Dec 3 event – Natural History Collections and Pandemic Preparedness
Please join us for a Museums at Noon presentation!
Natural History Collections and Pandemic Preparedness
Presenters:
- Cody Thompson, Mammal Collections Manager and Assistant Research Scientist (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
- Kendra Phelps, Senior Scientist (EcoHealth Alliance)
Date: Friday, December 3
Time: 12:00 pm
Format: Online via Zoom (registration required)
In this session, Cody Thompson and Kendra Phelps will discuss their article, “Preserve a Voucher Specimen! The Critical Need for Integrating Natural History Collections in Infectious Disease Studies,” published in January 2021. With COVID-19 as an example of the failed merger of host-pathogen research with collections-based biodiversity science, the paper reviews past cases of successful integration of museum collections with emerging infectious disease research (e.g., hantaviruses, yellow fever, parasites). The research concludes with recommendations for how public health agencies and the microbiology community can integrate their research efforts with museums using a One Health framework.
Co-sponsored by the Museum of Natural History
