The waste we flush down the toilet can serve as a leading indicator of the prevalence of COVID-19 in a community, whether it’s a city or a university campus. In this episode of Further Together, the ORAU podcast, Michael Holtz discusses wastewater surveillance with Dr. Kunal Rambhia and Dr. Monique Mansoura of The MITRE Corporation. They are joined by Ken Tobin, vice president of ORAU’s University Partnerships Office, and Cathy Fore, senior university partnerships specialist. The conversation covers the importance of wastewater surveillance as a tool in tracking COVID-19 spread, particularly as universities prepare to welcome students back to campus. We also discuss the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, of which ORAU and MITRE are members; and the partnership between the organizations and a means of facilitating Relationships, research and work between government and academic institutions.

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Michael Holtz Host, Further Together: The ORAU Podcast

Michael Holtz, APR, MPRCA, is a senior communications and marketing specialist for ORAU, a government contractor based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In his role he serves as the host of Further Together: The ORAU Podcast. He is also a content creator for orau.org and ORAU Story, the company's annual report. He also manages media relations activities for the organization. Outside of work, Michael is a cancer activist, leaning into his experience as a 12-year survivor of Stage 3B rectal cancer. Michael is a volunteer for Man Up to Cancer, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Fight Colorectal Cancer and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. Michael lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with his lovely wife, Sarah, and their rescue dog, a golden bassett named Marley.