By Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH, the Dana and David Dornsife Dean and Professor of Epidemiology at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health

Each academic year, the Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health's Population Health Spotlight Series provides an important forum to examine innovative public health research and practice locally, nationally, and globally. Specifically, this series has a focus on advancing population health and addressing health disparities that align with our mission.

This year's series was particularly meaningful, as it represented a special collaboration between Dornsife and Drexel’s College of Medicine (DUCOM), supported in part by the Dr. Elias “Eli” Abrutyn Memorial Lecture Fund. Dr. Abrutyn (1940–2007) was a distinguished infectious disease expert and a beloved leader at DUCOM, serving as associate provost and associate dean of academic affairs. It was an honor to host an event that paid tribute to his lasting legacy.

Led by my colleague Esther Chernak, MD, clinical professor at Dornsife and professor at DUCOM, the planning committee worked together to bring this vision to life. As Esther noted, the series was not only a tribute to Eli’s extraordinary contributions to medicine and mentorship but also an opportunity to engage deeply with current issues in infectious disease.

We welcomed four renowned experts between November 2024 and April 2025. First, Meghan Davis, PhD, associate professor and doctoral program director in Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University. Next, Michele Andrasik, PhD, director of social behavioral sciences and community engagement for the Fred Hutchinson-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the COVID-19 Prevention Network, principal staff scientist in the Fred Hutchinson Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, and affiliate associate professor in the departments of Global Health and Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Washington. Virtually, Heidi J. Larson, PhD, anthropologist and director of The Vaccine Confidence Project, presented in March. And most recently, Stanley A. Plotkin, MD, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.

These speakers presented critical challenges and emerging strategies in infectious disease prevention and response, fostering dialogue that I believe will continue to shape our field in the years ahead. I want to thank each of them for their time and sharing their expertise in this series.

To learn more and to hear the various lectures, please check out this recap article.