Events

QMUL Crisis Prevention & Management - Medical and Engineering Approaches to Crisis.

Date: 10 December 2020 14:00 - 15:00

Location: Online Event

Join Kaspar Althoefer, Adrian Martineau and Mauro Perretti for the next seminar in a series on Crisis Prevention and Management, this Thursday at 2pm via Zoom. In this series the nature of "Crisis" is explored, and how we can get better at predicting, preventing and managing crises in the modern age.

Kaspar Althoefer is Professor of Robotics Engineering at QM (Faculty of Science and Engineering). He leads research on soft robotics, intelligent micro-sensing systems and interaction dynamics modelling with applications in minimally invasive surgery, assistive technologies and human-robot interaction. In his talk, "Robotics and engineering solutions for crisis and disaster management", he will present a range of robotics and engineering approaches to manage crisis and disaster situations. For example, in collaboration with the Institute of Dentistry, he has developed visors and facemasks for the protection of frontline NHS staff during the current COVID pandemic. Other research he leads aims at developing remotely operated robot systems to conduct medical procedures on patients, and at creating robotic devices that can be used in disaster situations (i.e. earthquakes).

Adrian Martineau is Clinical Professor of Respiratory Infection and Immunity at QM (Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry). His work combines laboratory investigation of the effects of vitamin D on the immune system with a series of multi-centre clinical trials and meta-analyses, investigating the potential role of vitamin D supplementation as an agent to prevent respiratory infections and non-communicable diseases. In his talk, "Vitamin D in the prevention of acute respiratory infections", he will discuss effects of vitamin D on antiviral immunity, and present findings of studies conducted to evaluate a potential role of vitamin D supplementation to reduce risk of acute respiratory infections. The potential for vitamin D to reduce incidence and/or severity of COVID-19 will also be discussed.

Mauro Perretti, Dean for Research and Research Impact of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, will chair the discussion. Join us for a lively discussion and explore together these and other aspects of prevention and intervention in crisis.

Register here and you'll be sent a Zoom link prior to the meeting.

Updated by: Esmeralda Ypsilanti