Dr. Angela Rasmussen

The Salt Spring Forum is a charitable non-profit organization that brings thinkers and leaders to Salt Spring Island for community discussion and democratic debate. We are an organization committed to the sharing of ideas of national and global significance. To this end we offer an annual speaker series, salons for Forum members, workshops, youth-related initiatives, conferences, festivals and more.

Salt Spring Forum

The Next Pandemic.  Why RFK Jr. Might Kill Us All

Gulf Islands Secondary School (Multipurpose Room)

Could misinformation and conspiracy theories make the next pandemic deadlier than the virus itself?What can we do to avoid being caught unprepared? Angela Rasmussen is a virologist with the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, which operates the world's largest and most advanced <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level_3" title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level_3" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">biosafety level 3</a> facility for research into human and animal diseases. Dr. Rasmussen investigates how emerging viruses – from influenza and Ebola to coronavirus – become global threats. Her research focuses on the molecular triggers that determine whether a virus fizzles out or sparks a pandemic. In addition to her scientific expertise, Dr. Rasmussen is a leading voice on pandemic preparedness and science communication. She writes for the Washington Post, New York Times, and Guardian, while also countering misinformation on social media. She has been scorchingly critical of US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as a visit to her account on X will reveal: <a href="https://x.com/angie_rasmussen" title="https://x.com/angie_rasmussen" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://x.com/angie_rasmussen</a> Before coming to Canada, Dr. Rasmussen held faculty positions at Columbia University and the University of Washington. She sits on editorial boards for journals such as Vaccine and Cell Reports, serves on World Health Organization expert committees, and collaborates internationally through pandemic preparedness networks. In a world of misinformation and conspiracy theories, public panic could amplify a biological threat as much as the virus itself. Dr. Rasmussen is an expert on the interplay of science, communication, and societal fear, and how a future pathogen might exploit not just our biological vulnerabilities but also our psychological ones. Whether discussing viral evolution, public health strategy, or the perils of panic, Dr. Rasmussen’s visit to the Salt Spring Forum will be highly informative, deeply thought-provoking, and potentially life-saving.

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Dr. Angela Rasmussen

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