It has been a long and painful pandemic but the light at the end of the tunnel is within our sights. While there are many reasons for what will surely be a celebration, there is one one particular medical advancement that has raised all of our spirits and may represent the future for battling disease. It’s the mRNA vaccine.

This week, we’re closing out our season on COVID-19 science with a guest we all need to hear. He is Pieter Cullis and he a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology  at the University of British Columbia. He is one of the founders of mRNA vaccine technology, although when he started this journey over four decades ago, there was a very different reason for the work. It’s a story you need to hear to truly get a feel for the miracle that is mRNA vaccines. 

I want to thank everyone who asked a question over the course of this season. It helped to make the show interactive and also more informative. If you have any questions, you can still reach me on Twitter or by Email. Have a great summer and I look forward to better times and awesome science. 

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Pieter Cullis
https://biochem.ubc.ca/person/pieter-cullis/ 

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It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 variants.

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today. 

We’re back with Earl Brown, a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed research and published on emerging pathogens such as SARS and avian flu. He has been observing the impact of variants and is ready to answer your questions. 

Next week is our season finale and it is with one of the original researchers behind the mRNA vaccine technology. He’s been doing it for over 40 years and best of all, it’s been done right here in Canada. You won’t want to miss it.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Earl Brown
https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-324.html 

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Over the course of the pandemic, our vocabulary has gained a specific word that has come to represent great concern and distress in our global community. Variant. In the context of COVID-19, it has meant a resurgence in viral infections, resistance to treatments, and the risk of an ineffective vaccine. 

This week, we’re going to look at the science behind SARS-CoV-2 variants with Earl Brown. He’s a professor emeritus at the University of Ottawa and also a colleague with whom I’ve performed research and published on emerging pathogens such as SARS and avian flu. Our discussion will not only enlighten you but also reveal aspects of the nature of variants you won’t hear anywhere else. 

While we try to identify all the potential questions you might have regarding wastewater testing, I’m sure you will have more. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Earl Brown
https://web5.uottawa.ca/www2/mcs-smc/media/experts-details-324.html 

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It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and wastewater.

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today. 

We’re back with Tyson Graber, a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. He has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local government who now shares that data with the population. 

Over the last few months, I have received a few questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on those living with Multiple Sclerosis. I have reached out to Farrah Mateen, an Associate Professor of Neurology and her clinical practice focuses on helping and treating MS patients. She has been learning of the impacts of the pandemic from her patients and also through her international collaborations with researchers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America.

If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Tyson Graber
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysongraber/?originalSubdomain=ca

City of Ottawa Wastewater Surveillance
https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/reports-research-and-statistics/Wastewater_COVID-19_Surveillance.aspx

Farrah Mateen
https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/19421/farrah-mateen 

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It may seem like COVID-19 is everywhere and this week, we’re going to find out how we can take advantage of that fact. Research has shown that the virus behind the disease, SARS-CoV-2 can survive in sewage and be identified using a diagnostic test. More importantly, the results of those tests provide an early warning system to communities about the spread of the disease. 

Our guest this week has been working on the development of wastewater testing and has gained support from the local government who now shares that data with the population. His name is Tyson Graber and he is a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. 

While we try to identify all the potential questions you might have regarding wastewater testing, I’m sure you will have more. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Tyson Graber
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tysongraber/?originalSubdomain=ca

City of Ottawa Wastewater Surveillance
https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/reports-research-and-statistics/Wastewater_COVID-19_Surveillance.aspx 

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It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and diagnostic tests.

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today. 

Our guest this week has been focused on why we need diagnostic tests for all to get us past this pandemic and to keep us safe and confident even long after. She is Cherie Lynn Ramirez and she is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Simmons University. She was the Deputy Director of the Global Learning Studio at the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University.

Recently, she and her colleagues wrote a discussion piece on the need for universal access to diagnostic tests. You can find that paper below. 

If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Cherie Lynn Ramirez
https://www.simmons.edu/academics/faculty/cherie-ramirez

Cherie Lynn Ramirez’s discussion on universal testing:
https://www.rapidtests.org/wrong-not-to-test

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The old adage of the only thing to fear is fear itself sometimes rings true although in the case of pandemics, it has a different meaning. We should fear the pandemic but in many cases, people tend to fear and rebel against the measures to keep people safe.

But there is a way to prevent this from happening in an equitable way. It’s through the use of rapid diagnostic tests. They can help to keep us aware of the location of a pandemic virus, how’s it’s spreading in the community, and how to develop targeted measures to prevent spread.

Our guest this week has been focused on why we need diagnostic tests for all to get us past this pandemic and to keep us safe and confident even long after. She is Cherie Lynn Ramirez and she is an assistant professor in the Chemistry and Physics Department at Simmons University. She was the Deputy Director of the Global Learning Studio at the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator at Harvard University.

Recently, she and her colleagues wrote a discussion piece on the need for universal access to diagnostic tests. You can find that paper below. 

We try to hit on as many points as we can based on her research but I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest:
Cherie Lynn Ramirez
https://www.simmons.edu/academics/faculty/cherie-ramirez

Cherie Lynn Ramirez’s discussion on universal testing:
https://www.rapidtests.org/wrong-not-to-test

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It’s time for the Super Awesome Science Show SASS Class on COVID-19 and its effects on our healthcare heroines.

I want to thank everyone who reached out to me. We received quite a few and will try to answer them today.

Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians through collaborative mental health promotion strategies; health services and policy development and redesign; and knowledge translation approaches. She has also reached out to Canadians and learned about how they really feel about this pandemic. Her two papers on the subject can be found below.

If you didn’t hear your question, make sure to contact me on Twitter, by Email and now, via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts. 

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest: Emily Jenkins
Emily Jenkins, PhD, MPH, RN | School of Nursing (ubc.ca)

COVID-19 and Individual Mental Health
A portrait of the early and differential mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Findings from the first wave of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey - ScienceDirect

COVID-19 and Family Mental Health
Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada: findings from a national cross-sectional study | BMJ Open

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Pandemics usually are known for their impact on physical health in the forms of infection. But these worldwide outbreaks also affect mental health both in direct and indirect ways. We spoke about the direct manners earlier this season and this week, we’re taking a look at the indirect ways.

Our guest is Emily Jenkins. Emily Jenkins. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia. She is focused on optimizing mental health outcomes for Canadians through collaborative mental health promotion strategies; health services and policy development and redesign; and knowledge translation approaches. She has also reached out to Canadians and learned about how they really feel about this pandemic. Her two papers on the subject can be found below. 

We try to hit on as many points as we can based on her research but I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest: Emily Jenkins
Emily Jenkins, PhD, MPH, RN | School of Nursing (ubc.ca)

COVID-19 and Individual Mental Health
A portrait of the early and differential mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Findings from the first wave of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey - ScienceDirect

COVID-19 and Family Mental Health
Examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on family mental health in Canada: findings from a national cross-sectional study | BMJ Open

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In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression.

This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also known as a realist applied researcher who looks to develop answers that can be implemented to improve the overall situation. In many ways, she could be considered the healthcare heroine’s heroine.

While this discussion will inform, shock and maybe surprise you, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest: Abi Sriharan
Abi Sriharan | Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (utoronto.ca)

Abi Sriharan’s work on healthcare heroines and the effect of COVID-19
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/women-health-care-increased-risk-stress-burnout-and-depression-during-covid-19-u-t-study 

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In times of crisis, we look to heroines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have come in the form of healthcare workers. They have given so much of themselves and we are grateful. Yet, even as we offer our thanks, there continues to be suffering in the form of anxiety, burnout, and depression.

This week, we’re going to hear about how COVID-19 is affecting our healthcare heroines with our guest, Abi Sriharan. She is the Program Director for Systems Leadership and Innovation and an Assistant Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is also known as a realist applied researcher who looks to develop answers that can be implemented to improve the overall situation. In many ways, she could be considered the healthcare heroine’s heroine.

While this discussion will inform, shock and maybe surprise you, I’m sure you will have questions. Which is why I hope you reach out to me on Twitter, by Email, or via voice message at Speakpipe.com/SASS. Just follow the link below and send me your thoughts.  

Twitter: @JATetro
Email: [email protected]

Guest: Abi Sriharan
Abi Sriharan | Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (utoronto.ca)

Abi Sriharan’s work on healthcare heroines and the effect of COVID-19
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/women-health-care-increased-risk-stress-burnout-and-depression-during-covid-19-u-t-study 

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