Speakers

Keynote Speakers

We are excited to welcome Erin Welsh, PhD and Erin Allmann Updyke, MD, PhD of This Podcast Will Kill You as the Keynote Speakers for the 2024 Iowa Immunization Summit.

Erin Welsh, PhD

Erin Welsh, PhD is a scientist and science communicator who produces and co-hosts This Podcast Will Kill You, a popular science podcast with over 200 episodes, that she and co-host Erin Allmann Updyke launched in 2017. Erin earned her MS in Epidemiology from the University of Louisville in 2012 and her PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Illinois in 2018. Her research has investigated the host-parasite dynamics of nematode infections in humans as well as the climatic and ecosystem drivers of tick-borne disease risk in Panama and Finland. When she’s not podcasting, she’s busy walking her dog, tending to her garden, reading a novel, or hiking in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado, where she lives.

Erin Allmann Updyke, MD, PhD

Erin Allmann Updyke, MD, PhD is a physician, scientist and science communicator who co-hosts This Podcast Will Kill You, a popular science podcast that she and Erin Welsh, PhD launched in 2017. Erin earned her MS in Epidemiology from the University of Hawaii in 2013, her PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois in 2018, and her MD from the University of Illinois in 2021. She recently completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Her previous research investigated the use of enteric viruses as water quality indicators and the eco-epidemiology of Chagas disease in central Panama. When she’s not at the clinic or podcasting, she’s hunting for the coolest playground in town with her toddler and baby, throwing the ball at the beach for her dog, working on a breakfast burrito rank list with her husband, and walking to every single neighborhood coffee shop she can find.

This Podcast Will Kill You – Dr. Erin Welsh and Dr. Erin Allman Updyke

Erin and Erin began This Podcast Will Kill You in 2017 for two primary reasons: first, because they had begun to feel an increasing disconnect between academic research and the general public and wanted to try to bridge that gap, and second, because they just loved talking about diseases. Each episode of This Podcast Will Kill You explores a disease or other medical topic from biological, historical, and epidemiological perspectives and uses scientific storytelling to build connections with the audience, humanizing what can often be a very impersonal field. Their conversational approach serves to engage and entertain listeners while providing a low-pressure learning environment, and their willingness to engage with uncertainty when explaining complex topics helps to build and maintain trust with their audience. Over the last six years and over 200 episodes, This Podcast Will Kill You has reached millions of listeners around the world, scientists and non-scientists alike, and has worked towards demystifying how science is done to increase trust and understanding with the general public. In this keynote, Erin and Erin share some of their lessons in science communication, including the importance of striking a balance between clarity and depth, how to tailor your explanation for a specific audience, and why admitting what you don’t know is an undervalued strength.

Specific episodes of interest:
Vaccines part 1
Vaccines part 2
Diphtheria
Pertussis
Tetanus
Measles
Chickenpox
RSV

Zuli Garcia
Zuli Garcia is the founder of KADI – Knock and Drop lowa. KADI was founded in 2020 and has evolved into many other necessities in the community. Zuli works full time and on her spare time runs her non-profit, and advocate.

Emily Hoffman
Emily Hoffman is an eleven-year cancer survivor who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 30. Today, she is an active patient advocate and Cervivor Ambassador who shares her cancer story to raise awareness for ending cervical cancer and to educate others on the importance of cancer screenings and prevention. Emily is the recipient of the 2020 Cervivor Spark Award and the 2022 Cervivor Champion Award. In 2023, she achieved a personal goal set in 2020 to change career paths and become a certified cancer registrar.

Alissa Karalius
I have been a nurse with CG Public Health for the last year and a half. Before joining this team I was a nurse with Winnebago County Public Health. I serve as the Immunization Coordinator at CG Public Health and have an avid passion for vaccines.

Dr. Robert Kruse
Robert Kruse serves as the State Medical Director and Division Director of Public Health.

Prior to joining HHS, Dr. Kruse served as the Medical Director of Occupational Health at MercyOne in Des Moines. Dr. Kruse is board certified in Family Medicine and completed his residency training program at Rutgers University. He has a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has held a teaching appointment as Assistant Professor at Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health in Central New Jersey.

Natalie Krebs
Natalie Krebs is a reporter for Iowa Public Radio where she has covered health care for the past five years. Prior to moving to Iowa, she worked as a journalist across Texas, most recently as an independent producer in west Texas covering the U.S.- Mexico border. She was a 2021 USC National Fellow with the Annenberg Center for Health Journalism where she worked on a project about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreaks in Iowa’s meatpacking facilities on immigrant workers.

Lindsey Ludwig
Lindsey Ludwig is the Executive Director for CPESN IOWA, Iowa’s 2^nd largest “chain” of community pharmacies in the state. Lindsey graduated from Drake University with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Lindsey’s background includes ownership of a community and infusion pharmacy, clinical director for a large domestic and international pharmacy franchise and clinical pharmacist for a closed door pharmacy working to expand pharmacists services to the facilities they served. She is excited to work everyday to help strengthen and support community pharmacy practices across the state caring for Iowans.

Lindsey and her husband, Mike, live in Des Moines with their 3 kids. When she isn’t running the Ludwig taxi to activities she enjoys cooking, reading, gardening and a great glass of wine.

Irelynd McCarthy
Irelynd McCarthy is a senior in high school at Exira-EHK. She is involved with cheerleading, dance, student council, leo club, national honor society, families fighting flu Junior board, dance, competitive dance, and more. She works to promote flu vaccination after her younger sister, Ayzlee, passed away from Influenza. She advocates so that no other sibling has to lose their sister to the flu.

Balaij Narasimhan
Balaji Narasimhan is Anson Marston Distinguished Professor and Vlasta Klima Balloun Faculty Chair in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University. He directs the Nanovaccine Institute, an interdisciplinary consortium of universities, national laboratories, research institutes, companies, and hospitals that is focused on the design and development of next generation nanovaccines and nanotherapeutics. He is a co-founder of a startup called ImmunoNanoMed Inc.

Narasimhan’s lab studies the molecular design of biomaterials-based nanovaccines and nanomedicines against infectious diseases, cancer, and neural disorders. His research has received funding from NIH, NSF, DOD, USDA, VA, Gates, Whitaker, Carver, Keck, and Dreyfus Foundations, and industry. He has co-authored over 325 refereed articles, co-invented fourteen patents, edited three textbooks, and delivered over 450 invited and contributed lectures.

His awards include: the Society of Biomaterials Clemson Award for Contributions to the Literature; the Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Research Award; the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award; and the TR-100 Award. He is an elected Fellow of AAAS, AIChE, AIMBE, IAMBE, and NAI. He is an Associate Editor of Science Advances and Scientific Reports and served as Section Editor of Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering.

He received a B. Tech. from IIT Bombay and a Ph.D. from Purdue University, both in Chemical Engineering, and completed postdoctoral work at MIT

Morgan Newmann
Meet Morgan Newman, MSW, a resilient Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivor, social worker, and dedicated patient advocate who has transformed her experience into a powerful force for change. After overcoming metastatic and recurrent cervical cancer at 24, Morgan has devoted herself to making a meaningful impact. She has served as a patient advocate on the Iowa Immunizes Coalition, the National Institutes of Health’s Enduring Guidelines and Extended Genotyping Panels, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Patient Advocacy Steering Committee and Cervical Task Force. As a Cervivor Ambassador since 2017, Morgan has driven state, national, and global cervical cancer advocacy and has held various leadership roles, including Community Engagement Liaison at Cervivor, Inc., Board of Directors member for Above and Beyond Cancer and the Iowa Cancer Consortium, and Iowa State Lead Ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Through her dedication and powerful voice, Morgan has inspired countless individuals and has earned awards and recognition as a patient advocate, solidifying her position as a leading force in the fight against cancer.

Sadie Nolan
Sadie Nolan is an Iowa native. She has a diverse nursing background and has been a registered nurse for over 15 years.

Sadie earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Sadie has experience in adult critical care and public health nursing fields. At present, Sadie is a public health nurse in Linn County, Iowa. Her primary focus is on the prevention of illness, injury or disability, along with the promotion of health, and maintenance of the health of diverse populations. Sadie is also the lead of the Linn County Immunization Coalition and works passionately to achieve high vaccination rates to eradicate disease in our communities through collaboration, education, data sharing, and helping residents access vaccines. Sadie has presented at multiple national public health conferences on vaccine hesitancy and sexual health.

When she is not taking care of patients or speaking at national public health conferences, she is keeping busy with her family. Sadie enjoys watching her children in their numerous activities. She also enjoys running and spending time outdoors.

Jennifer Stiles
I have been a nurse with CG Public Health for the last 12 years and absolutely love my job. I have spent my time here working in the Disease Prevention Division which includes our immunization services. Back in 2014-2016 I coordinated a Taking Shots Against Cancer grant to increase HPV vaccination rates in our county and will be sharing some of this with you today.

Maria Torres
A native of El Salvador, Maria Torres moved to the United States with her family when she was 10. She currently works as the health equity coordinator for Pottawattamie County Public Health and believes in the importance of diverse representation and lived experiences. Currently resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa, with her 8 year-old son.

Filip Viskupic
Filip Viskupič is an assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University. He researches vaccine policy and people’s vaccination attitudes and behaviors.