Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus which includes the variola (smallpox) virus as well as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine. Monkeypox can be spread from infected humans, animals, and materials contaminated with the virus. In May 2022, cases of Monkeypox were identified outside of Africa unrelated to travel or animal exposure. This outbreak has grown considerably since then, with over 25,000 global cases and 7000 in the United States alone.

Starting as an Assistant for Occupational Health in 2012, Yemi accepted a role as a Risk Analyst in 2018 and has been helping improve campus operations ever since. 

Curtis joined UC Davis in 2015, from UC Riverside, stepping into an EH&S director position that was vacant for a while, and his challenge was to improve all our safety programs, partnerships, and regulatory requirements.

In May, the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Laboratory Safety Review program collaborated on a first-of-its-kind on this campus, hands-on laboratory safety class. The class was divided into two sections. The first part took place in a lecture room and focused on documentation and training. The second part took place in a laboratory where common violations such as missing labeling, improper waste disposal and improper chemical segregation were staged.