Bioethics Grand Rounds - Addressing COVID Vaccine Hesitancy

The rapid development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is being heralded as a success of modern medicine. But vaccines can only curtail pandemics when enough people are willing to use them, and substantial vaccine hesitancy already exists in many populations. The speed of vaccine production and availability through an emergency use authorization, coupled with political divisiveness and broad skepticism of scientific claims, all affect people's perceptions of vaccines and hence threaten our ability to achieve herd immunity. In addition, a national history of research abuses and health inequities for communities of color influences how the medical community fosters and builds trust with those most in need. This panel will tackle these complex issues through the lens of history, law, decision science, and community engagement with a diverse cadre of nationally recognized leaders.

Featuring: 
Anna Kirkland, JD, PhD, is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, who is the author of Vaccine Court: The Law and Politics of Injury.
Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, is a Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health with extensive expertise in patient medical decision making and the determinants of people's risk perceptions, including about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Abram L. Wagner, PhD, MPH, is a Research Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health who studies predictors of vaccine-preventable disease incidence, with a particular focus on vaccine hesitancy.
Susan  Woolford, MD, MPH,  is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics who focuses on the use of communications technology to enhance physician-patient communication and inform health-related choices, in the context of community-engaged initiatives with diverse populations.
Panel Moderator: Andrew Shuman, MD, FACS, is an Associate Professor and the Co-Chief of the Clinical Ethics Service of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine.