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Pandemic Forum 2021

A hybrid conference in Vienna on 5th November, 2021

Going viral: How a pandemic challenges society at large

An international forum on the challenges of the pandemic and its effects on our society – from pandemics in history to social, societal, political, and economic aspects of social and mental distancing.

A one-day conference for debates and exchanges over the challenges arising from the worldwide pandemic and, specifically, its effects on our societies at large with their stakeholders in sciences, politics, healthcare, arts and economy. This symposium brought together key opinion leaders from these sectors of society for an open-minded, critical and constructive exchange.


Contents

Status quo: What is this pandemia about?

Alexander S. Kekulé, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Germany; Markus Müller, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Sara Silverstein, University of Connecticut, USA

A reflection: What effects does this pandemia have on us as individuals and as societies?

Carlo Caduff, King´s College London, UK; Florian Krammer, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Ewald Nowotny, Austrian Society for European Politics, Austria; Marion Poetz, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark; Barbara Prainsack, University of Vienna, Austria; Katariina Salmela-Aro, University of Helsinki, Finland; Eva Schernhammer, Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Barbara Schober, University of Vienna, Austria

Status go: How can we deal with this situation and move on – together?

Matthias Egger, Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland; Michael Oliver Flüss, Germany; Christof Gattringer, FWF - Der Wissenschaftsfonds, Austria; Folker Hanusch, University of Vienna, Austria; Britta Siegmund, German Research Foundation, DFG, Germany; Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Cardiff University, UK; Sarah Wedl-Wilson, Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, Germany

Host: Adam Smith, Nobel Prize Outreach


Presentations & Panel Discussions

Welcome addresses

Play

Oliver Rathkolb
Scientific Organizing Committee of the Pandemic Forum

Markus Müller
Rector of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Thomas Beyer
Scientific Organising Organizing Committee of the Pandemic Forum

PART 1 | Status quo: What is this pandemia about?

Play

Mastering history | What do we learn from past pandemics?

Sara Silverstein
University of Connecticut, USA

Overview: SARS | COVID | What is it?

Alexander S. Kekulé
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

Impact on society today | An introduction | Challenges | Opportunities

Markus Müller
Medical University of Vienna, Austria

PART 2 | A reflection: What effects does this pandemia have on us as individuals and as societies?

Play

Social and mental distancing – A social, societal and political perspective

Barbara Prainsack
University of Vienna, Austria

Carlo Caduff
King´s College London, UK

Educational distancing – “Deschooling”

Barbara Schober
University of Vienna, Austria

Katariina Salmela-Aro
University of Helsinki, Finland

Scientific distancing – An applied health perspective

Florian Krammer
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA

Eva Schernhammer
Medical University of Vienna, Austria

Financial distancing – Impacts of pandemics on our ecosystem

Ewald Nowotny
Austrian Society for European Politics, Austria

Marion Poetz
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

PART 3 | Status go: How can we deal with this situation and move on – together?

Play

Do the Arts help, and how?

Michael Oliver Flüß
Düsseldorf, Germany

Sarah Wedl-Wilson
Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, Germany

Roundtable: Mastering sciences and communication skills

Matthias Egger
Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland

Christoph Gattringer
FWF - Der Wissenschaftsfonds, Austria

Folker Hanusch
University of Vienna, Austria

Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Cardiff University, UK

Britta Siegmund
German Research Foundation, DFG, Germany

Host: Adam Smith, Nobel Prize Outreach


Organizing Committee

The Pandemic Forum 2021 is organized by the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna together with the Alumni Club of the MedUni Vienna.

Scientific Organizing Committee

  • Thomas Beyer, Medical University of Vienna
  • Oliver Rathkolb, University of Vienna
  • Harald Sitte, Medical University of Vienna