Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of President Biden’s Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board and the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2021 National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Symposium.  The annual NORA Symposium is co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety (MCOHS) Education and Research Center and the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH).

This year’s topic is COVID-19 in the Workplace: Creating Safe Workspaces.  Dr. Osterholm will present a “fireside chat” style discussion exploring the latest developments of the pandemic, as well as options for protecting the workforce. Following his talk, a panel of experts representing workers from agriculture, health care and retail trade industries will discuss measures to keep employees safe in light of health inequities.  The free online event will also feature a virtual poster session on occupational health and safety research by MCOHS- and UMASH-sponsored students and partners.

A WORLD-RECOGNIZED INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT

It is an honor to have this rare opportunity to sit down and talk with Dr. Osterholm, an international leader on pandemic preparedness and response, and infectious diseases.  He is Regents Professor, McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, a professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, and an adjunct professor in the Medical School, all at the University of Minnesota.  In November 2020, he was appointed to President-elect Joe Biden’s 13-member Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board.

Dr. Osterholm has been an international leader on the critical concern regarding our preparedness for an influenza pandemic, and is a frequently invited guest lecturer on the topic of epidemiology of infectious diseases.  He is the author of the New York Times best-selling 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.  He has served in lead roles in infectious disease investigation, bioterrorism, and public health preparedness at State, Federal and International levels, and has received numerous honors and awards, including several major research awards from the NIH and the CDC.  READ HIS FULL BIO