Fauci to speak during University of Montana lecture

“He is probably the most reliable voice on what we’re going through right now. When he speaks about how we should be taking care of each other, how this is spreading, the efficacy of vaccines, generally people trust what he has to say.”

Bloom’s presentation will focus specifically on the Rocky Mountain Lab’s research efforts and its role in addressing infectious disease threats.

Mansour said the pandemic is unpredictable, so topics of interest will likely evolve before the event takes place and as a new administration takes over the White House. By Feb. 17, President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will have been overseeing the pandemic response for less than a month.

For the Q&A session, the Mansfield Center will be accepting questions in advance, but will also take questions live during the lecture.

“We hope that we’ll have students asking questions, that we’ll have representatives from tribal communities, and so it will really be open to whatever is on Montanans’ minds about the pandemic,” Mansour said.

The event is scheduled for noon to make it more accessible to K-12 schools, tribal colleges and universities, she added.

“You don’t really see him speaking in the Rocky Mountain West. We are really hoping for a huge turnout, not just in Montana but regionally.”