Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, a 1985 Fairborn High School grad, was the director for biodefense under President George W. Bush.
He helped lead a team of doctors and researchers that developed the pandemic response policy that has Americans practicing social distancing today.
Venkayya, the principal author of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, discussed the coronavirus pandemic and the extreme action taken to slow it with "What Had Happened Was" host Amelia Robinson.
"The types of things that are being done now are very similar to what we envisioned in 2007, but they go much further than we expected at the time. We did envision at the time that we would have a situation in which everybody in a community was being encouraged to just stay at home. Everybody," he said.
Now the president of the global vaccine business unit for the Japan-based pharmaceutical company Takeda, the physician is championing a global cause that may see plasma used to save the lives of people battling the coronavirus.
More information can be found at CoVIg-19PlasmaAlliance.org.
ABOUT THE PODCAST
"What Had Happened Was" is a podcast for Dayton, powered by Dayton.com and recorded in the DATV studios. You won't believe the stories that come from right here. Host Amelia Robinson shares the best tales from the Gem City, Land of Funk and Birthplace of Aviation: Dayton, Ohio.
>> “What Had Happened Was...” podcast finalist for prestigious Marconi award
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CATCH UP ON PAST EPISODES
EPISODE 60
EPISODE 59
EPISODE 58
The ‘pest house,’ Grim Reaper and how the ‘Spanish Lady’ brought the Gem City to its knees
EPISODE 57
Amaha Sellassie on the old guard’s last stand, the power of people and the Above Ground Railroad
EPISODE 56
Calm before an unprecedented storm: ER Doc Randy Marriott answers your coronavirus questions
EPISODE 55
EPISODE 54
EPISODE 53
Jana Collier on the big breakup, pop-star dreams and the future of the Dayton Daily News
EPISODE 52
The ‘kick-ass’ women who gave Dayton Art Institute its shine
EPISODE 51
EPISODE 50
EPISODE 49
Struggle, survival and strength 1 : Dayton shares stories from year of terror
EPISODE 48
Struggle, survival and strength 2 : Dayton shares stories from year of terror
EPISODE 47
Reporter Cornelius Frolik on the Dayton garage killings
EPISODE 46
Dion Green on pain, grief and fighting through darkness after Dayton mass shooting and tornadoes
BONUS EPISODE
EPISODE 45
Delusion, Delight and Drag: A deep dive into Ms. Demure’s mind
EPISODE 44
Tales of old-school murder in Dayton
EPISODE 43
Dayton’s ‘other Dave’ is behind the over-the-top pickup truck in the Oregon District
EPISODE 42
His only child was killed during the Dayton mass shooting. Now Mike Turner wants everyone to hug.
EPISODE 41
EPISODE 40
The story behind ‘American Factory’ with Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar
EPISODE 39
Live on the scene of Dayton’s mass shooting, reporters and witnesses recall what they saw and did
EPISODE 38
A funk in the freezer:’ We catch up with Keith Harrison of Faze-O, Dazz Band and Heatwave fame
EPISODE 37
Barrel House’s Sara and Gus Stathes’ beer-tastic adventure with kids, ferrets and Wu-Tang
EPISODE 36
EPISODE 35
EPISODE 34
Podcast: Meet Dayton Geek King Josh Lumpkin
EPISODE 33
EPISODE 32
Rob Lowe on growing up in Dayton: “It was an amazing time.”
EPISODE 31
EPISODE 30
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wooed this woman with Whitman's chocolates when they were 12... and it worked
EPISODE 29
BATHTUB KILLER: A dead bride, a bathtub and justice that may not be blind
EPISODE 28
Amaya Sexton: ‘I am very comfortable with who I am because I know who I am’
EPISODE 27
Laura Bischoff on the faults, foibles and facts of Ohio politics
EPISODE 26
EPISODE 25
Who does Amelia Robinson think she is?
EPISODE 24
New podcast takes on cold-blooded murders in Pike County
EPISODE 23
EPISODE 22
Heather Salazar imagined dying in front of her kids
EPISODE 21
Episode 20
Broadway star Alice Ripley proves she is anything but ‘normal’
Episode 19:
Episode 18:
Bill Castro on squid, horses and how his family has served Dayton the world on a plate for 40 years
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