When two of the world’s revered leaders in medicine, Dr. Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FASTMH, FAAP. and Dr. Mauro Ferrari, join your Zoom Board of Director’s meeting to give you knowledge and guidance on the future of COVID-19 pandemic and how it may affect higher education, you listen.

Dr. Mauro Ferrari is a world-renowned nanotechnology scientist and former president of the European Research Council and Dr. Peter Hotez is dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine in Houston, university professor at Baylor, Endowed Chair and Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and more!

“The University is blessed to have terrific board-level leaders and world class experts to help guide it through the uncertain time of global pandemic,” UST President Dr. Richard Ludwick said. “Drs. Hotez and Ferrari lend a special expertise to the deliberations and discussions that are at the highest levels of understanding.”

Dr. Ferrari praises the University for its forward-thinking momentum, which he says will serve it well in these unprecedented times.

“The world of education, at all levels, is likely to be very different after this pandemic,” Dr. Ferrari said. “The future belongs to institutions that will be able to innovate to serve their students and society in ways that will reflect this deep transformation. It is for UST a true Time to Be Bold, inventing new ways to educate, inspire, prepare students to enter the workforce, with superior skills and most importantly with the strongest ethical foundation.”

Dr. Hotez, a leading epidemiologist who has appeared on CNN talking to Anderson Cooper about the pandemic made this comment.

“The pandemic will have far reaching consequences for higher education in the near future, particularly this fall as social distancing mandates begin to lift,” Dr. Hotez said. “And as we strive toward continuing student education in a safe and supportive environment.”

As the University of St. Thomas carefully considers how to best keep students safe heading toward the Fall semester as well as how the University leads Catholic education into the future, it is fortunate to have some of Houston’s brightest minds contributing to the conversations.