Faculty Symposium: The Zika Virus- What We Should Know and Do, Nov. 9

The Faculty Symposium will be held from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Faculty Shark Club (Rosenthal Building).

Thus far this year, 145 Zika cases have been reported in Florida, with 100 of those in South Florida. Zika, known to cause birth defects in babies whose mothers are infected with the virus, is usually spread by mosquitos; but, it may also be contracted through sexual contact. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued guidance related to Zika for people traveling to and living in Miami-Dade County, and the Florida Department of Health continues to monitor the situation. This symposium will provide updates on scientific research on the Zika virus, as well as discuss methods to prevent the spread of the virus.

Presenters:

Bindu Mayi, M.Sc., Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology in the College of Medical Sciences, teaches students in the medical, public health, and other allied health fields about virology and bacteriology, with emphasis on the medical aspects of infectious disease. As a spokeswoman on the Zika virus, Mayi has appeared on multiple panels attended by health care professionals and public officials, including representatives from the CDC. She appeared on Dateline Health in July 2016 and spoke about the spread of the Zika virus and its risks.

Mayi also has had multiple media interviews, including a live Facebook chat on NBC and was quoted in stories that appeared in the Sun Sentinel and the Miami Herald. Prior to her NSU affiliation, Mayi worked in antibiotic resistance research and cancer nanotechnology research. Passionate about the prevention of infectious diseases, she has taken her efforts at prevention to a global level by writing a book about the prevention of the bacterium Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). It is a compelling, multi-generational narrative about MRSA woven into the fictional struggles of a young boy. In 2008, Mayi was one of 80 female winners of the O-Whitehouse Leadership Project, where her project was about the prevention of MRSA in U.S. hospitals.

Marie Florent-Carre, M.P.H., D.O., assistant professor of family medicine and public health at Nova Southeastern University’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, is the director of the Department of Rural and Urban Underserved Medicine. She is the principle investigator of a grant cosponsored by Broward Regional Health Planning Council for the Transforming Our Community’s Health project and has participated in multiple international outreach trips—including those to Jamaica, Haiti, and Ecuador—where she had an opportunity to provide medical care to rural settings with limited resources. Serving as a spokeswoman on the Zika virus infection, she has appeared on multiple panels attended by health care professionals and public officials, including representatives from the CDC.

Florent-Carre appeared on Dateline Health in July 2016 and spoke about the spread of the Zika virus and its risks. She also appeared on the PBS television show Viewpoint in November 2016, as part of a panel discussing public health emergencies, and has had multiple media interviews, including ones with the Sun Sentinel and the Miami Herald. She has received multiple awards, including Outstanding Mentor award from Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade, Florida, in 2011; a leadership award from International Health Initiatives Inc. in 2014; and was selected as one of the top black educators of South Florida by Legacy Magazine in 2016. Florent-Carre is committed to providing health care to underserved populations, as well as training medical students and residents to become the future leaders of the communities most in need.

RSVP to  facultysymposium@nova.edu

President’s Faculty End-of-Year Party

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Future Symposia

Thursday, February 1, 2018