Viruses and Vaccines: From Cowpox Virus to Modern mRNA Vaccines

This  talk will explore the history of the use of vaccines to prevent  diseases caused by viruses.  The first vaccine was used to prevent  smallpox (the disease caused by Variola virus) in 1796, almost a century  before scientists understood what viruses in great detail.  We will  discuss how the first vaccine differs from modern day vaccines, and the  key discoveries that have made the development of modern vaccines  possible.

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Location:  CLE Lecture Hall

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Presenter:   Maria Gainey, a North Carolina native, received her bachelor's degree  from Appalachian State University.  She went on to earn her Ph.D. from  Wake Forest Baptist medical Center and then completed a post-doctoral  fellowship at Washington University Medical Center.