Virologist Ilaria Capua in conversation with Professor Felix Gutzwiller and Dr Martin Meyer.
Tuesday, 18. May 2021, 18:30 – 19:30 h
From the Studio
Covid-19 is more than just a pandemic with dramatic consequences it is a multisystem stress test. It has shown us in realtime that pandemics are global events that have numerous ramifications affecting directly or indirectly our health, our jobs, our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Suddenly we have realized that we are all interconnected and interdependent.
However it pervasive power is also that of an accelerator of interdisciplinarity, an opportunity to change for the better, and a real-time example of why we need to capitalize on our existing knowledge to discover novel converging forces. Major questions lie ahead as the disruption caused by Covid-19 unfolds. Convergence and the circularity of health are elements that must be explored to redesign a new health eco-system which is less vulnerable and more sustainable.
Ilaria Capua is full professor and Director of the One Health Center of Excellence at the University of Florida. She is a veterinarian by training with a PhD in Virology. She directed international reference laboratories on emerging viruses and has authored over 220 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals, scientific books and 5 books for the general public. She has been a Member of the Italian Parliament for over three years (2013-2016), and during that period she focused on bridging science to policy in the field of Emerging Infections and anti-microbial resistance. She is active in the field of science communication, in promoting female leadership in the scientific arena and in advocating for awareness about fake news in science. She is currently engaged in developing new frontiers for the One Health approach by exploiting the digital environment. She regularly contributes columns and editorials to Italian and international press. Circular Health is her last book.