Submission #21744 by Shaare Torah Men's Club - Gaithersburg, MD (1114)
I have read the 2021 Torch Awards Program Guidelines.
COVID Panel
Educational Programming
Page 1
Understanding the thirst for scientifically validated information on the pandemic and the vaccine trials that were approaching completion at the time of the panel. Recognizing that we have experts in our community to impart needed knowledge. We hosted a "360" panel of leading scientists and pharma professionals to address the latest in the development and manufacturing of COVID vaccines as well as the virus's effects on public health, mental health, pediatrics, immunocompromised individuals, and more. As the panel was being formed and we identified additional knowledge gaps, we reached out to another local conservative synagogue (Kol Shalom). Kol Shalom enthusiastically partnered with Shaare Torah which resulted in an even stronger panel and inclusion of global experts. The panel answered frequently asked questions about the virus and vaccine development and also fully answered close to 100 participants' questions during the event. The abundance of questions were welcomed by the panelists who agreed to stay an extra hour to ensure every single question was answered. The feedback from attendees was superb and it definitely filled that thirst for scientific answers regarding COVID-19 and vaccine development.
Recognizing the risk of large in person gatherings and the desire to include as many community members as possible We had over 300 attendees. Panelists included:
Todd Haim, Shaare Torah Men’s Club Co-President and a branch chief at the NIH/National Institute on Aging
Daniel Douek, Chief of the Human Immunology Section at the NIH Vaccine Research Center which co-led design of the Moderna Vaccine and a member of Operation Warpspeed. Dan was able to distill global expertise on the virus in a way everyone could understand and provide up to date information on the activities of NIH and Operation Warpspeed to address the pandemic.
David Berlinger, Associate Director of Manufacturing/Product Development at Altimmune, Inc. As the recent Head of Viral Vaccine Manufacturing at the Pilot Bioproduction Facility (WRAIR, Army), David led the development of one of the manufacturing processes used in the manufacturing of the current COVID-19 vaccines. Thus, his vaccine manufacturing and production expertise added a lot of value.
Ilana Bar-Levav, President of Kol Shalom, board certified in internal medicine and a practiving has been practicing psychotherapist. Ilana focused on one of the most under-appreciated costs of the pandemic – one’s mental health which was essential to the overall discussion.
Ryan Spiegel, Gaithersburg City Councilmember and immediate past president of the Maryland Municipal League in which he has helped lead Gaithersburg and Maryland's 156 other cities and towns in developing local government policies, programs, and communications and advocacy strategies to address the community impacts of COVID-19. Ryan helped attendees understand how community and policy decisions are being made in real-time.
Todd Haim, Shaare Torah Men’s Club Co-President and a branch chief at the NIH/National Institute on Aging
Daniel Douek, Chief of the Human Immunology Section at the NIH Vaccine Research Center which co-led design of the Moderna Vaccine and a member of Operation Warpspeed. Dan was able to distill global expertise on the virus in a way everyone could understand and provide up to date information on the activities of NIH and Operation Warpspeed to address the pandemic.
David Berlinger, Associate Director of Manufacturing/Product Development at Altimmune, Inc. As the recent Head of Viral Vaccine Manufacturing at the Pilot Bioproduction Facility (WRAIR, Army), David led the development of one of the manufacturing processes used in the manufacturing of the current COVID-19 vaccines. Thus, his vaccine manufacturing and production expertise added a lot of value.
Ilana Bar-Levav, President of Kol Shalom, board certified in internal medicine and a practiving has been practicing psychotherapist. Ilana focused on one of the most under-appreciated costs of the pandemic – one’s mental health which was essential to the overall discussion.
Ryan Spiegel, Gaithersburg City Councilmember and immediate past president of the Maryland Municipal League in which he has helped lead Gaithersburg and Maryland's 156 other cities and towns in developing local government policies, programs, and communications and advocacy strategies to address the community impacts of COVID-19. Ryan helped attendees understand how community and policy decisions are being made in real-time.
Page 2
Original Program