Christopher J. Woolverton, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health had a unique opportunity working on the federal level to face the COVID-19 pandemic head-on.
Woolverton was originally slated to work with the U.S. Department of State to evaluate safety and occupational hazards in embassies around the world, but the escalating pandemic forced a change of direction and focus. “Travel restrictions put a halt on the ability to develop occupational health assessments and mitigation strategies for embassies. Instead, I was able to use my microbiology and risk assessment training to provide a different point of view and help prepare pandemic mitigation guidelines for the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.,” states Woolverton. “Working to establish and support a vaccine clinic for Department of State personnel was quite an honor and personal highlight of my appointment at State,” he adds. For his work, he received the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Award from the Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Department of State.
Woolverton’s involvement with the federal government began when he was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Science Fellowship through the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and assigned to the U.S. Department of State. He will continue to serve the U.S. Department of State as a subject matter expert and consultant for the next five years. Woolverton is recognized internationally for his work in biological safety and security strategies, risk assessment and analysis, microbiology, immunology, and environmental health and safety. He also serves on the Portage County Medical Reserve Corps and the City of Kent Board of Health.
Woolverton has been a part of the Kent State University family for 27 years and has served the College of Public Health since its inception. “I particularly enjoy advising students, reviewing individual research projects, and training students in risk assessment and biological safety. As the steward of the National Institutes of Health’s Designated Training Facility, we teach how to safely work under high stress conditions in a high containment environment, such as in labs responding to the pandemic,” he adds.
Photo: Chris Woolverton is presented the COVID-19 Impact Award from Dr. Larry Padget, Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Department of State.