CTSI seminar highlights translational virology research, pandemic prevention

Translational virology research is the focus of the June 26 University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Distinguished Speaker Seminar with Sten Vermund, MD, PhD, Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public Health, Yale School of Public Health, and Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine.

Vermund will present  “The Spectrum of Translational Virology Research” in person from 12:30 to 1:30  p.m. on Wednesday, June 26, at the Murphy Family Seminar Room 5019 A, Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC). Register here to attend the presentation.

Vermund is President of the Global Virus Network, a consortium of more than 80 centers of excellence and affiliates from 40 countries dedicated to the advancement of virology knowledge and its application to preventing and treating viral diseases around the world. 

His position with the Global Virus Network and his experience as a researcher make him an ideal seminar presenter, says Gene Morse, PharmD, SUNY Distinguished Professor, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Director, Translational Pharmacology Research Core, New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; Director, UB Global Virus Network Center of Excellence; Director, UB Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences; and a member of the CTSI Steering Committee and CTSI Workforce Development Leadership Team.

“In considering the type of individual who merits an invitation to be a CTSI Distinguished Speaker Seminar lecturer, prior experience with clinical and translational research, a role model for mentoring the next generation of researchers, and a global perspective on the challenges that lay ahead for global health are primary factors,” Morse says. “Dr. Sten Vermund has achieved excellence in all of these areas. His current role as President of the Global Virus Network provides an opportunity for these experiences to be blended into a synergistic energy that is needed in the effort to combat emerging pathogens and prepare for the next global pandemic.”

"We are very fortunate welcome Dr. Vermund to Buffalo," says CTSI Director and infectious diseases physician Timothy F. Murphy, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor. "He brings a unique and broad perspective on the global impact of viral infections. Having experienced a devastating pandemic for the first time in 100 years, his lecture is timely and highly relevant to the national and worldwide efforts in pandemic preparedness."

During Vermund's presentation, he will review the field of virology from a strategic perspective and highlight the challenges in basic, clinical, and public health sciences. The prevention of future pandemics and the response to those that may still occur even with proper prevention will be a unifying theme of the seminar.

“COVID-19 and H5N1 influenza remind us of how vulnerable the world is to emerging viruses,” Vermund explains. “Whether one is in healthcare, the social sciences, engineering, business, logistics, or policy, the challenges of viral prevention and control are salient and urgent.”

Vermund will introduce the Global Virus Network mission in the context of viral challenges and partnerships and articulate the complementary translational research elements of virology in all its stages, with examples from both his work and those of Global Virus Network members. In addition, Vermund’s presentation will highlight implementation science to accelerate community application of virological discovery, discuss current and future needs in virology in response to population and environmental pressures, and outline ways to accelerate the goal of global pandemic preparedness.

CTSI Distinguished Speaker Seminars are supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1TR001412 to the University at Buffalo. For questions about the series, contact cmp9@buffalo.edu or 716-844-9282.