Coronavirus Conversations: On the Ground: Inside the COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

Co-hosted with the Duke Law Center for Innovation Policy, the Duke Global Health Institute, the Georgetown Law O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health, the Harvard Petrie-Flom Center for Bioethics, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Stanford Law Center for Law and the Biosciences, the UNC HIV Cure Center, and the Yale School of Public Health.

Ten months into the pandemic, we are making rapid progress toward developing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, with several vaccines in Phase 3 trials in the US alone.  Despite this remarkable speed, concerned citizens and members of the medical and public health communities naturally have questions: What does it mean about overall safety and effectiveness that some projects have been paused to ensure the safety and health of vaccine trial participants? Who has been included in the trial process, and how representative are they of our society? When the first vaccines are found to be safe and effective, how effective can we expect them to be, based on current indications?

Join Duke Science & Society and our guests, who are overseeing COVID-19 vaccine trials for Moderna and Pfizer, in a discussion of how the COVID-19 vaccine trials are progressing in the U.S., what current indications are about their safety and efficacy, and when we can expect initial approvals for early or limited use.

Panelists:

Cindy Gay, M.D., M.P.H.; Principal Investigator, University of North Carolina site of the Moderna SARS-COV-2 vaccine trial, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; Medical Director, UNC HIV Cure Center

Emmanuel (Chip) Walter, M.D.; Principal Investigator, Duke University site of the Pfizer SARS-COV-2 vaccine trial, Professor of Pediatrics, Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute, Member in the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute

Moderator:

Nita Farahany, J.D., Ph.D.; Duke University; Director, Duke Initiative For Science & Society; Professor of Law and Philosophy, Duke University

View the recording

This virtual event series is open to the public. Press covering the coronavirus outbreak are welcome to attend. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Have an idea for a future Coronavirus Conversation?

Coronavirus Conversations: A virtual event series from Duke Science & Society

The global pandemic affects every corner of society and brings into focus new and existing ethical and policy issues. Over the course of this event series notable scientists, doctors, bioethicists, researchers, and other policy experts will convene to discuss specific themes as they relate to the Coronavirus and how the U.S. and the world continues to respond.