The CDC has funded several projects at Washington University School of Medicine evaluating SARS-CoV-2 infection and health-care personnel. The projects are led by Hilary Babcock, MD, a professor of medicine and medical director of the BJC Infection Prevention and Epidemiology Consortium, and Jennie Kwon, DO, an assistant professor of medicine and associate medical director for infection prevention and associate hospital epidemiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
One project involves evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines against the SARSCoV- 2 virus among health-care personnel on the Washington University Medical Campus and across BJC HealthCare. The study will allow for the rapid evaluation of these vaccines in a real-world setting with high exposure to the virus. Another will evaluate the role of PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic healthcare personnel who have been exposed to the virus, and the role of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing among health-care personnel who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The latter study involves WUSM and BJC personnel on the Medical Campus. For more information about participating in these studies, contact Candice Cass, clinical research coordinator, at c.m.cass@wustl.edu. Additional information about the studies is available on the School of Medicine website.