Heroes Of The COVID Crisis: How Dr Rhea Coler Stepped Up To Make A Difference During The Covid19 Pandemic

In the simplest form, I would think that you put the needs of others ahead of your own. So that would be one way of categorizing what a hero is. I personally think that being a hero is the best quality in human nature. And it’s an idea that we should all aspire to. One of the things that I tell my children, as well as my team members, is this whole idea that we shouldn’t live our lives as if we’re sort of a bystander to things. And by that, I mean that we shouldn’t typically assume that someone else is going to do the job. I think it’s really important to get things done and to help when we can. Sometimes that means working really hard and working the long hours and doing more than just what your job description encompasses.

As part of my series about people who stepped up to make a difference during the COVID19 Pandemic, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rhea Coler MSc, PhD, Senior Investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Global Infectious Disease Research.

Dr. Coler is a senior investigator at the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s, having joined in December 2019. She received her PhD from the University of Washington, her MS from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and her BS from McGill University. She has over 20 years of experience in studying the pathogenesis of infectious disease pathogens, biomarker discovery and diagnostics development in academic, biotechnology and non-profit environments. Her expertise in infectious disease and emerging epidemics was obtained largely through her roles as a student, technician, fellow or scientist with positions held in the UK, the Caribbean, Africa, and the US. She serves as a scientific advisor or committee member for global health and/or pandemic, epidemic-prone infectious disease at The World Health Organization, The Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC) and Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs) working in tandem with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the University of Washington, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. Dr. Coler also has a professorship in the University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and an adjunct professorship at the University of Washington in the Department of Global Health.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how and where you grew up?

I grew up on the island of Trinidad. It is the southernmost island in the Carribbean. It’s like a little piece of land that broke off from the Andes. I was the eldest of three children, the only girl, and I lived there until I was 18 when I started college.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

I’ve given it to my children, husband, friends, colleagues and think it’s a must read because it teaches us about spiritual survival — that we can’t avoid suffering — but we can choose how to cope with it.

I also love the conviction that what should drive humans is not pleasure, but the pursuit of what is meaningful. This brings us back to my definition of heroism, the best quality in human nature.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

My mother-in-law told her daughters — and then she started telling me — that it’s so easy to be above average and that the cream always rises to the top. And by that she meant in order to succeed in life, it involves doing the little things. It’s coming in early and leaving late, helping others and not always thinking about yourself. That is something that I take to heart — it’s so easy to be above average — it just takes a little bit more effort. I feel like I’ve absolutely applied that throughout my career.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. You are currently leading a social impact organization that has stepped up during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to address?

My team has conducted many vaccine studies in the past. So when we joined Seattle Children’s Research Institute in January of 2020, we came with that knowledge of both infectious disease models, as well as our expertise in executing clinical vaccine studies. However, very soon after we joined, there were COVID-19 cases popping up in the U.S. I would say that it was fantastic that we could be involved in that first clinical trial to evaluate the vaccines for the pandemic.

In your opinion, what does it mean to be a hero?

In the simplest form, I would think that you put the needs of others ahead of your own. So that would be one way of categorizing what a hero is. I personally think that being a hero is the best quality in human nature. And it’s an idea that we should all aspire to. One of the things that I tell my children, as well as my team members, is this whole idea that we shouldn’t live our lives as if we’re sort of a bystander to things. And by that, I mean that we shouldn’t typically assume that someone else is going to do the job. I think it’s really important to get things done and to help when we can. Sometimes that means working really hard and working the long hours and doing more than just what your job description encompasses.

If heroism is rooted in doing something difficult, scary, or even self-sacrificing, what do you think drives some people — ordinary people — to become heroes?

I think there are small acts of heroism as well as big acts. It’s doing what we think is right and having the courage to do what we think is right. I think that my entire team was really courageous and showed and embodied heroism in terms of just being courageous. Jumping in, knowing that we were trying to adapt to a new environment here at Seattle Children’s. Yet, when I went to them and told them what was happening and the fact that the NIH had approached us and asked for a concept sheet to demonstrate that we have the skillset to proceed with a clinical trial, everyone stood up. Everyone came to the table and said, “What can I do to help?” And I think they were amazing. They just said, “Okay, what do we need to do to get it done?” and they did it. They showed courage, they showed ambition, they showed optimism, and they shared my vision.

What was the specific catalyst for you or your organization to take heroic action? At what point did you personally decide that heroic action needed to be taken?

I’m involved in infectious diseases, so I’ve seen what happens with that index case and how quickly things can get out of hand. That sort of experience and knowledge stems from even the start of my career. Having that background knowledge of epidemics and pandemics and how quickly things can get out of control if we don’t act very quickly, I think was an impetus for us to move as quickly as we could.

Who are your heroes, or who do you see as heroes today?

There are so many heroes in this story. Everyone from the individuals who have been involved in developing the vaccines that are now being involved all over the world, including scientists who developed the messenger RNA technology that had been ignored for so long, the volunteers who came forward and signed up to vaccinate people here in the U.S., as well as worldwide. There are heroes on the frontlines, the physicians, the nurses and hospital staff who have had to work 24/7 for months and months on end who are now taking care of individuals, the majority of cases are those who have had vaccines available to them and chose not to be vaccinated.

Let’s talk a bit about what is happening in the world today. What specifically frightened or frightens you most about the pandemic?

I think what frightens me most still is: 1) There will be additional variants of concern popping up. The Delta variant the end all be all in terms of what we need to be concerned about. 2) But I’m also concerned that the pandemic will divide this country even further.

Despite that, what gives you hope for the future? Can you explain?

Well, I’m really inspired by people who have moved forward, who have been vaccinated and want to protect themselves and feel a sense of responsibility for their fellow people. I’m inspired by people who after 18 months, they’re still ensuring that they’re masking, that they’re not posing more of a risk to other people. I’m inspired by people who don’t put their self interests ahead of themselves. I’m inspired by the scientists who continue to innovate and make improvements on COVID vaccines. There are a lot of avenues for inspiration.

What has inspired you the most about the behavior of people during the pandemic, and what behaviors do you find most disappointing?

In terms of what I find most disappointing, I guess I’m just caught off guard by the fact that there are so many people in the world who will not be vaccinated. I’m just shocked — and I’m shocked that it’s not like 20% of the population — it’s more like 50% of the population.

What permanent societal changes would you like to see come out of this crisis?

I think that there is no better way to stand out than to be useful. Not self-serving usefulness, but useful to society, and so it would be great if more us could embody that thinking.

If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?

There is no to better way to stand out than to be of service. It’s the most human thing that we can do — to be of service to others.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would want to dramatically enhance the education of young people. And by that, I mean starting from kindergarten. If I had the resources and the ability to do this, I would dramatically ramp up educational opportunities for everyone. And I think that’s money much better spent than money spent on war. Topics would include: history, medicine, biology and climate change.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I would love to meet President Barack Obama to get his insights on the direction that America should take. I’ve already met Anthony Fauci, who is a hero I would like to spend more time with.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can learn about the work my lab is doing here.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!