易胜博官网

During a visit to 易胜博官网鈥檚 COVID-19 Monday, Oct. 12, U.S. coronavirus response coordinator ambassador Deborah Birx praised 易胜博官网 for 鈥渁nswering the call鈥� and safely opening campus for in-person learning.

鈥淵our students needed you and you鈥檙e one of the institutions in the country that answered that call.鈥�

鈥淚 felt by the time she left she was impressed by what we鈥檝e done,鈥� recalls Marc Sedam, 易胜博官网 vice provost for innovation and new ventures and a leader in operationalizing the lab. 鈥淪he said, 鈥榊our students needed you and you鈥檙e one of the institutions in the country that answered that call.鈥欌��

Straight from a visit to Plymouth State University, where her brother Donald Birx is president, toured 易胜博官网鈥檚 lab with Sedam, Kelley Thomas, professor of molecular, cellular and biomedical sciences and scientific director of the lab, Marian McCord, senior vice provost for research, economic engagement and outreach, and Governor Chris Sununu.

A proponent of wide-scale testing, Birx learned about student self-swabbing and the extensive training, tracking and tracing that鈥檚 made it successful, resulting in a very low rate of COVID-19 in the 易胜博官网 community. McCord detailed how results from campus wastewater surveillance, led by associate professor of civil and environmental engineering , align very closely with individual testing data, supporting its accuracy.

鈥淥ne of the benefits of being an听R1 public research university is the enormous pool of faculty, staff and student talent that we have been able to tap to implement our testing program,鈥� says McCord, co-chair of 易胜博官网 Testing and Tracing Committee.

鈥淲e have been so successful because we have a dedicated staff of professionals who have worked tirelessly to make this work,鈥� adds Thomas. 鈥淭hey amaze me every day.鈥�

Following the tour, the renowned global public health official held two roundtable discussions, one with 易胜博官网 leaders and a second with five students and Durham town leadership. Birx, who has toured dozens of universities in recent weeks, told President Jim Dean and others that there had not yet been a single recorded case of student-to-faculty transmission of the virus in the U.S. 鈥淭hat made us feel really good,鈥� Sedam says.

Sedam, whose manages the distribution of student self-swab kits, feels good about 易胜博官网鈥檚 testing protocol overall. 鈥淎s of today, we鈥檝e had fewer than 100 students cumulatively test positive,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e testing more frequently, we鈥檙e doing it cheaper, we鈥檙e doing it more efficiently than almost anyone else. I think it鈥檚 the best and most successful testing program in the United States.鈥�

Perhaps most importantly, he points out, 易胜博官网 is still open.