The World Network Network Network (GVN), in collaboration with the University of Southern Florida (USF) Youth experiences and the Stem section of Hillsborough County Public Schools, has recently completed the opening of “worldwide guardians: Youth for the Pandemic” Some of Tampa’s brilliant students with Tampa students.
“This camp shows our students that science is a vibrant, evolving field with a real impact,” said Catherine White, Edd, a super K-12 supervisor in the Department of Academic Services of the Public Schools of Hillsborough County. “With access to leading scientists, advanced laboratories and practical research, we do not only teach content. We ignite their curiosity and empowerment to consider themselves as solving problems and innovative that will depend on our future.”
Held on July 23-25, in 2025, the three-day program welcomed 14 high school students at 9-12 degrees to explore the science of pandemics through a series of interactive sessions, laboratory and hospital tours, demonstrations and collaborative activities. Participants examined issues such as the transmission of the virus, the detection of epidemic, the misinformation of the media and the careers in the Iology, are guided by experts from GVN, USF, Tampa General Hospital and various Florida Ministry units.
“It was inspired to see such a curiosity and focusing on these students,” said Robert C. Gallo, MD, GVN’s international scientific director and co -founder. “This generation will inherit the responsibility of the prevention pandemic. We must prepare them early, honestly and with scientific integrity.” Dr. Gallo, who is widely known for the discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS, is also Medical Professor James P. Cullison, director of the Institute of Translation Iology and Innovation at the USF Morsani Medical College and director of the Antibulies.
Hosted in collaboration with USF at the GVN international headquarters, the program underlined both education and empowerment. Students who are directly involved in hunters, epidemiologists and laboratory scientists participated in simulated epidemic surveys and practiced full personal protective equipment in a fake BSL-3 workshop.
I am so grateful to the global virus network to give this talented group of students the opportunity to imagine their future as the next generation of scientific explorers and students. I expect that this experience will put some of these students on a course to become leaders in public health and Iology. Kudos in the Hillsborough County Public Schools Department, the USF Youth Experience Team and the USF Health Schathulty, including Dr. GVN’s Bob Gallo, to prepare our future “Global Guardians”.
Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, Executive Vice President, University of Southern Florida
He is the Dean of the Morsani Medical College.
Dr. Lockwood is also an executive vice -president and chief academic officer at Tampa General Hospital.
The main points of the camp included:
- A vibrant discussion with Dr. Gallo, who shared ideas from his first experiences as a young scientist, reflections on new discoveries of the virus and faced the impact of scientific misinformation. Encourage students to “follow your passion and follow the truth”.
- A flagship tour of Tampa General’s Carecomm, a state -of -the -art patient safety center and hospital efficiency.
- Practical demonstrations of transmission of the virus, diagnostic tests and monitoring of agencies, led by Iology, Entomology and Public Health Experts.
- Sessions on the education and misinformation of the media, challenging students to critically think about the era of digital noise.
- An closing ceremony where each student received a Certificate of Completion by recognizing his / her participation in the Global Guardians.
Students described the program as “changing life”, “eye opening” and “the most attractive experience I ever had in science”. One participant reflected: “I really liked all the tours and lectures. They all felt very nicely organized and was extremely fun,” referring to the mix of hospital tours, advanced laboratory visits and practical experiments. Another student shared: “I liked when we had the Disease Detective lesson”, recalling simulated research on the epidemic that encouraged teamwork, problem solving and data analysis.
For some, the camp solved career ambitions. “The camp has boosted my interest in pursuing a career in the medical field,” one student said, while another added: “It changes my opinion on Medical School, now I’m interested.” Even those who still decide felt a renewed sense of direction, with one participant noting: “Nothing has changed, but it certainly pushed me more to the education I want.”
The practical approach of the program reacted deeply with the students, who explored the public health data of real health, interrupted misinformation and exerted an epidemic modeling using mapping tools and cases. They also traveled advanced research laboratories, including the World Health Center and the interdisciplinary research of the USF, the Florida Ministry of Health and the Hillsborough County Health Department.
“One of the reasons why we founded the global virus network was to deal with the shrinking pipeline of students entering the Iology sector,” Dr. Gallo added. “Programs like this are necessary to arouse an early interest and build the next generation of scientists who can help people prepare for future pandemics.”
Based on the success of the pilot, GVN plans to expand the Global Guardians initiative to include students from all over the state of Florida next year and internationally next year, expanding access to the education of the Iology and inspiring a more different pipeline. Similar to other value -based comparative programs, GVN intends to provide scholarships to competitive applications.
