Belmont University Announces Plans to Return to In Person Classes, Events for Fall 2021

tulips in front of Belmont

In an email to current and incoming students on April 6, Belmont University announced plans to return to in-person classes this fall following more than a year of a combination of in-person, remote and hybrid courses due to the impact of the worldwide pandemic.

“We are nearing the conclusion of what has been one of the most unique and challenging years for our campus community and for higher education in general,” said Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher. “Thanks to the vaccine rollout and improving trends related to COVID data, we have every reason to be optimistic about providing a more traditional learning and living experience on campus this fall. And most importantly, the outstanding leadership of our Health Services team and truly extraordinary cooperative spirit and actions demonstrated by our students, faculty and staff this past year have shown our commitment to living together in community.”

Campus leaders will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and shift or evolve plans as needed based on trends and insights from local, state and federal public health officials. In addition, the University will implement recommended protocols as needed to ensure the health and safety of the campus community.

At this point, the campus expects to operate in-person classes at full or near-full capacity with more robust campus life experiences in place, including in person meetings, events and activities. The University is also making plans for a traditional fall schedule, allowing for observance of traditional holidays and Fall Break.

Belmont’s Spring 2021 semester concludes over the next two weeks with final class meetings and exams. The University will be hosting four separate, socially distanced in-person commencement ceremonies to honor graduates on April 22-23.

College of Pharmacy Hosts 5th Annual Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium

slideshow slide in Creech's presentation

Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy hosted the Fifth Annual Middle Tennessee Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium on March 26 via Zoom. The virtual event attracted pharmacists, nurses, physicians, residents and students from across the country and Saudi Arabia to learn and discuss ways to work together as a medical community to improve appropriate antimicrobial use and mitigate risks. Featured speakers represented several states, and Vanderbilt’s Dr. Buddy Creech gave the keynote presentation – an update on COVID-19 vaccines.

Creech, MD, MPH, FPIDS is associate professor of pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He serves as director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program, principal investigator of the NIH-funded Vanderbilt Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit, and co-principal investigator of the CDC-sponsored Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network. Dr. Creech’s research interests focus on the development and evaluation of new vaccines and therapeutics. He is currently leading COVID-related clinical trials at VUMC, including the evaluation of novel treatment options for hospitalized patients with COVID and trials of candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Dr. Montgomery Green, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Belmont, said this year’s symposium was particularly meaningful and important to host in light of the current pandemic. “Participants in the symposium are all those who have been on the front lines since the beginning and have led their institutions and practices response based on their expertise. We were delighted to still be able to offer the program this year and gather together in a virtual format,” Green said. “The symposium highlighted the work that has been done by healthcare practitioners in various practices in response to COVID-19, as well as provided education on the vaccine. We were also able to continue with the previous mission of the symposium to share innovations in current practice in non-COVID-19 related antimicrobial stewardship activities and collaborate with those in the field. With attendees from Oregon to Rhode Island to Florida and Saudi Arabia, the event was truly an international gathering.”

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