What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccines

  • Speakers
  • photo of peter hotezPeter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D.Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Portrait of Apoorva MandavilliApoorva MandavilliScience and Global Health Reporter, The New York Times
Date & Time


About Presents
Presents is a free events series exploring the connections between science, culture and society. Join our scientists and special guests as they discuss the intersections of their work, followed by an evening of conversation over drinks. It’s an opportunity to hear new perspectives that may challenge your assumptions and stoke your curiosity. Meet interesting people who share a passion for ideas and discovery. Come for the conversation, stay for the connections.

The life-or-death race to develop a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 is one of the greatest scientific endeavors ever undertaken. Thanks to the efforts of scientists around the world, we now have not one but multiple vaccines. Despite this triumph, many questions and hurdles remain in distributing those vaccines and ending the pandemic.

In this virtual conversation, New York Times science and global health reporter Apoorva Mandavilli will chat with Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University’s National School of Tropical Medicine, about the COVID-19 vaccines. They will discuss the science behind the vaccine and address the public’s questions, concerns and misunderstandings. For example, is one vaccine better than another? Can the vaccines damage our DNA? What’s in the vaccines? Should anyone not get the vaccine? This presentation will fill you in on what’s going on now and where we need to get.

Registration is required for this free event.

Further instructions and access to join the webinar will be sent to all registrants upon sign up.

Inquiries: [email protected]

About the Speaker

photo of peter hotez

Peter Hotez is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development and Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics. He is a vaccine scientist who led the development of vaccines to prevent and treat neglected tropical diseases and coronavirus infections. A new COVID-19 vaccine developed by Texas Children’s Hospital is now undergoing clinical testing.

Apoorva Mandavilli joined The New York Times in May 2020 after two years as a regular contributor. She previously served as the founding editor-in-chief of Spectrum, an award-winning news site on autism science published by the Simons Foundation. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the 2019 Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Reporting. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker online edition, Slate, Nature and Scientific American.

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