Newswise — Rush University Medical Center is operating the Regional Innovative Public Health Laboratory (RIPHL) for the Chicago Department of Public Health. Since last spring, the molecular lab’s scientists have been analyzing COVID-19 samples from across Chicago on a weekly basis. The lab has tracked the variants circulating in the Chicago area as well as studied breakthrough cases and clusters of COVID-19. On Dec. 7, CDPH and Illinois Department of Public Health announced that the first case of omicron detected in the state; it was detected through genomic analysis at the Rush lab.
Rush physicians and scientists can explain how SARS-CoV-2 is studied through weekly genomic sequencing, how it has changed over time and how that knowledge can be applied to such concerns as outbreaks, breakthrough cases and the arrival of new variants.
- Mary Hayden, MD, co-director of RIPHL; professor, infectious disease, internal medicine, Rush University Medical Center.
- Stefan Green, PhD, co-director of RIPHL; director, Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility, Rush University Medical Center.
- Hannah Barbian, PhD, virologist, Rush University Medical Center.
They have been featured by media, most recently discussing the omicron variant. Among the reports:
- Tuesday, 11/30, WMAQ NBC
- Tuesday, 11/30, WFLD Fox 32 News
- Tuesday, 11/30, Crain’s Chicago Business
- Monday, 11/29, WFLD Fox 32
- Monday, 11/29, WLS ABC 7
In addition, Rush infectious disease experts offer helpful information on COVID-19:
- John Segreti, MD, infectious disease, hospital epidemiologist
- Michael Lin, MD, MPH, infectious disease, hospital epidemiologist
- Hemil Gonzalez, MD, infectious disease; fluent in multiple languages, including Spanish.
- Latania Logan, MD, MSPH, pediatric infectious disease
- Colleen Nash, MD, MPH, pediatric infectious disease
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