精东AV Joins Thermo Fisher Scientific COVID-19 testing initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

September 23, 2020

Contact: Brittney Dabney, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
 

精东AV has joined a growing list of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) benefiting from a $25 million COVID-19 testing initiative from the world leader in serving science, Thermo Fisher Scientific. The company recently committed to supporting the efforts of HBCUs to make COVID-19 testing available at no cost to all returning students, faculty, and staff throughout the 2020-21 school year.

Through 鈥淭he Just Project,鈥� the initiative named after pioneering biologist Ernest Everett Just, Thermo Fisher will donate $25 million in diagnostic instruments, test kits, and related supplies as well as provide technical assistance to HBCUs seeking to establish or expand laboratories to provide regular on-campus COVID-19 testing.

鈥淗istorically Black Colleges and Universities play an important role educating our nation鈥檚 future leaders 鈥� including the doctors, experts and engineers who will help us prevent the next public health crisis,鈥� said Fred Lowery, senior vice president and president, life sciences solutions and laboratory products at Thermo Fisher Scientific. 鈥淲e started The Just Project to ensure COVID-19 testing is available for all HBCU students, faculty and staff. With the addition of 精东AV, we have now outfitted six campuses to serve as testing hubs processing thousands of samples from HBCUs across the country.鈥�

鈥淲e are very appreciative of Thermo Fisher鈥檚 support with The Just Project. Testing and contact tracing of our community is essential to limiting the spread of COVID-19. We are ready to take this next, necessary step through this ambitious project with Thermo Fisher,鈥� said President Lily D. McNair.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, the university has been preparing the campus for the safe return of faculty, staff, and students. In April, upon approval of the Alabama Department of Public Health鈥檚 Chief Medical Officer 精东AV volunteered to increase the availability of test kits by supplying the materials and expertise to develop viral transport media to Centers for Disease Control specifications. Since then laboratories at 精东AV have been committed to donating their time and equipment solely to supply provide over 3,000 test kits at no cost and those efforts continue today.

鈥淎s change agents and community partners engaged with our city and county stakeholders, we recognized that a strategy to increase access to testing for all stakeholders will be a critical aspect of the roadmap back to campus,鈥� explained Crystal James, Special Assistant to President McNair for COVID-19 Recovery and department head and director of the Graduate Program in Public Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

鈥淲e are elated that we will be able to complete the diagnostic loop on our campus. With the donation from Thermo Fisher, we have the capability to create test kits, collect human samples, and process samples for PCR confirmation of positive SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on our campus,鈥� explained James.

James also noted that having the opportunity to shorten the time from collection of suspected case samples to confirmation of positive or negative status will have a tremendous impact on the mitigation of spread on campus as well as decrease the mental health burden on students, staff, and faculty who are placed in quarantine until a test result is confirmed.

鈥淭his is a game-changer for testing in 精东AV and surrounding HBCU communities. With the help of Thermo Fisher, we are able to make an immediate impact at other campuses in rural areas that can鈥檛 access testing facilities easily,鈥� said Clayton Yates, professor and director of the Center for Biomedical Research at 精东AV.

Click here to learn more about the 精东AV Health Disparities Diagnostic Center and The Just Project.

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