The Academic Minute from 07.05 – 07.09
Monday, July 5th
Lior Rennert – Clemson University
Surveillance-Based Informative Testing for COVID-19
Dr. Rennert is an Assistant Professor in Clemson University’s Department of Public Health Sciences, with a specialty in infectious disease epidemiology, policy evaluation, and biostatistics. Dr. Rennert is a founding member of Clemson’s Public Health Strategy team, advising the university on public health strategies for SARS-CoV-2 mitigation and is responsible for the development of SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies.
Tuesday, July 6th
Michael Berg – Wheaton College
Who Follows the COVID-19 Guidelines and Who Does Not
Michael Berg is a professor of psychology at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and co-coordinator of the college’s Public Health Program.
Berg’s research has explored issues related to smoking, obesity and other public-health issues. His latest work is a collaborative research project with his co-author and wife, Linda Lin, a professor of psychology at Emmanuel College, examining the American public’s COVID-19 behavior.
His scholarly pursuits apply social psychological theory–issues of identity, prejudice, and motivation–to public health outcomes, with a particular focus on social inequality and traditionally underserved populations. This approach, commonly referred to as the biopsychosocial approach to health, focuses on the interaction between the body, the mind, and social forces in an interdisciplinary fashion.
Wednesday, July 7th
Jonathan Watanabe – University of California, Irvine
COVID-19 Medications
Professor Watanabe is a pharmacist, health economist, and outcomes researcher. He serves as a Member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Drug, Discovery, Development, and Translation. In this capacity, Professor Watanabe has been involved in methods development for pragmatic clinical trials through the FDA-sponsored Real-World Evidence Series and serves on the steering committee for the Drug Research Development in Older Adults Workshop. Professor Watanabe applies real-world data to develop policy solutions to improve patient care, bolster population-health, and reduce medical costs. He was a contributor to the NASEM report Making Medicines Affordable: a National Imperative. His research on health implications of non-optimized medication regimens has been cited in multiple successful state legislative efforts to bolster patient-centered care and medication management, and he has testified before the California Senate Health Panel regarding value of comprehensive medication management services to bolster the health and wellness of Californians enrolled in Medicaid.
Thursday, July 8th
Kathleen Fortier – Arcadia University
University-Based Pro-Bono Clinics Address Health Disparities in Their Communities
In her early career, Dr. Fortier worked as a school-based pediatric therapist, and then as part of a hospital-based operations in acute care and outpatient practice. She then went on to join the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation network in 2009 as a staff therapist, where she planned, proposed, and opened the Souderton facility in 2010. In 2015, she became a regional manager of four of the satellites; then in 2016 became interim director of outpatient pediatrics. In February 2017, Kathleen became the Administrative Director of Outpatient Pediatrics and Assisted Living Development at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation, with most notable contributions in contracting with assisted and skilled nursing facilities to increase Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network footprint.
In 2020, Dr. Fortier founded a healthcare consulting firm specializing in innovative ways to deliver healthcare as well as opened her own private practice, On the Move Physical Therapy. On the Move Physical Therapy is transforming the delivery of outpatient operations through an outfitted mobile trailer that brings the experience to the patient.
Friday, July 9th
Nicole Kraft – The Ohio State University
Sportswriters Need to ‘Be Better’ When It Comes to Press Conferences
Dr. Nicole Kraft spent 25 years working as an award-winning journalist, as well as in professional sports and political communication before joining the Ohio State School of Communication in 2010. As an associate professor of clinical communication, she teaches Media Writing and Editing, Sports Journalism, Sports Media Relations, Feature Writing and Media Law and Ethics. Her research focus includes the academic use of mobile technology among student-athletes, mobile technology use in journalism education, and using technology to enhance classroom communication. She is director of Ohio State’s Sports & Society Initiative and works as an Associated Press sportswriter. She was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2015.
