By David Oglethorpe

On Friday, December 16, 2022, Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and one of the nation’s leading experts on COVID-19, will join Massey Cancer Center’s Facts and Faith Fridays for his second virtual discussion on COVID-19, vaccines and public health. The discussion will also feature insights from Jeanine Guidry, Ph.D., associate professor with VCU Robertson School of Media and Culture and director of the Media+Health Lab.

Attendees can register for the event by clicking here.

Facts & Faith Fridays is a partnership between VCU Massey Cancer Center and the African American faith-based community. Led by community leaders Rudene Mercer Haynes, Rev. F. Todd Gray, and Robert A. Winn, M.D., director, Massey Cancer Center, the program was founded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facts & Faith Fridays recognizes that faith leaders are trusted sources of accurate information and act as ambassadors for their communities.

The program began in March 2020 as a weekly call led by Winn with African American clergy in Virginia to address the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on the Black community. The call has evolved to address higher rates of cancer and other health issues in diverse communities and continues to provide important COVID-19-related information.

The Facts & Faith group invites Virginians of all faiths and races to participate in its monthly programs. Attendees can register for this virtual event at masseycancercenter.org/fff.

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.

Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. was appointed director of NIAID in 1984. He oversees an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat established infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis and malaria as well as emerging diseases such as Ebola and Zika. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies. The NIAID budget for fiscal year 2022 is approximately $6.3 billion.

Fauci has advised seven presidents on HIV/AIDS and many other domestic and global health issues. He was one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that has saved millions of lives throughout the developing world.

(VCU Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

Jeanine Guidry, Ph.D.

Originally from the Netherlands, Jeanine Guidry, Ph.D., is an associate professor at VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture, as well as the Director of the Media+Health Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Department of Health Behavior and Policy in the School of Medicine at VCU, her M.Sc. in Health Sciences from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and her M.P.S. in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University.

Her research focuses on the use of visual social media in addressing misinformation, especially related to vaccines and infectious diseases. Many of her recent projects have focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and the growing challenge of long COVID.

Register for the event by clicking here.