Presenter: Heather Zwickey, PhD

Original Date: February 11, 2023

There’s a complicated relationship between SARS-CoV2 and autoimmune disease. This talk is designed to explore the established association between infection and autoimmunity. We will discuss the relevance as we think about those at risk for future COVID triggered autoimmune disease. We will further explore controversy around mass vaccination and how it may influence future autoimmune risk. We’ll then bridge to the topic of post-COVID syndrome and discuss whether post-COVID is an early stage of autoimmune disease. Finally, we will discuss people who had autoimmunity prior to the pandemic and how immune dysregulation that occurs as a part of autoimmunity can play a role in how someone responds to a SARS-CoV2 infection and vaccinations. The medical literature surrounding COVID continues to grow as does its impact on the population. This talk is designed to bring you up to date on COVID and autoimmunity.

Heather Zwickey got many of us up to speed with COVID during her popular Vaccine Intensive talks. She is a popular speaker in immunology and frequently speaks on topics linking immunology and alternative medicine. She earned a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center with a focus on infectious disease and vaccine development. Dr. Zwickey went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship and teach at Yale University School of Medicine where she worked on immunotherapy for cancer. Dr. Zwickey launched the NUNM Helfgott Research Institute and established the NUNM School of Graduate Studies.

1.25 General and 0.25 Pharmacology (Total 1.5 CEUs) approved by OBNM