The number of deaths in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to reach 500,000 sometime in February 2021. Newly-developed vaccines offer hope of conquering this rapidly spreading disease, but success is not assured. Access to and acceptance of vaccines varies widely across the country and here in Michigan. Join us for a panel discussion to learn about the science behind COVID-19 vaccines, their likelihood to protect against the more contagious COVID-19 variants, the reasons behind vaccine “hesitancy,” and Michigan Medicine's efforts to build trust with people who are wary of vaccination.

The program will be moderated by Charles Wilson, MSW, Community Health Promotion Supervisor, Washtenaw County Health Department.

Free virtual event

Panelists and Topics
Associate Professor Emily T. Martin, Ph.D., a molecular epidemiologist in the University of Michigan School of Public Health, will compare the three types of COVID-19 vaccines and discuss their effectiveness.

Nina Masters, Ph.D., recently completed her doctoral degree in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan. She studies the impact of clustered non-vaccination on outbreak risk, and the evolution of vaccine hesitancy.

T. Anthony Denton, J.D., M.H.A., Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Michigan Medicine, will discuss U-M’s COVID-19 outreach to Michiganders, including communities of color.

The annual Farrand Lecture was established in honor of William R. Farrand (1931-2011), director of the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History from July 1993 to June 2000. The William R. Farrand Public Lecture Endowment was created on the occasion of his retirement. The lecture was renamed the William R. Farrand Memorial Lecture following Bill’s death in 2011. Now in its 21st year, Farrand lectures have covered topics ranging from the challenges of sending humans to Mars to dinosaur-eating snakes.