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November 17, 2020

Fauci to speak during University of Montana lecture

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, will talk with Montana audiences next year as the headlining speaker of the 2021 Mansfield Lecture in February.

The University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center has booked Fauci, the doctor millions of Americans have been watching during White House press briefings and on major news networks over the past year, for the event on Feb. 17, which will take place on Zoom.

“What an incredible opportunity to have the nation's leading expert on infectious diseases speak directly to the people of Montana,” said Deena Mansour, director of the Mansfield Center.

In a fireside chat format, including a Q&A session, Fauci will discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S., address vaccine efficacy and challenges, and talk about what lessons the pandemic has taught in looking to the future, among other topics.

Robert Saldin, director of the Mansfield Ethics and Public Affairs Program, will moderate the conversation, which will also feature Dr. Marshall Bloom, associate director for science management at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton.

The facility, which is under Fauci’s purview through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been at the forefront of pandemic-related research and helped get the Mansfield Center Lecture on Fauci’s radar.


“We knew that Dr. Fauci would be incredibly busy, and it might be impossible to get him for our annual lecture, but we have worked very closely with Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and it is completely due to their advocacy that we were able to get the acceptance from Dr. Fauci and his team,” Mansour said, adding vaccine research and testing advancements at UM were also sticking points.

In addition, rural and tribal health care will be on the agenda, as Fauci discusses Montana’s response to the pandemic.

“He very much cares about rural and Native American health, and I think that’s what attracted him to this audience,” Mansour said.

The Mansfield Center hopes Fauci can boost morale across the state as well, as cases continue to spike with no end in sight.

“There have been funding and staffing shortfalls in Montana,” Mansour said. “It’s been a real challenge, and our health care providers and professionals have really stepped up … It’s incredibly important for Dr. Fauci to come and reinforce what they’re telling Montana communities and to support the incredible work that they are doing.”

Being able to hear from a trustworthy source firsthand is particularly important in Montana, where public health departments at the county and tribal level have taken the lead in pandemic response, Mansour said. She also noted he is speaking at no cost.

“He is probably the most reliable voice on what we’re going through right now. When he speaks about how we should be taking care of each other, how this is spreading, the efficacy of vaccines, generally people trust what he has to say.”

Bloom’s presentation will focus specifically on the Rocky Mountain Lab’s research efforts and its role in addressing infectious disease threats.

Mansour said the pandemic is unpredictable, so topics of interest will likely evolve before the event takes place and as a new administration takes over the White House. By Feb. 17, President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will have been overseeing the pandemic response for less than a month.

For the Q&A session, the Mansfield Center will be accepting questions in advance, but will also take questions live during the lecture.

“We hope that we’ll have students asking questions, that we’ll have representatives from tribal communities, and so it will really be open to whatever is on Montanans' minds about the pandemic,” Mansour said.

The event is scheduled for noon to make it more accessible to K-12 schools, tribal colleges and universities, she added.

“You don’t really see him speaking in the Rocky Mountain West. We are really hoping for a huge turnout, not just in Montana but regionally.”

Registration for the event is free and open through the Mansfield Center’s website, and a link will be sent out in January to access the Zoom session.

Article originally published in the Missoulian.