The Role of the Human Immune System During Covid-19
Distinguished Visiting Speaker
The global pandemic of COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on our society and its impact has not been equally distributed across the population. The most vulnerable to experience severe disease and death are those of advancing age and those with one of many diseases of the modern world driven by low-grade inflammation. These common disorders include obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and fatty liver, cardiovascular and renal disease among others that are growing rapidly in modern life and already collectively account for nearly 60 percent of all deaths prior to COVID-19. Given that our immune health is directly tied to our behaviors and environmental exposures, advances in the understanding of how to modify our behaviors and exposures (what we eat, how we sleep and exercise, and how we handle our stress) as well as understanding the impact of factors such as pollution and global warming may offer hope for greater population-based immune health to prepare us for future pandemics and offer greater resistance to chronic diseases.
Covid-19 policies will be in effect throughout programming, please review the JES Covid-19 policy here. Patrons will need to show their vaccination cards or proof of a negative test. While Erie County remains on alert, masks will be required. Advanced registration is required for all JES events. Tickets will not be sold at or during events. This special lecture is $15/person and $25 with a guest. All JES programming is free to all Erie County students with advanced registration and proof of enrollment at event check-in. To register with the student discount, use the coupon code "eriecountystudents" and make sure to bring proof of enrollment to the programs you register for. Payments must be made at registration. Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discover accepted. Cash payments are no longer accepted by the Jefferson.
Dr. Leonard Calabrese, D.O. is a graduate of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He performed his internal medicine training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation followed by a fellowship in rheumatic and immunologic disease. He has been on staff in that department at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation since 1980. Dr. Calabrese is a Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Vice-Chair of the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases. Dr. Calabrese is the director of the RJ Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic specializing in diseases of the immune system. Dr. Calabrese holds joint appointments in the Department of Infectious Diseases and the Wellness Institute. Among his many awards and honors, Dr. Calabrese has received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, the Phillips Medal of Public Service from the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Bruce Hubbard Stewart Award for humanitarianism and Leonard Tow Humanitarianism in Medicine Award from the Arnold P Goldman MD Foundation and holds two endowed chairs including the RJ Fasenmyer Chair of Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Theodore Classen Chair of Osteopathic Research and Education. An Erie native, Dr. Calabrese presented at the Global Summit X speaker series in 2018. In addition to his scientific accomplishments, Dr. Calabrese is academically engaged in medical history, professionalism, and the role of empathy and mindfulness in health care In the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College he is a course director of the third-year class on the Art and Practice of Medicine and leads the curricular thread on Human Values. He is a member of numerous societies including the American Osler Society and is a Master of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Calabrese has lectured nationally and internationally on the subjects of clinical immunology, rheumatology, and medical humanism and is the author of over 450 published peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews.
