Department of Medicine Grand Rounds - Covid-19: The CDC, Vaccine Roll-Out, and Ethics and Policy Issues Surrounding Immunity Passports

Covid-19: The CDC, Vaccine Roll-Out, and Ethics and Policy Issues Surrounding Immunity Passports

Session moderated by Bob Wachter

This past week, the Covid-19 surge reached unprecedented heights. Tragically, we hit 300,000 deaths in the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced his choice for a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer vaccine. At this week’s special UCSF Covid-19 Grand Rounds, we’ll discuss this dizzying mix of good and bad news with several experts.
 
We’ll begin with a fireside chat with Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, who began her career at UCSF – doing pioneering research on HIV prevention – and remains on our adjunct faculty. She went on to run the CDC from 2002-2009, during which she led the response to the SARS epidemic, as well as restructuring the agency to deal with bioterrorism threats. She then assumed senior leadership roles at Merck, the world’s 5th largest pharmaceutical firm, including head of Merck Vaccines where she broadened access to vaccines around the world. She is currently Merck’s Executive Vice President and Chief Patient Officer.

We’ll then get an update on UCSF’s vaccine distribution program, including the results of the first few days of the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine. Speakers will be Desi Kotis, PharmD, Chief Pharmacy Executive, and Susan Smith, MD, Chief Faculty Practice Officer. 

Finally, with the rollout of vaccines will, inevitably, come the question of whether there will – and should – be immunity passports: documentation of immunity that opens certain doors, including to schools, workplaces, stadiums, and travel. We’ll discuss this complex issue with David Studdert, ScD, LLB, MPH, Professor of both Medicine and Law at Stanford.

Speakers:

Julie Gerberding, Merck’s Executive Vice President and Chief Patient Officer

Desi Kotis, UCSF Health’s Chief Pharmacy Executive; Associate Dean, School of Pharmacy

Susan Smith, UCSF Health’s Chief Faculty Practice Officer 

David Studdert, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Law, Stanford University 

Zoom Information:

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device by clicking:
https://ucsf.zoom.us/j/95560093700?pwd=ZG16OHo0dkNBVXdQZ0ZSUDA1U3hBZz09
Webinar ID: 955 6009 3700
Password: 665100

Or join by phone by dialing (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 312 626 6799  or
+1 646 558 8656  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 301 715 8592
International numbers available: https://ucsf.zoom.us/u/abBh6VatYU 

The session will be recorded for later play :
https://medicine.ucsf.edu/covid-19-news-coverage