Lehigh’s Halcyon Skinner Answers Questions About COVID-19

“Epidemics develop over time, and it can either go quickly or slowly," he said.

Skinner, a well-regarded epidemiologist, noted that “everybody is susceptible to infection with this virus.” Social distancing, he said, allows people “the opportunity to not become sick.”

Said Skinner: "Right now, we're buying time that will allow us to get personal protective equipment out to hospitals to replenish stocks of necessary equipment and supplies that will allow us to pursue clinical trials of potential treatment options."

Before his arrival at Lehigh, Skinner served as director of data strategy at IBM Watson Health. He has also held positions at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and Northwestern University Medical School. He earned his master’s of public health from the University of Miami and his Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The College of Health aims to leverage population health science to understand, preserve, and improve the health and well-being of populations and communities through excellence and innovation in education, research, and service. The College will welcome its first undergraduate students in fall 2020.

Watch the full interview on the WFMZ website.