CHAPTER NEWS
Beaufort-Jasper-Hilton Head (SC) Alumni Launches Good Health Wins Initative A mong the ear- ly initiatives that Ken- Dr. Claude Tolbert began the clinical
ation, Tolbert had planned and sched- uled his committee’s first event: Covid 19 Awareness Update which was con- ducted on December 8, 2021 via Zoom. What none of us knew at the time, was that the Omicron variant would cause COVID infection rates to increase rap- idly by the end of the month. Tolbert deployed a “secret weapon” in preparing the presentation. He en- listed the talents of his younger brother, Brother Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD (Zeta Epsilon 1996) to provide key scientific details. Dr. Blanton Tolbert is the Rudolph and Susan Rense Professor of Chemis- try at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He is also a member of the Center for RNA Science and Thera- peutics and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCCC). Dr. Blanton Tolbert leads a diverse research group that studies biochemical mechanisms by which RNA and Ret- roviruses replicate within the cellular environment. He is the inaugural Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and inclusive (DEI) Excellence at the CWRU School of Medicine and directs a host of other DEI-related and scientific boards. The presentation was viewed by a wide cross-section of the community: Kappa men from throughout South Carolina; Kappa Leaguers and their parents; as well as people from the com- munity at large. Dr. Blanton Tolbert used his skills as a Chemistry professor and a research scientist to explain a few basics of mo- lecular science such as: • What viruses are • The key differences between DNA and RNA • How viruses infect and replicate inside cells – the central dogma of molecular biology • The immune response to infec- tion • How mRNA vaccines work • Covid-19 Basics
portion of the presentation by reviewing the current Covid-19 case statistics
neth Brown undertook as the incoming Polemarch of the Beaufort- Jasper-Hilton
for Beaufort County. He then offered details on the following topics:
Blanton S. Tolbert, Ph.D.
Claude Tolbert, Jr. M.D.
Head (SC) Alumni Chapter (BJHH) was the formation of a Health and Wellness committee for the chapter. He selected Claude H. Tolbert, Jr. MD (Greenwood (SC) Alumni 1992) as the chairman of this new committee. Brother Tolbert did not hesitate to get involved. As a Board-Certified obste- trician and gynecologist at Riverside Women’s Care, Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, he has been caring for women in the Beaufort and Jasper County communities for over 16 years. Because of his training and experi- ence with the management of high-risk pregnancies Dr. Tolbert knew that the expectant mothers and families were under a certain degree of anxiety due to the COVID pandemic. He also knew that COVID was having an outsized impact on the African American and Latinx communities. His first request of BJHH Alumni was that the chapter support him in presenting a COVID Awareness Update to the Beaufort and Jasper County communities. The chap- ter enthusiastically offered its support. At the same time, the International Headquarters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fra- ternity, Inc. announced an affiliation with Good Health WINS - a project of the National Council of Negro Women Inc. An objective of this project is to provide information on vaccines and personal hygiene that will help reduce the spread of the SARS COVID 2 virus. Even before he knew about this affili-
• Viral variant classifications • Covid-19 variants • How to stop the spread of germs • Covid-19 vaccines • Covid-19 vaccine boosters: Rationale and scheduling recom- mendations • The Arsenal of drugs to fight Covid-19. The presentations, though detailed, used illustrations and cartoons to make the subject matter easy to grasp by a lay audience. Both brothers had a down to earth way of connecting with their audience and made a subject as dense as molecular biology accessible and entertaining. The evening ended with a set of questions and answers which enabled us to probe areas that might be considered controversial. These questions were addressed with dignity – a tribute to Dr. Claude Tolbert’s bedside manner and understanding that we have a need to know. The chapter plans to make the video recording of the presentations available on our Facebook page (www.facebook. com/bjhh.nupes). You can find information on the Good Health Wins initiative by visiting Covid 19 vaccination Washington DC | Good Health WINS.
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