The New Frontiers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series will hold its final WebEx event of the year at 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 19.

This seminar will focus on what has been learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the current state of vaccinations, and where do individuals go from here.

Dr. Lucio Miele, Professor and Head of the Department of Genetics at LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, will be joined by his colleague Clinical Associate Professor at the LSU schools of Public Health and Medicine and former Louisiana Secretary of Health, Dr. Rebekah Gee.

Together, Miele and Gee will share the latest on COVID-19 variants, vaccinations, what comes next, and how everyone plays a role in promoting the health of the community.

Miele was one of the first speakers in the New Frontiers series when it began in 2013.  He holds both an MD and PhD and built a career in both basic and translational cancer research. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Miele quickly adapted his lab to oversee COVID-19 testing, sample sequencing, and vaccine distribution for the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.

Gee is an obstetrician/gynecologist and CEO of Health Care Services for LSU Health.  She was Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and oversaw the implementation of the Medicaid expansion to over 500,000 Louisiana residents, was instrumental in negotiations to make pharmaceuticals more affordable, and created the South’s first Office of Health Equity. Gee, who holds both an MD and MPH, is dedicated to maternal safety and quality of care.

As in previous seminars, each speaker will present for 10-15 minutes, leaving 30-45 minutes for questions from those who are attending the live-streamed event.

Discussion will be moderated by series organizers Dr. Jamie Newman and Dr. Mary Caldorera-Moore, along with Dr. Les Guice, Louisiana Tech University President.

“This seminar series has had a big impact this year as doctors Newman and Caldorera-Moore have brought leading medical professionals from across the nation to our campus and community virtually, reaching large audiences, and providing perspectives that have helped us all navigate this COVID-19 pandemic with greater confidence and understanding,” Guice said. “Miele and Gee will bring us most timely and relevant information as we close out this year and look to the future.”

This is the final seminar in a six -part series that has featured experts in immunology, medicine, biomedical research, public health, and scientific communication. The goal this year has been to find ways to educate the community and offer a safe place where people can ask questions about the on-going pandemic, the virus, the disease, the vaccine and the impact on community and public health. This final seminar will bring together everything we have shared and learned over the past year and offer perspective and advise on how we continue to mitigate the pandemic and be more prepared in the future.

New Frontiers events are open to the general public, and registration is required. For more information on this and other events, visit community.latech.edu.