Brandon Dionne Archives

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days.

Experts weigh in: Is monkeypox the next COVID-19? Here's what we know.

The virus has unexpectedly spread to Europe, Australia, and North America, with the first U.S. patient undergoing treatment in Boston. “But it’s not something to panic about at this point,” says Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor in Northeastern’s department of pharmacy and health systems sciences.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

People are receiving unapproved extra COVID-19 vaccine doses. Is it a problem?

The break with CDC guidelines doesn’t present a huge ethical concern in situations where immunocompromised patients are, in consultation with their physicians, receiving additional shots, several Northeastern experts say.

by Tanner Stening January 6, 2022

Should I mix and match my COVID-19 booster shot?

The short answer is: The best shot is the one you can get most easily. The longer answer is: It’s a bit more complicated than that. Northeastern’s pharmaceutical experts break it down.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 30, 2021

patient receives one of the treatments for covid

New COVID-19 drug therapies are on the horizon. But will they matter?

While these drug solutions have helped to shore up hospital resources by preventing severe illness in many patients, they are far from a silver bullet, and face numerous production challenges, say several Northeastern experts.

by Tanner Stening September 30, 2021

How do COVID-19 vaccines keep us out of the hospital?

The latest wave of the coronavirus crisis has been dubbed a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Despite breakthrough infections occurring in vaccinated people, the majority of COVID-19 patients in the hospital are unvaccinated. Northeastern pharmaceutical experts explain why.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki September 24, 2021

Here’s how to make sense of the new guidance on booster shots. Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

Why the Biden administration now says we need booster shots for COVID-19

New research reveals that COVID-19 vaccine protections began to decline in the middle of the summer when the delta variant was sweeping through the nation. “As we get new information, as the data provides new clues and a new direction in terms of what we need to do, we have to then respond accordingly,” says Neil Maniar, professor of public health practice at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 18, 2021

Photo by Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University

I’m fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Do I need a booster shot?

The short answer: It’s complicated. But, says Brandon Dionne, associate clinical professor of pharmacy and health systems sciences, “I don’t think most people will need one right away. The protection from the vaccines seems to be pretty long lasting.”

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 2, 2021

Amid a pause in the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and widespread vaccine hesitancy, it’s important to maintain confidence in the overall vaccine rollout process, say Brandon Dionne, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy at Northeastern, and Neil Maniar, director of the Master of Public Health program.

How does the COVID-19 vaccine help us reach herd immunity?

On Monday, all adults over the age of 16 became eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Amid a pause in the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and widespread vaccine hesitancy, it’s important to maintain confidence in the overall vaccine rollout process, say Brandon Dionne, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy at Northeastern, and Neil Maniar, director of the Master of Public Health program.

by Alison Booth and Brilee Weaver April 20, 2021

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus is now dominant in the U.S. Variants are complicating the fight to subdue the pandemic and raising calls for continued vigilance–and mask-wearing. Illustration by Alison Booth/Northeastern University

Vaccinated? Don’t toss that mask just yet.

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus is now dominant in the U.S. The threat of variants complicates the fight to subdue the COVID-19 pandemic, and raises questions about the efficacy of current vaccines against new strains. That means you should keep wearing that mask, Northeastern public health specialists say.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki April 14, 2021

What does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause mean for all COVID-19 shots?

With distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine temporarily on ice, “we’re putting really all our eggs in the basket of Pfizer and Moderna” to inoculate the millions of people in the U.S. who will become eligible for a shot on April 19, says Nada Sanders, distinguished professor of supply chain management. And that’s a risky, if necessary, bet.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki April 13, 2021

Brandon Dionne