Rice’s Glasscock School hosts conversation with infectious disease expert Yousif Shamoo

MEDIA ADVISORY

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu

Avery Ruxer Franklin
713-348-6327
averyrf@rice.edu 

Rice’s Glasscock School hosts conversation with infectious disease expert Yousif Shamoo

HOUSTON – (April 27, 2020) – How will Houston weather the pandemic? Rice University infectious disease expert Yousif Shamoo will discuss the topic during a free webinar May 1.

The webinar is hosted by Rice’s Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies through OpenRICE, its initiative to provide expertise and insight, free and online, to the Houston community.

Who:

Yousif Shamoo, professor of biosciences at Rice and vice provost for research.

Cathy Maris, assistant dean of community learning and engagement at the Glasscock School.

What:

A webinar titled “Houston and the Outlook for COVID-19: Insights from an Infectious Disease Scientist.“

When:

Friday, May 1, noon CDT.

Where:          

Register for the webinar here.

Shamoo and Maris, along with community members, will discuss the pandemic’s impact in Houston. Among the topics for possible discussion:

• The “spreading dynamics” of COVID-19 and its possible resurgence.
• Effectiveness of social distancing and other strategies to “flatten the curve.”
• What research tells us about whether coronavirus outbreaks could be seasonal.
• The role of potential antibody tests, vaccines and antiviral medications.
• Factors and models scientists and public health officials weigh to forecast the course of the coronavirus and similar diseases.

Shamoo is a member of the Rice University Crisis Management Team, for which he provides COVID-19 forecasting and other scientific guidance regarding infectious diseases. His research lab studies the rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria and receives support from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He is the recipient of the American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer award and Rice’s top teaching award, the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Shamoo also oversees Rice’s recently announced COVID-19 research fund, established to support projects in biomedicine, engineering, social sciences, humanities and other fields to help end the pandemic and prepare for similar outbreaks in the future.

“The Glasscock School has served as the open door between Rice and the Houston community for more than 50 years, and OpenRICE represents the epitome of that mission in regard to both access and relevance,” said Robert Bruce, dean of the Glasscock School. “We are very pleased that OpenRICE can serve as a platform that establishes direct community access to someone like infectious disease expert Dr. Shamoo. It is so important in times of uncertainty to have a trusted voice to turn to.”

To schedule an interview with Shamoo, or for more information, contact Avery Franklin, media relations specialist at Rice, at averyrf@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

Information on OpenRICE sessions is available at https://glasscock.rice.edu/openrice.

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Related materials:

Webinar: https://glasscock-info.rice.edu/openrice/houston-outlook-for-covid-19

Shamoo bio: https://biosciences.rice.edu/people/yousif-shamoo

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Follow the Glasscock School via Twitter @GlasscockSchool.

The Glasscock School offers personal and professional development classes, online and hybrid courses and certificate programs, as well as offerings from the Center for College Readiness, the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, the Foreign Language program, the English as a Second Language program, the Master of Liberal Studies program, the Diploma in Liberal Studies program, the Master of Arts in Teaching program and School Literacy and Culture program. For more information, go to http://glasscock.rice.edu.