By Khalida Sarwari
A panel of health experts at the University of California at Berkeley will hold a forum Monday to discuss the swine flu outbreak.
The forum, titled “Swine Flu 2009: Are We Facing a Pandemic?” will be offered by the university’s Alliance for Global Health, a campus-wide initiative that aims to merge global health research from across various departments and disciplines.
Discussion topics will include the epidemiology and biology of the H1N1 virus, the response of the human immune system to infection, and the development of new diagnostic tools used to detect pathogens in the field.
Speakers will include professors Arthur Reingold, an expert on infectious disease transmission, surveillance and prevention; Russell Vance, an expert on pathogenesis and immunology; Wayne Getz, an expert on the ecology and epidemiology of wildlife and human diseases; and Amy Herr, an expert on the potential role in a pandemic of “lab-on-a-chip” diagnostic tools.
The forum will take place at Berdahl Auditorium in Stanley Hall, near the campus’ East Gate entrance.
A webcast of the forum can be accessed at http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/features/flu.