Conference Schedule

Check back for updated session details!

Wednesday, June 16 - times listed are in CENTRAL time zone

Time	Presenter
9:00 am - 10:00 am	COVID-19 Vaccines Sara Oliver, MD, MSPH ACIP COVID-19 Vaccines Work Group - Center for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA Dr. Sara Oliver will provide an overview of COVID-19 vaccine data from clinical trials, current vaccine policy, and clinical guidelines for the use of COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Sara Oliver currently serves as the Lead for the COVID-19 vaccines ACIP Work Group and a Medical Officer in the Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). She is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Disease and has a Masters of Science in Public Health. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, completed a Pediatrics residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
10:30 am - 11:30 am	The Power of the Messenger in COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Strategies Joe Smyser, Ph.D, MPH The Public Good Projects Alexandria, VA Dr. Smyser, PhD, MSPH, will share how he and his team at The Public Good Projects (PGP) have worked closely with community based organizations, in combination with micro-influencers to increase vaccine-confidence in hard to reach populations. Using case-study examples from PGP’s Stronger campaign and partnerships with Kaiser Permanente and the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Smyser will explain PGP’s community focused approach to public health messaging strategies. Dr. Joe Smyser is the CEO of The Public Good Projects (PGP), a public health nonprofit that specializes in large-scale media monitoring programs, social and behavior change interventions, and cross-sector initiatives. Dr. Smyser has designed some of the United States' most influential and impactful health campaigns to date in partnership with the CDC, FDA, Kaiser Permanente, Rockefeller, and Humana. PGP has successfully led one of the nation’s largest vaccine hesitancy programs for people of color (Black, Latinx, and Asian-Pacific Islander), Stop Flu, for the past three years. Additionally, in 2019 PGP developed the nation's largest vaccine communications monitoring program, Project VCTR, which is used by over 500 health organizations in the US. To expand on the proven efficacy of Project VCTR globally, PGP partnered with UNICEF to create the Vaccine Demand Observatory to track and respond to vaccine misinformation worldwide. In 2020 Dr. Smyser and PGP created Stronger, a national advocacy campaign, which works to stop the spread of misinformation by advocating for facts, science, and vaccines. Using multimedia campaigns, Stronger reaches millions of people each month through multiple channels, platforms and mediums. Dr. Smyser holds a PhD and masters in public health and did his postdoctoral training at the CDC.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Weathering the Storm: An All Hands on Deck Response to a Pandemic of Misinformation Katelyn Jetelina, Ph.D *'Your Local Epidemiologist' Blog* *Dallas, TX* In this session, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina will walk through the lived experience of fighting misinformation during a global pandemic. She will include strategies and tools on how to combat misinformation, specifically in light of the COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is an epidemiologist, mixed methods expert, and scientific communication specialist. In 2014, she received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and in 2016 received her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UTHealth. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, where her violence epidemiology research lab resides and where she teaches graduate and medical students. She has an Adjunct Faculty position at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Jetelina is the founder and sole author of Your Local Epidemiologist, a viral blog that translates scientific research and events (like the COVID19 pandemic) to the layman.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Germs, Antibodies and God: Intersections of Religion and Vaccination Joshua Williams, MD Denver Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, CO This session will review empirical and historical research at the multi-level intersections of religion and vaccines, discuss implications for clinical care, community engagement, and vaccination advocacy, and provide suggestions for combating contagion and injustice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Joshua T.B. Williams is a General Academic Pediatrician in Community Health Services at Denver Health (Denver, CO, USA) and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Williams graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wheaton College (IL) and attended the University of Chicago for medical school, where he graduated with Honors. He completed his pediatric training at the University of Colorado’s Pediatric Residency Program, including a year as Chief Resident. He began practice in 2017 and graduated from the Primary Care and Health Services Research Fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2020, obtaining a Certificate in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. Dr. Williams researches (1) religious and cultural determinants of vaccination attitudes and behaviors, (2) parental vaccine hesitancy and pediatric vaccination disparities, and (3) vaccine safety. He is a founding member of the Public Health, Religion, and Spirituality Network (https://www.publichealthrs.org/) and a Co-Investigator on the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a multi-site collaboration to monitor US vaccination coverage and safety, including for COVID-19 vaccines.

Time

Presenter

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Sara Oliver Photo

COVID-19 Vaccines

Sara Oliver, MD, MSPH
ACIP COVID-19 Vaccines Work Group - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA

Dr. Sara Oliver will provide an overview of COVID-19 vaccine data from clinical trials, current vaccine policy, and clinical guidelines for the use of COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Sara Oliver currently serves as the Lead for the COVID-19 vaccines ACIP Work Group and a Medical Officer in the Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). She is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Disease and has a Masters of Science in Public Health. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, completed a Pediatrics residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

10:30 am - 11:30 am

The Power of the Messenger in COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Strategies

Joe Smyser, Ph.D, MPH
The Public Good Projects
Alexandria, VA

Dr. Smyser, PhD, MSPH, will share how he and his team at The Public Good Projects (PGP) have worked closely with community based organizations, in combination with micro-influencers to increase vaccine-confidence in hard to reach populations. Using case-study examples from PGP’s Stronger campaign and partnerships with Kaiser Permanente and the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Smyser will explain PGP’s community focused approach to public health messaging strategies.

Dr. Joe Smyser is the CEO of The Public Good Projects (PGP), a public health nonprofit that specializes in large-scale media monitoring programs, social and behavior change interventions, and cross-sector initiatives. Dr. Smyser has designed some of the United States' most influential and impactful health campaigns to date in partnership with the CDC, FDA, Kaiser Permanente, Rockefeller, and Humana. PGP has successfully led one of the nation’s largest vaccine hesitancy programs for people of color (Black, Latinx, and Asian-Pacific Islander), Stop Flu, for the past three years. Additionally, in 2019 PGP developed the nation's largest vaccine communications monitoring program, Project VCTR, which is used by over 500 health organizations in the US. To expand on the proven efficacy of Project VCTR globally, PGP partnered with UNICEF to create the Vaccine Demand Observatory to track and respond to vaccine misinformation worldwide. In 2020 Dr. Smyser and PGP created Stronger, a national advocacy campaign, which works to stop the spread of misinformation by advocating for facts, science, and vaccines. Using multimedia campaigns, Stronger reaches millions of people each month through multiple channels, platforms and mediums. Dr. Smyser holds a PhD and masters in public health and did his postdoctoral training at the CDC.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Katelyn Jetelina headshot

Weathering the Storm: An All Hands on Deck Response to a Pandemic of Misinformation

Katelyn Jetelina, Ph.D
'Your Local Epidemiologist' Blog
Dallas, TX

In this session, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina will walk through the lived experience of fighting misinformation during a global pandemic. She will include strategies and tools on how to combat misinformation, specifically in light of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina is an epidemiologist, mixed methods expert, and scientific communication specialist. In 2014, she received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and in 2016 received her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UTHealth. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, where her violence epidemiology research lab resides and where she teaches graduate and medical students. She has an Adjunct Faculty position at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Jetelina is the founder and sole author of Your Local Epidemiologist, a viral blog that translates scientific research and events (like the COVID19 pandemic) to the layman.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

joshua williams photo

Germs, Antibodies and God: Intersections of Religion and Vaccination

Joshua Williams, MD
Denver Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine
Denver, CO

This session will review empirical and historical research at the multi-level intersections of religion and vaccines, discuss implications for clinical care, community engagement, and vaccination advocacy, and provide suggestions for combating contagion and injustice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Joshua T.B. Williams is a General Academic Pediatrician in Community Health Services at Denver Health (Denver, CO, USA) and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Williams graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wheaton College (IL) and attended the University of Chicago for medical school, where he graduated with Honors. He completed his pediatric training at the University of Colorado’s Pediatric Residency Program, including a year as Chief Resident. He began practice in 2017 and graduated from the Primary Care and Health Services Research Fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2020, obtaining a Certificate in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. Dr. Williams researches (1) religious and cultural determinants of vaccination attitudes and behaviors, (2) parental vaccine hesitancy and pediatric vaccination disparities, and (3) vaccine safety. He is a founding member of the Public Health, Religion, and Spirituality Network (https://www.publichealthrs.org/) and a Co-Investigator on the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a multi-site collaboration to monitor US vaccination coverage and safety, including for COVID-19 vaccines.

Thursday, June 17 - times listed are in CENTRAL time zone

Time	Presenter
9:00 am - 10:00 am	Public Health Communications in a Polarized Climate: Aligning the Right Messages with the Right Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA de Beaumont Foundation Bethesda, MD In an increasinlgy polarized country, one-size fits all vaccine messaging is less effective. This talk will review specific messages that work for specific groups. This talk will also provide an assessment of where we are in the push for vaccinations, the oppportunities that we still have, and the necessary strategies to capitalize. The president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation. Dr. Castrucci is an award-winning epidemiologist with 10 years of experience working in state and local health departments and brings a unique perspective to the philanthropic sector that allows him to shape and implement visionary and practical initiatives and partnerships and bring together research and practice to improve public health.
10:30 am - 11:30 am	Assuring COVID-19 Vaccine Safety: An In-Depth Look at COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Data and Vaccine Safety Monitoring Systems Tiffany Suragh, MPH Center for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA This session will focus on an overview of the COVID-19 vaccine surveillence systems in the United States. Tiffany Suragh, MPH, is a health scientist and epidemiologist at the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Safety Office. She conducts post-licensure surveillance of U.S. licensed vaccines including COVID-19 vaccines. She is also the team lead for the Vaccine Safety Coordinator program that includes all U.S. states, localities and territories. She completed her Master of Public Health degree at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	COVID-19 Vaccinations and Women: Addressing Patient Concerns Kevin Ault, MD, FACOG University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, KS In this session, Dr. Ault will be discussing COVID-19 vaccination and women, including how to address patient’s COVID-19 vaccine concerns about pregnancy, breast feeding, infertility and menstrual cycles. Dr. Ault's research and clinical interests are infectious diseases and women's health. He has been an investigator in a wide variety of translational and clinical research involving maternal immunization, vaginitis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, herpes, respiratory syncytial virus and human papillomavirus. Recent research projects include HPV vaccine development and immunology, maternal immunization, HPV detection in pap smears and the use of molecular techniques to examine the normal vaginal flora. He is also an examiner with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Ault is a Professor and Director of Clinical and Translation Research at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Kansas Medical Center. In 2018 Dr. Ault was selected to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He was appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. Dr. Ault is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a fellow of the Infectious Society of America, and is one of the few physicians in the United States with both of these honors.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm	Increasing Vaccine Uptake Noel Brewer, Ph.D University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC In this session, Dr. Noel Brewer will examine the Increasing Vaccination Model and its main findings for what is effective (and ineffective) for increasing vaccine uptake. Dr. Noel T. Brewer is Professor of Health Behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has a PhD in health psychology from Rutgers University. Dr. Brewer’s research explores why people engage in vaccination and other health behaviors. He has published over 300 papers on these topics including behaviors related to HPV vaccination, tobacco warnings, and screening tests. He has been recognized by Clarivate as among the top 1% most cited researchers in the world since 2017. Dr. Brewer was the inaugural chair of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. He has advised on vaccination for the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Cancer Panel under two presidents, and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Dr. Brewer co-edited the FDA’s book, Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide. He serves on the Lancet Commission on Vaccine Refusal, Acceptance, and Demand. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.

Time

Presenter

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Public Health Communications in a Polarized Climate: Aligning the Right Messages with the Right

Brian Castrucci, DrPH, MA
de Beaumont Foundation
Bethesda, MD

In an increasinlgy polarized country, one-size fits all vaccine messaging is less effective. This talk will review specific messages that work for specific groups. This talk will also provide an assessment of where we are in the push for vaccinations, the oppportunities that we still have, and the necessary strategies to capitalize.

The president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation. Dr. Castrucci is an award-winning epidemiologist with 10 years of experience working in state and local health departments and brings a unique perspective to the philanthropic sector that allows him to shape and implement visionary and practical initiatives and partnerships and bring together research and practice to improve public health.

10:30 am - 11:30 am

Assuring COVID-19 Vaccine Safety: An In-Depth Look at COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Data and Vaccine Safety Monitoring Systems

Tiffany Suragh, MPH
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA

This session will focus on an overview of the COVID-19 vaccine surveillence systems in the United States.

Tiffany Suragh, MPH, is a health scientist and epidemiologist at the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Safety Office. She conducts post-licensure surveillance of U.S. licensed vaccines including COVID-19 vaccines. She is also the team lead for the Vaccine Safety Coordinator program that includes all U.S. states, localities and territories. She completed her Master of Public Health degree at Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

COVID-19 Vaccinations and Women: Addressing Patient Concerns

Kevin Ault, MD, FACOG
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, KS

In this session, Dr. Ault will be discussing COVID-19 vaccination and women, including how to address patient’s COVID-19 vaccine concerns about pregnancy, breast feeding, infertility and menstrual cycles.

Dr. Ault's research and clinical interests are infectious diseases and women's health. He has been an investigator in a wide variety of translational and clinical research involving maternal immunization, vaginitis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, herpes, respiratory syncytial virus and human papillomavirus. Recent research projects include HPV vaccine development and immunology, maternal immunization, HPV detection in pap smears and the use of molecular techniques to examine the normal vaginal flora. He is also an examiner with the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Ault is a Professor and Director of Clinical and Translation Research at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at University of Kansas Medical Center. In 2018 Dr. Ault was selected to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He was appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine. Dr. Ault is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a fellow of the Infectious Society of America, and is one of the few physicians in the United States with both of these honors.

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Increasing Vaccine Uptake

Noel Brewer, Ph.D
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC

In this session, Dr. Noel Brewer will examine the Increasing Vaccination Model and its main findings for what is effective (and ineffective) for increasing vaccine uptake.

Dr. Noel T. Brewer is Professor of Health Behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. He has a PhD in health psychology from Rutgers University. Dr. Brewer’s research explores why people engage in vaccination and other health behaviors. He has published over 300 papers on these topics including behaviors related to HPV vaccination, tobacco warnings, and screening tests. He has been recognized by Clarivate as among the top 1% most cited researchers in the world since 2017. Dr. Brewer was the inaugural chair of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. He has advised on vaccination for the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the President’s Cancer Panel under two presidents, and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Dr. Brewer co-edited the FDA’s book, Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide. He serves on the Lancet Commission on Vaccine Refusal, Acceptance, and Demand. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.