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Event Details

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Event Contact

Eric Eickhoff

eeickhoff@jcu.edu

Hosted by the Columbus Alumni Chapter. Open to All Members of the JCU Community. 

The COVID-19 Pandemic has led to rapid scientific discovery around the world. The global impact of the virus has required many researchers and biopharmaceutical companies to work together to develop a vaccine to help reduce the devastating effects of the virus. This has made vaccines a popular point of recent discussions. But what exactly is a vaccine and how does it work? When were vaccines developed and how has their role in society and disease prevention changed over time? How were the discoveries made from combating other diseases used to help in the development of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine?

In this talk led by Dr. Erin Johnson, Ph.D., we will dive into vaccines from a historical perspective and cover some basics of virology and immunology along the way. Join us as we discuss times in history prior to the advent of vaccines and learn how some of the most devastating moments in public health history have led to discoveries that have eradicated smallpox and significantly reduced diseases such as polio and measles. 

Erin E. Johnson, Ph.D., professor of Biology at John Carroll University specializes in Innate Immunity. Her course load includes principles of biology along with biotechnology, epidemiology, microbiology molecular methods and immunology. Her current projects aim to clarify the mechanism(s) by which several small organic molecules enhance Interferon-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) function and demonstrate that the enhanced function translates to reduced viral replication.

She holds a Bachelor of Science (Biology) from Bowling Green State University, a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences, Medical College of Ohio, and conducted Post-doctoral research in Iron Metabolism and Infectious Disease, at the Harvard School of Public Health.