Dec 7, 2020
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 7, 2020) – It has been nearly one year since the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus changed the world. With millions of people infected and over a quarter million dead in the United States, the novel coronavirus continues its pervasive hold on our health and well-being.
After months of stress, frustration and uncertainty, people are itching to travel and visit loved ones during the height of the holiday season, despite increasing cases of COVID-19. As the virus continues to dominate news coverage, people are clinging to the anticipation of promising vaccine trials from Pfizer, Moderna and several other companies. How will these vaccines, and potentially others still to come, change the course of the pandemic? Will we be able to return to normal and how long could that take?
On this episode of Behind the Blue, we speak with two members of the UK College of Pharmacy all about the history and implementation of vaccines, and what to expect from the rollout of these new vaccines designed to combat our current pandemic.
Vincent Venditto is an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Science. Dr. Venditto received training in organic synthesis and vaccine development. He obtained a BS in chemistry from Gettysburg College and then worked for two years at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health as a cancer research trainee before attending graduate school. He obtained a PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M University and worked on vaccine development as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco.
Brooke Hudspeth is an associate professor and Chief Practice Officer for the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. An alumnus of the college’s PharmD and Community Residency programs, she serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students and residents, and as the CPO, oversees all community pharmacy efforts for the college while working to elevate the care available to those in the Commonwealth.
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