‘Learn the Facts of Ebola’: Free talk by UB medical school faculty

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Ebola outbreak is the subject of a free, public talk, “Learn the Facts of Ebola,” to be presented by the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. It will take place from 6 - 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 in Butler Auditorium, 150 Farber Hall on the UB South Campus.

Seating is limited so attendees are advised to email ogme@buffalo.edu about their intention to attend or arrive 15-20 minutes early to sign in.

The presenters will discuss the current Ebola outbreak in terms of its history, public awareness, media misconceptions, efforts by medical professionals to address the outbreak and what is being done to prepare at the local level. The last 30 minutes will be dedicated to a question-and-answer session.

The event is being sponsored by the UB medical school’s Office of Graduate Medical Education through its Mini Medical School Lecture series.

The presenters are faculty from the UB Department of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases who also hold infectious disease positions at area hospitals:

• Alan J. Lesse, MD, associate professor, vice chair for education in the Department of Medicine, is chief of the infectious disease division at the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System (VA)
  
• John A. Sellick, Jr., DO, associate professor in the Department of Medicine at UB and staff physician, UB Student Health Services, also serves as hospital epidemiologist at the VA and Kaleida Health.

“This talk is part of the UB medical school’s continued commitment to the community,” says Roseanne Berger, MD, Mini Medical School director and senior associate dean of graduate medical education at UB.

“UB physicians Lesse and Sellick are infectious disease specialists at the UB medical school and in our local hospitals,” Berger says.  “As physicians on the front lines of addressing this ever-evolving outbreak, they are an extremely valuable source of information. We are pleased that they have both agreed to participate in this important and timely public talk.”

The UB medical school started the Mini Medical School in 1997 as a public service to the community. More information on the Mini Medical School is at http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/minimed/.