Dr. Robert Welliver, a mentor of COBRE, to speak about influenza at the Kiwanis Club
05/12/2015
Edmond - During the May 13th Edmond Kiwanis Club meeting, Dr. Robert Welliver, Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics at the OU College of Medicine, will discuss his work in researching respiratory and influenza viruses as an OU physician, professor and scientist. Dr. Welliver, who is on the staff of OU Children's Physicians, treats children with a broad array of diseases caused by germs, viruses and fungi, ranging from flu to hospital-acquired infections to pneumonia.
The Edmond Kiwanis Club, which serves children of the world through service leadership programs, meets at noon Wednesdays in the Cherokee Room of the Nigh University Center, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive. Lunch is available and visitors are invited to the meetings.
Dr. Welliver is part of an OU team working to develop a vaccine for RSV - respiratory syncytial virus. Every year about 400 children are hospitalized at OU Children's with RSVP infections. Dr. Welliver's research team is working on a vaccine through a grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), and also in a separate, sponsored research project for a pharmaceutical company.
He received his medical degree from University of Florida College of Medicine in Jacksonville and has been in practice for 42 years. He completed his residency in pediatrics and his fellowship in infectious disease both at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics with a sub-specialty certification in pediatric infectious diseases.
Kiwanis’ current global campaign for children, The Eliminate Project: Kiwanis eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus, aims to raise US$110 million and save the lives of a 129 million mothers and their future babies. In partnership with UNICEF, Kiwanis is committing by 2015 to eliminating maternal/neonatal tetanus, a disease that kills one baby every nine minutes. By targeting this disease, Kiwanis will not only save lives but also pave the way for other interventions that will boost maternal health and child survival among the poorest, most underserved women and children in the world.