MUSC Hollings Cancer Center to host live COVID-19 vaccine Q&A in cancer patients

Contact:

Dawn Brazell

Director of Strategic Communications

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

843-792-3622

Topic: COVID-19 Vaccination & Cancer Patients

Format: Brief presentations by three MUSC Health experts moderated by MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Director Dr. Raymond DuBois, followed by a Q&A session

Time: March 4, 2021, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Zoom link

or follow Hollings on Facebook to easily access the livestream during the March 4 panel.

“Vaccination against COVID-19 is a complex, confusing and evolving situation for everyone, but this is especially true for cancer patients, survivors and caretakers. We understand these groups may have specific concerns about how the vaccine could impact cancer treatment and the safety of themselves and their loved ones. We hope this panel will be an additional way to offer some clarity and relief during these unprecedented times.”

Dr. Raymond N. DuBois, director of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

Speakers and topic summaries:

Moderator: Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Director, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center

Dr. DuBois will give a brief overview of why the COVID-19 vaccine is important for cancer patients, introduce each panelist and serve as moderator for the Q&A session.

David Mahvi, M.D., Chief, Oncology Integrated Center of Clinical Excellence at MUSC Health

On Jan. 22, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network issued a guidance recommending that all people in active cancer treatment get the COVID-19 vaccine, with some advice to consider regarding immunosuppression and timing. The guidance also stated that cancer patients should be prioritized for vaccination.Dr. Mahvi will discuss these guidelines as well as how the COVID-19 rollout impacts cancer patients, specific safety and side effect concerns cancer patients may have and the protocols currently in place at Hollings to help keep cancer patients safe.

Danielle Scheurer, M.D., Chief Quality Officer, MUSC Health System, and Professor, MUSC Department of Medicine

Dr. Scheurer will discuss the COVID-19 vaccine rollout at MUSC Health, including who is eligible for a vaccine in the current phase, future distribution plans and what patients can expect during a vaccine appointment. She will also provide general information about the vaccine, including potential side effects and its safety and efficacy in protecting against COVID-19 infection.

Michael Sweat, Ph.D., Epidemiologist and Director, MUSC Center for Global Health

Topics addressed by Dr. Sweat will include the science behind how the vaccine works, trends in COVID-19 prevalence, new variants of the disease, the importance of herd immunity and his thoughts on where we’re heading. He’ll also discuss the need for continued good safety practices by all – even by those who have received the vaccine.

Resources:

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than $271 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2020, continuing to lead the state in obtaining National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $129.9 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2020, for the sixthconsecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.