

The nation’s top infectious disease expert will discuss the ongoing distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine myths and how the coronavirus has affected the African American community.

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Anthony Fauci, M.D., the nation’s top infectious disease expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will speak about the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. vaccine efforts at a VCU virtual event Jan. 8 at 2:45 p.m.

The Zoom webinar will also feature panelists with expertise in public health and infectious diseases, including M. Norman Oliver, M.D., Virginia’s state health commissioner; Gonzalo Bearman, M.D., a hospital epidemiologist and chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases at VCU Health; and Robert Winn, M.D., director of VCU Massey Cancer Center.

 

The webinar is co-sponsored by the governor’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Office of Health Equity at the Virginia Department of Health, VCU Massey Cancer Center and faith leaders from Massey Cancer Center’s “Facts & Faith Fridays” group. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required, and once registered, attendees may submit questions in advance for the panelists.

Facts & Faith Fridays began in March 2020 as a weekly call led by Winn with African American clergy in Virginia to address the disproportional impact the pandemic has had on the Black community. The call has addressed higher rates of cancer and other health issues in diverse communities and continues to address COVID-19.

In Friday’s session, Fauci and panelists will discuss the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, dispel myths and provide the latest facts on the vaccine.

Facts & Faith Fridays

When: Jan. 8, 2:45-4:30 p.m.

Featuring: Anthony Fauci, M.D., director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Remarks by:

  • Gov. Ralph Northam, M.D.
  • Michael Rao, Ph.D., president, VCU and VCU Health System
  • Robert Winn, M.D., director, VCU Massey Cancer Center
  • Janice Underwood, Ph.D., chief diversity officer, commonwealth of Virginia
  • Sable K. Nelson Dyer, acting director, Virginia Department of Health Office of Health Equity
  • F. Todd Gray, pastor, Fifth Street Baptist Church
  • Rudene Mercer Haynes, partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP; adviser to Facts & Faith Fridays