The OC Forum is honored to welcome our panel of distinguished experts for "The Future of: The Delta Variant." Join our moderator Dr. Steve Goldstein, Vice-Chancellor of UCI Health Affairs, in a timely discussion regarding the new COVID-19 Delta Variant and what this means for our children in Orange County. Meet him and all our panel of experts below! Don't forget to RSVP to the event to join the conversation - click here to be taken to our event page.
Dr. Steve Goldstein, Vice Chancellor, UCI Health Affairs (Moderator)
Dr. Steve Goldstein currently serves at UCI as the Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs. A Distinguished Professor of both Pediatrics and Physiology and Biophysics, Goldstein received his Ph.D from Harvard University in 1986. His academic contributions include research in ion channels, cardiac arrhythmia, and single-molecule spectroscopy. To learn more about Dr. Goldstein’s research and accolades, click on the link below.
Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, Deputy Health Officer, OC Health Care Agency
Dr. Chinsio-Kwong comes from the navy, where she served as a staff member and attending family medicine physician at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton for three years. Board certified in family medicine, she obtained her medical degree from Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is an American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine diplomat with a strong interest in integrative and functional medicine. For more information on Dr. Chinsio-Kwong, click on the link below.
Dr. Bernadette M. Boden-Albala, Founding Dean, Public Health Program, UCI
Dr. Bernadette Boden-Albala is the Director and Founding Dean of the Program in Public Health. Inspired by UCI’s industrious students, she encouraged campus-wide enthusiastic support to create a new school and was motivated by the faculty’s commitment toward social justice, academic excellence and passion for the growth and transition of this program to a world class school of public health. Find out more about Dr. Boden-Albala’s research and publications by clicking the link below.
Dr. Shruti K. Gohil, Associate Medical Director, Epidemiology & Infection Prevention, UCI Health
Dr. Gohil is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UC Irvine School of Medicine and Associate Medical Director of Epidemiology & Infection Prevention. In her current administrative role, she is leading UCI Health’s response to the COVID pandemic, including clinical and epidemiologic assessment of healthcare worker and patient management, COVID testing, exposure definition and response, contact tracing, infection prevention strategies to limit spread (e.g., PPE management, environmental handling and cleaning), and vaccination. Click on the link below to learn more about Dr. Shruti’s and her contributions.
Dr. Dan Cooper, Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Science, Institute for Immunology, UCI
Dr. Dan M. Cooper is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Science at UC Irvine, and former Chair of Pediatrics at UC Irvine. As the current chair of BRAID (Biomedical Research Acceleration, Integration, and Development; the coalition of the 5 UC medical centers that have NIH Clinical Translational Science Awards) Dr. Cooper is part of regional and national studies focused on the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 disease prophylaxis and possible treatment. In addition, Dr. Cooper is part of a national group of pediatric thought leaders focused on strategic planning to re-open schools as safely as possible. Visit the website below to learn about Dr. Cooper’s research and contributions.
Pamela Kahn, Health & Wellness Coordinator, OC Department of Education
Pamela Kahn is the Coordinator for Health and Wellness at the Orange County Department of Education and she has been a credentialed school nurse for more than 20 years. Currently, Kahn provides technical, advisory, and consultative services to the assistance and resources to the 28 school districts in Orange County, serving more than 500,000 students, in the areas of health education, nursing and health services, and nutrition services. Pamela has provided leadership for health programs improvement by developing strong relationships, collaborating and planning with the community at large, public and private community agencies, school district leaders, Orange County Department of Education staff and the State Department of Education. For more information on Pamela Kahn, visit the website below.