Episode #86: ‘How COVID-19 is Reframing Healthcare in America’ with Dr. Paul Offit

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

Last week, I launched a limited podcast series addressing how the COVID-19 pandemic is reframing American healthcare.  You can find the introduction episode here.  In this series, I’ll be interviewing future-facing healthcare leaders and entrepreneurs – to ask two questions:

(1) How is the COVID-19 pandemic immediately changing the way you are delivering healthcare?   (2) How will COVID-19 reframe American healthcare for years to come?

In this episode, we’ll be interviewing Dr. Paul Offit, an internationally recognized expert and scientific pioneer in the field of virology and immunology; and the leading virology expert in the U.S.  He is the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC, which is credited with saving hundreds of childrens’ lives each day. He is a professor in the division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and a professor of Vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine  (See abbreviated Bio below).

My dialogue with Dr. Offit was incredibly hopeful, hugely informative and beyond inspiring.  He is clearly a brilliant medical scientist and a courageous humanitarian.

We covered a range of topics including:

• His perspective on the COVID-19 surge curve and social distancing
• The 3 major lessons (reframes) he believes we need to learn from this current pandemic
• His expert thoughts regarding the amount of time it will take to develop a COVID-19 vaccine
• His views regarding the impact of our public health response on the social determinants of health

These are unprecedented times, so I hope you find valuable information, guidance, and inspiration in listening to these experts and entrepreneurs share how they are adapting to this pandemic (in real time); and how they’re thinking about and planning for the future.

Until next time, be safe and be well,

Zeev Neuwirth MD

Paul A. Offit, MD, is Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  He is the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Offit has published more than 150 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq®, recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC. For this achievement, Dr. Offit received the Luigi Mastroianni and William Osler Awards from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Charles Mérieux Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and was honored by Bill and Melinda Gates during the launch of their Foundation’s Living Proof Project for global health.

In 2009, Dr. Offit received the President’s Certificate for Outstanding Service from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2011, he received the David E. Rogers Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Odyssey Award from the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2012, Dr. Offit received the Distinguished Medical Achievement Award from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Drexel Medicine Prize in Translational Medicine from the Drexel University College of Medicine. In 2013, he received the Maxwell Finland award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the Distinguished Alumnus award from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Innovators in Health Award from the Group Health Foundation. In 2014, he was elected to the board of trustees at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, and in 2015, he was elected to the American Association of Physicians and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as being named as a Fellow for the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. In 2016, Dr. Offit received the Franklin Founder Award by the City of Philadelphia, The Porter Prize from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and the Jonathan E. Rhoads Medal for Distinguished Service to Medicine from The American Philosophical Society. In 2017, he received the Defensor Scientiae Award and an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.