Omenn Lecture in Environmental Health

"Oceans, climate and health: The cholera model"

Thursday, Apr. 17, 2025, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. PDT

Join us in person at the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, Room 155, University of Washington campus. Reception to follow.

Or join us via Zoom. RSVP here for the Zoom webinar.

The lecture honors Dr. Gilbert S. Omenn, former dean of the UW School of Public Health. It is sponsored by the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences and co-sponsored by the UW Microbial Interactions & Microbiome Center.

About Dr. Rita Colwell

Dr. Rita Colwell serves as Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and is Founder and Chairman of CosmosID, Inc. Dr. Colwell’s interests are focused on global infectious diseases, water, and health. Through her research, innovations, and 40 years of scientific leadership, Dr. Colwell was able to define current understanding of the ecology of infectious diseases, notably cholera, and develop use of advanced technologies to halt their spread. Her work has helped establish a basis for environmental and infectious disease risk assessment used around the world. Dr. Colwell is currently developing an international network to address emerging infectious diseases and access to safe drinking water for both the developed and developing world. In recognition for her seminal contributions, Dr. Colwell was awarded the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize, the 2018 Singapore Water Prize, and 2006 U.S. National Medal of Science.

Dr. Colwell was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and has authored or co-authored 17 books and more than 800 scientific publications. She served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology and also as President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington Academy of Sciences, American Society for Microbiology, and International Union of Microbiological Societies. Dr. Colwell is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society. Dr. Colwell has been awarded 62 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including her Alma Mater, Purdue University. She is an honorary member of the microbiological societies of the UK, France, Israel, Bangladesh India, and the U.S. and has several honorary professorships, including the University of Queensland, Australia. A geological site in Antarctica, Colwell Massif, has been named in recognition of her work in the Polar Regions.