Dr. Rupp Comments on COVID-19 and Avian Flu on Rural Heath Matters

A few weeks ago, we proudly shared that our Chief of Infectious Diseases, Dr. Mark Rupp, was honored with the 2024 Bartee Advocacy of Science Award, which is given to a UNMC scientist who exemplifies and lives out a commitment to community engagement. Illustrating this commitment to public science and medicine outreach, Dr. Rupp recently appeared on Rural Health Matters with the University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey Gold to discuss the current state of COVID-19, avian influenza, and Lyme disease.

Rural Health Matters is a television show that features experts from UNMC discussing various health topics and their impact on farmers, ranchers, and rural Americans. The show is hosted on RFD-TV and features a live call-in segment where viewers can pose questions on a wide range of health-related topics that impact rural America.

Dr. Gold and Dr. Rupp are common features on the show, especially with increased infectious outbreaks in recent years. In this episode, Dr. Gold and Dr. Rupp were able to give actionable advice on how to avoid Lyme disease as we approach the summer months and commented on the current and future risks of avian influenza- which are especially important topics for rural Americans and all who work in agriculture or with animals which may contract or spread disease.

Both Dr. Rupp and Dr. Gold also received multiple comments from callers thanking them for their support on this show throughout the pandemic and continuing to today; a sentiment we would like to echo. Thank you, Dr. Rupp, for your outreach and commitment to ID education and awareness!

Watch the full episode on UNMC’s YouTube page here, and spread the word about Rural Health Matters on RFD-TV to all who may be interested.