Through the Lens of Social Justice: An Inclusive Approach to Mentoring Undergraduates in Macrophage Cell Diversity and Severe Covid-19 Symptoms in Public Health
Overview
In our resource, we highlight the role of the viral non-structural proteins and their role in blocking host interferon signaling of the innate immune system. In addition, we also describe the host immune response specifically the cytokine signaling clouds in the variation in severity of patients living with COVID-19. Finally, we apply these latest peer-reviewed research on host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in the context of integrated immunology framework linked with three-dimensional learning in life science education and topics on social justice dimensions of vaccination access in global health. Through the social justice lens and global health perspectives, we provide an innovative framework to engage undergraduates in the field of integrated immunology and developmental biology in both remote and hybrid-flexible (HyFlex) learning settings.
Integrating Immunology, Public Health, and Social Justice
Rahel S. Ghebrihiwot and Robert M. Kao
Article Info
Keywords:
Coronavirus
Novel coronavirus
Pneumonia
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Pre-symptomatic transmission
Asymptomatic transmission
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2
ACE-2
Non-structural proteins
Interferon signaling
Cytokine signaling
Public Health
Social Justice
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken center stage in infectious disease research. Since the first reports to the World Health Organization (WHO) in winter 2019, we know that the infectious agent was a virus of the coronavirus family, named SARS-CoV-2 (the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) causes a respiratory disease in COVID-19 and attacks lung cells due to the presence the host cell receptor Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2. In our resource, we highlight the role of the viral non-structural proteins and their role in blocking host interferon signaling of the innate immune system. In addition, we also describe the host immune response specifically the cytokine signaling clouds in the variation in severity of patients living with COVID-19. Finally, we apply these latest peer-reviewed research on host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in the context of integrated immunology framework linked with three-dimensional learning in life science education and topics on social justice dimensions of vaccination access in global health. Through the social justice lens and global health perspectives, we provide an innovative framework to engage undergraduates in the field of integrated immunology and developmental biology in both remote and hybrid-flexible (HyFlex) learning settings.