UK HealthCare

'Behind the Blue': COVID-19 Update With Rebecca Dutch

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2021) — As the University of Kentucky nears the end of the Fall 2021 semester, COVID-19 infection rates have once again started to rise across the state. Now, a new variant, omicron, creates new set of challenges for the Commonwealth, country and world.

As Vice Dean of Research for the UK College of Medicine Rebecca Dutch, Ph.D., oversees research for the college, from basic areas to clinical applications. Dutch also serves as a member of UK’s START (Screening, Testing and Tracing, to Accelerate Restart and Transition) Team, an interdisciplinary group of UK HealthCare physicians and clinical and research leaders at UK, that continues to develop strategies to ensure safe and healthy operations on campus.

Dutch returns to the "Behind the Blue" podcast this week to discuss UK’s current state of play in handling the coronavirus pandemic. She joins UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications' Kody Kiser and UK Chief Communications Officer Jay Blanton to again share her thoughts on a wide range of pandemic topics, including the omicron variant, what it means for testing and vaccines, best practices for the university community, and more.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue. Transcripts for this or other episodes of "Behind the Blue" can be downloaded from the show’s blog page.

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As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.