Behind the Scenes: Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hollywood

In this episode of Transmission Interrupted, join hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo as they continue their Pathogens in Pop Culture series with a dive into the fascinating intersection of infectious diseases and the entertainment industry with esteemed guest, Dr. Saskia Popescu. Dr. Popescu, an internationally recognized infectious disease epidemiologist and global health security expert, shares her unique experiences providing epidemiological guidance and infection prevention strategies on film sets during the COVID-19 pandemic. From creative risk assessments and navigating ever-changing guidelines to the challenges of implementing health measures in diverse climate settings all around the world, Dr. Popescu provides a candid look behind the scenes of Hollywood's pandemic response. Get a glimpse into how science intersects with Hollywood magic, revealing an industry more receptive and complex than meets the eye. Tune in as we uncover the balance between safety and storytelling, and explore the uncharted territory of infectious diseases in pop culture.

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Dr. Popescu is an internationally recognized and experienced infectious disease epidemiologist and global health security expert with a strong background in enhancing healthcare biopreparedness, outbreak response, biosecurity, infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology, biothreat analysis, and pandemic preparedness/response. Skilled communicator directing progress through policy development, project management/team leadership, and providing pragmatic and real-world insight from experiences in leading outbreak field response, biosurveillance initiatives, and healthcare biopreparedness programs.

She works at the intersection of science and policy to build capacity and support implementation of policies and collaboration across key stakeholders. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has engaged in science communication across media sources, including CNN, SkyNews, BBC, the Trevor Noah Show, This Podcast Will Kill You, NPR, Nature, Science, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, etc.

Lauren is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Core Faculty of the UNMC Global Center for Health Security. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the director of the Special Pathogens Research Network.

She previously served as Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness where she ran the inpatient COVID19 biobank and served on the COVID19 research steering committee for JHU. Lauren’s research focuses on human subjects research in bio-emergencies and disasters, in particular, ethical implementation of research and navigating the regulatory environment. The goal of her research is to provide health care facilities with the tools needed to conduct a clinical and operational research response in emergencies.

Rachel Lookadoo is an Assistant Professor in the Epidemiology department of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and serves as the Deputy Director of the Center for Biosecurity, Biopreparedness, and Emerging Infectious Diseases. She also acts as the Director of Public Health Policy for the Water, Climate, and Health program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ms. Lookadoo’s background is as an attorney, and she focuses on the various legal and regulatory issues that can arise in emergency preparedness and response. She specializes in public health impacts of climate change, healthcare surge events, isolation/quarantine law, crisis standards of care, infectious disease response, and general legal preparedness. Ms. Lookadoo also conducts emergency preparedness trainings and assessments for public health departments and healthcare facilities nationally. Ms. Lookadoo received her Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law, and her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.

• Saskia Popescu: https://x.com/saskiapopescu
• Pathogens in Pop Culture: Pandemic and Play – A Board Game Journey with Matt Leacock: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/pandemic-and-play/
• Pathogens in Pop Culture: The Science Behind Infectious Storytelling: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/pathogens-in-pop-culture-iv-pathogens-and-infectious-plotlines/
• Pathogens in Pop Culture: Contagion, Outbreak, and Pathogen Response: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/pathogens-in-pop-culture-ep-iii-contagion-outbreak-and-pathogen-response/
• Pathogens in Pop Culture: Jack Ryan, the Hot Zone, and Ebola: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/pathogens-in-pop-culture-jack-ryan-the-hot-zone-and-ebola/
• Pathogens in Pop Culture: Fungal Pathogens and The Last of Us: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/pathogens-in-pop-culture-fungal-pathogens-and-the-last-of-us/
• NETEC COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/ncov/ncov
• NETEC Resource Library: https://repository.netecweb.org

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