Paul Nurse to co-host Charlie Rose on avian flu

Rockefeller President Paul Nurse will make his second appearance on Charlie Rose tonight, when he co-hosts, with Rose, an hour-long discussion on the threat of avian flu. The show, which is to be the first in a series of science-themed Charlie Rose shows co-hosted with Nurse, will air on PBS television stations nationwide.

The discussion, which will include an overview of the ongoing avian influenza crisis, an evaluation of domestic and global preparations for a flu pandemic, lessons from the 1918 flu pandemic, as well as the science of the virus and other medical aspects of flu, features several of the nation’s leading experts in influenza and public health policy. The guests are: Harvey Fineberg, president of the Institute of Medicine; Peter Palese, chair of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Laurie Garrett, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and David Nabarro, senior UN system coordinator for avian and human influenza.

Nurse first appeared on Charlie Rose in December 2004, for an hour-long discussion of science that touched on cell biology, cancer, astronomy, anthropology and religion, among other topics. Tonight’s show will be the first in an occasional series in which Nurse and Rose serve as co-hosts for more focused discussions on medicine, science and scientific policy.

In New York City, Charlie Rose on avian influenza will air on WNET, Channel 13, at 11 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, and will be rerun Thursday, March 23, at 1:30 p.m. It will also be available on Google Video beginning Thursday, March 23.