COVID-19 Vaccines and Their Impact on People with Disabilities with Dr. Venditto and Dr. Vijay

The Independent Life

This is a critical conversation and a center of gravity for why people should listen to this is that even though we may be over the pandemic, the pandemic is not over us. There are thousands of people who are dying every week due to COVID. We are currently entering into what is predicted to be a disruptive winter with COVID and other strands of viruses circulating around large holiday gatherings.

On this episode, Tony is joined by Dr. Vincent Venditto and Dr. Vijay Vasudevan to discuss outreach efforts to the community about getting the vaccine, what they should know, what questions to consider asking, knowing the different types of vaccines for COVID and their efficacies, when to get vaccinated.

Dr. Vincent J. Venditto is an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. He received training in vaccine design and immunology and continues to investigate vaccine strategies to better understand how the immune system works in disease progression. He obtained a BS in chemistry from Gettysburg College and then worked for two years at the NCI, NIH as a cancer research trainee before attending graduate school. He obtained a PhD in chemistry from Texas A&M University and worked on vaccine development as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco. Students and fellows in his lab come from diverse backgrounds with interests in chemistry, biology, drug delivery and experimental therapeutics, but a common goal of exploring novel methods to modulate the immune system. Students and fellows in his lab are encouraged to utilize their skills to advance projects while learning new skills to better appreciate the various aspects of designing novel immunotherapies.

Dr. Vijay Vasudevan is the Associate Data Scientist at Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. They do this through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.

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