Forefront of Virology Webinars
The Global Virus Network, in partnership with the University of South Florida, hosts a webinar series for virus knowledge-sharing, featuring expert virologists including from GVN Centers of Excellence around the world. The topics range from the COVID-19 pandemic and other human viral threats to the latest scientific progress in virology. Each session is a 30-40 minute live presentation, followed by a moderated 20-minute Q&A
GVN Forefront of Virology Webinar featuring Dr. Boghuma K. Titanji
GVN Forefront of Virology Webinar featuring Dr. Christine Stabell Benn
Dr. Christine Stabell Benn, MD, PhD, DMSc, MAE, is a Professor of Global Health at the University of Southern Denmark and a Chair at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study. She has worked with the Bandim Health Project in Guinea-Bissau since 1993, researching the broader health effects of vaccines and vitamins beyond their specific targets. Her work has led to randomized controlled trials on vitamin A, BCG, oral polio, and measles vaccines, exploring their non-specific effects and biological mechanisms.
Dr. Benn has authored over 350 scientific articles and advised the WHO on neonatal vitamin A supplementation and vaccine effects. She serves on the scientific advisory committee of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and was named one of the most influential figures in Danish health in 2022 and 2023.
GVN Forefront of Virology Webinar featuring Prof. Patrick Dakum
Prof. Patrick Dakum, MBBS, MPH i
Prof. Patrick Dakum, MBBS, MPH is a distinguished Nigerian public health physician, implementation scientist, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN). With over 42 years of experience, Dr. Dakum has led IHVN's growth from a small team to a workforce of over 600 professionals, managing grants totaling $50 million annually from global funding agencies like CDC, USAID, and The Global Fund. He has been instrumental in Nigeria’s public health response to pandemics, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19, overseeing programs that have placed over 350,000 patients on therapy. An Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Dr. Dakum specializes in HIV and TB epidemiology, implementation science, and public health strategies for resource-limited settings, with over 50 publications in international journals. A former Commissioner of Health in Plateau State, he continues to shape health policy and mentor future leaders in public health.
GVN Forefront of Virology Webinar featuring Dr. Mark Mimee
Dr. Mark Mimee
Dr. Mimee is an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, specializing in synthetic biology and microbiology. After earning a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University, they completed a PhD at MIT as an HHMI International Student Fellow and Qualcomm Innovation Fellow. Their research focuses on engineering the microbiota by creating biosensors and therapeutics from genetically modified microbes and bacteriophages. Dr. Mimee aims to harness these innovations to combat antibiotic resistance and improve human health.
To be rescheduled - Drs. Erkin Musabaev and Mario Rizzetto
Director, Research Institute of Virology
Chief Infectious Disease Specialist,
Republic of Uzbekistan
Mario Rizzetto, MD
Professor Emeritus,
University of Torino
December 10, 2024 - Dr. Esteban Domingo
Esteban Domingo Solans, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Research at the Spanish Research Council (CSIC)
GVN Center Director
August 27, 2024 - Dr. David Markovitz
Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan
July 30, 2024 - Dr. Abelardo Araujo
Associate Professor of Neurology,
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Senior Researcher,
National Institute of Infectious Diseases,
FIOCRUZ, Brazilian Ministry of Health
June 25, 2024 - Dr. Eduardo Gotuzzo
Emeritus Professor
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt"
May 28, 2024 - Dr. Xiang Liu
Infectious Diseases and Immunology
Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence in Arboviruses
Menzies Health Institute Queensland
Griffith University
April 30, 2024 - Dr. Wern Hann Ng
Wern Hann Ng, PhD
Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group
Global Virus Network Centre of Excellence in Arboviruses
Menzies Health Institute Queensland
Griffith University
March 26, 2024 - Drs. Marianna Cortese & Kjetil Bjornevik
Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology (Bjornevik)
January 31, 2024 - Dr. Maggie L. Bartlett
Maggie L. Bartlett, PhD
Program Director, Global Virus Network
Faculty, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
November 16, 2023 - Dr. Prasert Auewarakul
August 24, 2023 - Dr. Michaela Gack
Dr. Michaela Gack, PhD
Cleveland Clinic Florida Research & Innovation Center
Scientific Director
Arthur and Marylin Levitt Endowed Chair
GVN Center Director
July 28, 2023 - Dr. Hideki Hasegawa
Hideki Hasegawa, MD, PhD
Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
Director, Research Center for Influenza and Respiratory Viruses, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan
GVN Center Director
June 1, 2023 - Dr. Alessandro Sette
Dr. Alessandro Sette
Professor and GVN Member
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research
Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation
University of California, School of Medicine
May 15, 2023 - Dr. Hervé Perron
Hervé Perron, PhD
University of Lyon, France
Chief Scientific Officer of GeNeuro, Switzerland
April 17, 2023 - Dr. Ulrike Protzer
Dr. Ulrike Protzer
Chair for Virology
Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Munich, Germany GVN Center of Excellence Director
JANUARY 23, 2023 - Dr. Stephan Becker
Stephan Becker, PhD
Professor of VirologyDirector, Institute of VirologyPhilipps University Marburg, GermanyGVN Center Director
NOVEMBER 14, 2022 - Dr. Rachel Roper
Rachel Roper, MS, PhD
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology
Brody School of Medicine
Co-Chair, Global Virus Network Monkeypox Task Force
Adjunct Professor, Biology
Adjunct Professor, School of Dental Medicine
East Carolina University
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 - Dr. Diane Griffin
Diane E. Griffin, MD, PhD
University Distinguished Service Professor
W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
GVN Center Director
June 27, 2022 - Dr. Avindra Nath
Dr. Avindra Nath
Chief, Section of Infections of the Nervous System at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
NIH
June 17, 2022 - Drs. Nicolas Hoertel and Céline Cougoule
Dr. Céline Cougoule, PhD
HDR – CNRS & University of Toulouse
Nicolas Hoertel, MD, MPH, PhD
Paris Cité University, INSERM & Corentin-Celton Hospital
APRIL 7, 2022 – DR. EMMA THOMSON
Emma Thomson, PhD FRCP
Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases
MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
GVN Member
MARCH 10, 2022 – DR. MAURICIO L. NOGUEIRA
Mauricio L. Nogueira, MD, PhD
Professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Faculdade de Medicina de SJ Rio Preto (FAMERP)
Brazil
FEBRUARY 17, 2022 – DR. RUBESHAN PERUMAL
Rubeshan Perumal, MBChB, MPH, MMed, MPhil, FCP(SA)
Senior Scientist
Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
Specialist Physician and Pulmonologist
University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
GVN Member
FEBRUARY 3, 2022 – DR. DAVID OSTROV
David Ostrov, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
GVN Member
NOVEMBER 17, 2021 – DR. ROBERT F. GARRY
Robert F. Garry, PhD
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Assistant Dean for Biomedical Sciences
Tulane University School of Medicine
GVN Center Director
OCTOBER 20, 2021 – DR. MATTHEW FRIEMAN
Dr. Matthew Frieman
Associate Professor
Microbiology and Immunology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Associate Member, Institute of Human Virology
GVN Member
AUGUST 30, 2021 – DR. YOUNGMEE JEE
Dr. Youngmee Jee
CEO
Institut Pasteur Korea, South Korea
GVN Center Director
JULY 27, 2021 – DR. DONALD INGBER
Dr. Donald Ingber
Founding Director
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, USA
GVN Center Director
JUNE 14, 2021 – DR. MARION KOOPMANS
Dr. Marion Koopmans
Head of Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam
Department of Viroscience, Rotterdam, Netherlands
GVN Center Director
MAY 12, 2021 – DR. GAVIN CLOHERTY
Dr. Gavin Cloherty
Head of Infectious Disease Research at Abbott, USA
Research Fellow in Abbott’s Volwiler Society
GVN Corporate Center Director
APRIL 19, 2021 – DR. PENNY MOORE
Dr. Penny Moore
NRF/DST South African Research Chair of Virus-Host Dynamics
Reader/Associate Professor, University of the Witwatersrand / National Institute for
Communicable Diseases (NICD), South Africa
GVN Center Director
MARCH 25, 2021 – DR. SCOTT WEAVER
Dr. Scott Weaver
Chair, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Director, Institute for Human Infections & Immunity
Scientific Director, Galveston National Laboratory
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology and Pathology
GVN Center Director, UTMB
FEBRUARY 25, 2021 – DR. RALPH BARIC
Dr. Ralph Baric
Professor, Department of Epidemiology
Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Member, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of North Carolina, United States
DECEMBER 3, 2020 – DR. YIMING SHAO
Dr. Yiming Shao
Chief Expert on AIDS, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Director of the Division of Research on Virology and Immunology, National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, China
Member of the GVN SARS-CoV-2 Task Force
OCTOBER 8, 2020 – DR. DAMIAN PURCELL
Damian Purcell
Head of the Molecular Virology Laboratory in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology University of Melbourne
The Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Australia
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 – DR. RICHARD SCHEUERMANN
Dr. Richard Scheuermann
Director, La Jolla Campus at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI)
Professor, University of California, San Diego
Director, GVN Center of Excellence
GVN SARS-CoV Task Force Member
AUGUST 13, 2020 – DR. JONATHAN SEXTON
Dr. Jonathan Sexton
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Medical School
Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
University of Michigan, USA
Member, Global Virus Network
JULY 23, 2020 – DR. KANTA SUBBARAO
Kanta Subbarao
Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
JULY 9, 2020 – DR. ERICA OLLMANN SAPHIRE
Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire
Director, GVN Center of Excellence
GVN SARS-CoV-2 Task Force Member
Professor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology,
Scripps Research Institute, USA
JUNE 19, 2020 – DR. JOHAN NEYTS
Dr. Johan Neyts
Director, GVN Center of Excellence
GVN SARS-CoV-2 Task Force Member
Professor, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven, Belgium
JUNE 5, 2020 – DR. LINFA WANG
Dr. Linfa Wang
Director, GVN Center of Excellence
GVN SARS-CoV-2 Task Force Member
Director of the Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases
Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
