The Research Symposium aims to recognize the research efforts of those at Des Moines University (DMU) and in the surrounding medical and scientific community by providing a forum for the collaboration of ideas, the production of new hypotheses, and to demonstrate to the attendees the critical role that research plays in the advancement of health care.

Target Audience

DMU faculty, staff, students, residents, alumni, external researchers and health professionals from the Des Moines area and surrounding medical and scientific community are invited to participate and present. All students, faculty, and residents are encouraged to develop research projects to be presented at the Symposium. 

Keynote Speaker

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH
McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota

Dr. Osterholm is a prominent public health scientist and an internationally recognized biosecurity expert.  He currently serves several roles, including the McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair in Public Health at the University of Minnesota; the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy; a Distinguished Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota;  a Professor in the Technological Leadership Institute, College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota; and an Adjunct Professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School. Prior to his current positions, Dr. Osterholm served various roles with the Minnesota Department of Health from 1975-1999.

Dr. Osterholm has authored more than 315 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals, including Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology and Microbial Drug Resistance: Mechanisms, Epidemiology and Disease, and is a reviewer for 24 additional journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine , the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Science.

As a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), Dr. Osterholm has served on the Committee on Biomedical Research of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board, the Task Force on Biological Weapons, and the Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance. He is a frequent consultant to the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Defense, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Dr. Osterholm has received numerous honors for his work with the CDC, FDA, IDSA, and NIH, among others. Some of his current work includes topics surrounding the influenza and Ebola viruses.

Dr. Osterholm indicated he has no financial relationships to disclose relevant to the content of this CME activity.

Agenda

Objectives

• Describe the epidemiology of the Ebola virus infection.
• Describe current national recommendations for protecting healthcare workers from being exposed to the Ebola virus. 
• Summarize the challenges in controlling the current Ebola epidemic in West Africa. 

Educational Grants

No commercial interest provided financial support for this continuing education activity.