Nam Tran and Larissa May will answer questions on the different types of tests, their accuracy and how they are being used as health officials take steps to reopen the state and the country.

The guests:

  • Nam Tran, associate clinical professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UC Davis. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in California, Tran worked with colleagues to develop UC Davis’ own in-house test for SARS-CoV-2 based on samples from the first patient treated at UC Davis. In April, he was appointed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 Testing Task Force, a public-private collaboration to more quickly increase coronavirus testing capacity.
  • Larissa May, professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis, is the principal investigator for a study of antibodies to coronavirus in employees. As part of the study, selected UC Davis employees are being offered a test for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 developed at UC Davis. Dr. May is also the director of the Emergency Department Antibiotic Stewardship Program and has been involved in emergency preparedness around infectious disease outbreaks.