COVID-19: A Viral Phenomenon - The Insider Report

On January 9th, 2021, the Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Students Union (LMPSU) hosted their annual scientific conference online, focusing on the theme: “COVID-19: A viral phenomena”. The department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology (LMP) at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto is home to world-class research in the area of pathobiology, from cancer to immunopathology to neuropathology. The conference began with opening remarks from LMPSU executives Karen Mao and Ziqi Liu, followed by Dr. Rita Kandel, the chair of the department of LMP. The topic of COVID-19 research was timely, to say the least! Invited speakers were asked to share their research and knowledge about various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic from basic virology to treatment options, and epidemiology. The keynote speakers were Dr. Samira Mubareka and Dr. Robert Kozak; notably members of the team that was among the first to isolate the SARS-CoV-2 virus.