Just over one year ago, life as we knew it was put on hold by COVID-19, and the ensuing global pandemic changed everything. Despite many challenges much has improved since then, and an accelerating vaccine roll-out, combined with commonsense safety measures and improved COVID-19 treatment protocols promise that the coming weeks and months will bring a return to near-normalcy.
The Discover UofSC 2021 keynote speaker, Dr. Helmut Albrecht, has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle since the very beginning. Dr. Albrecht serves as the Heyward Gibbes Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine at the UofSC School of Medicine and the Medical Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy for Prisma Health and UofSC. Dr. Albrecht was one of the first South Carolina physicians treating COVID-19 patients in the Prisma Health System. As he worked to treat our friends, family and neighbors, Dr. Albrecht was on the cutting edge of learning—in the hands-on, clinical setting—how to best counter this novel pathogen.
In his keynote address, Dr. Albrecht discusses his experiences treating COVID-19 patients over the past year. He will talk about the development of saliva testing at UofSC, share key information on COVID-19 treatments and the vaccine rollout and offer words of wisdom for all students on how to make a difference in their communities. This fascinating and timely keynote speech will be available at the Discover UofSC 2021 event site beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Friday, April 23. Discover UofSC organizers encourage everyone to check out the speech during Discover UofSC day on April 23, or afterward. The speech will be available on the Discover UofSC 2021 event site for at least six months.
Dr. Albrecht’s distinguished career prepared him well for the challenge of COVID-19. He received his medical degree from the University of Hamburg where he completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in gastroenterology. He then completed a fellowship in infectious diseases and a residency in internal medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Albrecht’s clinical work has included serving as Chief of Medicine and Chief of Staff for Palmetto Health Richland, working in the role of Chief of the UofSC Infectious Diseases Division and as the Department Chair of Internal Medicine for the Prisma Health Medical Group and UofSC.
Dr. Albrecht also has considerable study experience as investigator, principal or coordinating investigator of multiple national and international trials. He has served as a reviewer for world renowned medical journals including AIDS, Clinical Investigator, CID, JID, Annuals of Internal Medicine, JAMA, EID and others. He has published more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored more than 50 book chapters.
Discover UofSC 2021: Friday, April 23
On Friday, April 23, at 7:00 a.m., the Discover UofSC 2021 Event Website, built on the iPosterSessions virtual conference platform, will go live.
Here is what visitors will find on Friday, April 23:
- Welcome speeches by UofSC President Bob Caslen and UofSC Vice President for Research Prakash Nagarkatti
- Dr. Helmut Albrecht’s keynote speech, immediately following the welcomes
- Hundreds of interactive iPoster presentations by undergraduate and graduate students, medical scholars and postdocs
- A three-minute thesis gallery
- A gallery of iPoster exhibits by UofSC and Prisma Health organizations
Visit our Discover UofSC 2021 Event Website on Friday, April 23 to check it all out!