According to the World Health Organization, immunization currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year and is one of the greatest successful and cost-effective public health interventions. With the continued spread of COVID-19, there is heightened attention on the need for an effective vaccine as soon as possible. But who makes vaccines and what does it take to get an effective vaccine to the public?

During this hour, join Ellen J. MacKenzie, Dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, with a special introduction by Johns Hopkins Provost Sunil Kumar, for a conversation with Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman of Poonawalla Group and Managing Director of the Serum Institute of India (SII). Dr. Poonawalla will share the history of SII and the work ahead in providing safe, affordable vaccines to those in greatest need, highlighting their partnership with the Gates Foundation and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance which aims to manufacture 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for India and other emerging countries as early as 2021. After the discussion with Dr. Poonawalla, Dr. Amita Gupta, Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education and Professor of Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Mathuram Santosham, Director Emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (CAIH), will join Dean MacKenzie to answer audience questions. This session is co-hosted by the Johns Hopkins India Institute, a platform to enhance the research and impact of Hopkins community members and collaborators in India. To learn more, visit jhu.edu/hopkinsathome