Speakers
- Veronique Roger, PhD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic, Division of Comprehensive Cardiology & Division of Epidemiology; Affiliate Professor, University of MN, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health; Research Director, Well Living Lab
- Barbara Spurrier, MHA, Managing Director, Well Living Lab
- Chris Hogan, PhD, Professor, University of MN, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Aditya Shah, MD, Mayo Clinic, Division of Infectious Diseases
- Mark Pereira, PhD, MPH, Professor, University of MN, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
- Zachary Pope, PhD, Research Scientist, Physiology & Behavior, Well Living Lab; Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic, Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering; Lead Scientist, COVID-19 & Beyond Program
The COVID-19 pandemic has created immense worldwide challenges. No proven vaccine has yet been found, and asymptomatic spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus contributes to many COVID-19 infections. SARS-CoV-2 spreads most easily indoors. Thus, the impact of indoor spaces on our health and well-being has become more important than ever, with effective infection control strategies paramount within these environments.
In response to the critical need for research to reduce SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission indoors, the Well Living Lab launched the “COVID-19 & Beyond: Well Living Lab Safe Indoor Environment Program” in June 2020, with the goal to generate evidence to optimize both the physical (e.g., ventilation/filtration, room layout, barriers) and psychosocial (e.g., stress, anxiety, safety) indoor environment in the COVID-19 era. Working closely with key collaborators at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, our multi-disciplinary research team of 20+ researchers is focusing on research aimed at reducing SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission in indoor spaces through investigations of transmission by 1) air, 2) surface, and 3) behavior.
We will review the underlying science and progress made on the 5 ongoing projects within this Program and the next steps we foresee as we translate our observations from the lab into real-world environments.
