Immunization

Session Descriptions

On this page:
Vaccine Safety Concerns
Live and In Person
Not All Parents are the Same: How Research Can Help
Immunization Update
Parent Perspective Panel
Somali Coalition Outreach Panel
Vaccines in the Time of Twitter
Causes and Research on Autism
Communicating about Infant Immunizations

Vaccine Safety Concerns: How did we get here?

Thursday: 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.
Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
So many questions. How do you address these concerns in a rational and compassionate manner in a busy office or clinic setting? How do you approach parents who object to vaccinations entirely or opt for a selective vaccination schedule? Dr. Ari Brown offers a historical perspective and simple, successful solutions that you can take home and use in your own practice.

Live and In Person...The Parent-Provider Interaction

Thursday: 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Friday: 9:50 - 10:50 a.m.
Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
In this session, Dr. Brown will present tactics for responding to vaccine questions in ways that build trust and make complex issues easier to grasp. Then, with Dr. Brown’s coaching, audience volunteers will have the opportunity to portray providers having conversations with concerned parents.

Not All Parents are the Same: How Research Can Help

Full color PDF: 947KB/46 pages
Black and white handout PDF: 447KB/8 pages
Thursday: 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Friday: 9:50 - 10:50 a.m.
Kristine Sheedy, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Today, many parents have questions about immunization and vaccine safety. For some parents, their concerns may cause them to choose to not fully vaccinate their children against serious and sometimes deadly vaccine-preventable diseases. To most effectively communicate with parents about vaccines and vaccine safety, it is imperative to understand their perspectives and information needs. CDC has undertaken a series of research projects to gain an understanding of parental knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to infant/childhood immunizations. These research endeavors included nationally representative surveys as well as focus groups comprised of African American, Caucasian, and Latino/Hispanic parents to explore knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about infant immunization and test messages and communication materials. This presentation will include a summary of key findings from this body of research.

Immunization Update

Full color PDF: 1.27MB/56 pages
Black and white handout PDF: 1MB/10 pages
Thursday: 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Friday: 9:50 - 10:50 a.m.
Lynn Bahta, RN, MPH, Minnesota Department of Health
Lynn will address the latest changes to the immunization recommendations and schedules and implications for providers.

Parent Perspective Panel

Thursday: 2:20-3:20 p.m.
(Facilitated by Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP, Seattle Children's Hospital)
Friday: 9:50 - 10:50 a.m.
(Facilitated by Andrea Ahneman, MA, Minnesota Department of Health)
Parents will share their various perspectives on immunizing their children, their potential hesitations, and how providers can provide them with the confidence and comfort needed to vaccinate.

Somali Coalition Outreach Panel

Thursday: 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Friday: 9:50 - 10:50 a.m.
Members of the Somali Coalition will talk about the growing number of Somali parents who are refusing vaccination. It will include discussion about why parents are refusing, what information gaps providers can fill, and approaches to take when talking with a parent. The panel will include a health care provider, a Somali community health worker, and a parent to share perspectives and then discuss approaches to having a conversation with Somali parents.

Vaccines in the Time of Twitter: Using Social Media to Communicate about Immunizations

Full color PDF: 5.26MB/64 pages
Black and white handout PDF: 1.97MB/11 pages
Thursday: 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP, Seattle Children's Hospital
She speaks nationally on physician use of social media and its role in advocacy and is active in sharing her perspectives on pediatric health issues via social media. Dr. Swanson believes physicians have an obligation to share opinions online. Her objective is to illustrate how we can marry social media tools to that of traditional media to inform parents and caregivers, engage pediatricians, and decrease the divide that may exist between patients and their physicians. She believes that a growing community of online physicians can empower patients to make informed decisions founded in science.

Causes and Research on Autism

Full color PDF: 1.8MB/45 pages
Black and white handout PDF: 1.14MB/8 pages
Friday: 8:45-9:45 a.m.
Michael Reiff, MD, University of Minnesota
In this plenary presentation, Dr. Reiff will explain what is known about the causes of autism, and will describe some of the current research that may soon lead to greater understanding of autism. He will suggest ways of conveying these concepts to parents who have concerns about vaccines interfering with neurodevelopment.

Communicating about Infant Immunizations: Translating Research into Practice

Full color PDF: 1.97MB/46 pages
Black and white handout PDF: 1.03MB/8 pages
Friday: 11:00 a.m.-Noon
Kristine Sheedy, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC has undertaken a structured series of research projects to assess parental attitudes, beliefs and information needs. This presentation will discuss the implications of this research for vaccine communication, both interpersonal and mediated. Dr. Sheedy will describe how CDC utilized research with parents and healthcare providers to guide the development and launch of “Provider Resources for Vaccine Conversations with Parents”. This suite of materials is aimed at helping healthcare providers and public health professionals support parents in their vaccination decisions. The session will also include a description of how CDC is currently utilizing research findings to develop a social marketing campaign aimed at reinforcing the positive social norm around immunizations, empowering parents to make the choice to vaccinate, and increasing awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and the benefits of vaccines.