Community Conversations on Vaccines

Co-hosts Vince Blaser and Francesca Montalto are joined in New York City on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by Ugandan journalist and media trainer Esther Nakkazi and Malawian nurse and advocate Rashid Mang'anda. They reflect upon their take-aways from discussions with global health leaders during the UNGA, approaches to creating sustainable structures that support journalists and health workers  and build and sustain vaccine confidence in the communities they serve. They further delve into the role of government and the media in ensuring vaccine equity and acceptance in African communities.

What drives decision-making on vaccines in low- and middle-income countries? How have professionals closest to communities fostered trust?  What challenges do they have to overcome to maintain that confidence and build vaccine equity? How has the covid-19 pandemic changed vaccine acceptance and demand?   Welcome to Community Conversations on Vaccines. In this podcast, we speak to the professionals closest to vaccine delivery and decision-making, across low- and middle income countries. We will be joined by guests like Rashid Mang'anda, a nurse at the Phalombe District in Southern Malawi, reporter and media trainer Esther Nakkazi, Founder of the Health Journalists Network in Uganda and Dr. Anant Bhan, mentor and principal investigator at Sangath in Bhopal, India. Season Four of Community Conversations on Vaccines is coming soon. Find Community Conversations on Vaccines at immunizationadvocates.org/podcasts or wherever you find your podcasts. Subscribe to be the first to hear future episodes.

Rubina Qasim, an assistant professor at the Institute of Nursing & Midwifery, Dow University Health Sciences in Pakistan, and Dr. Ariel Frisancho, country director of the Catholic Medical Mission Board in Peru, consider the future and how policymakers can build trust and equitable access to vaccines to promote healthy communities. Rubina shares her research and successful approaches to addressing vaccine myths and misinformation among the Pashtun community in Pakistan. Ariel observes community experiences with COVID-19 and routine immunization in Peru and the implications for global health policy. Rubina and Ariel discuss community-centered policy changes needed, including more inclusive health systems to boost vaccine acceptance and demand. With special guests: Rubina Qasim, Assistant Professor, Institute of Nursing & Midwifery, Dow University of Health Sciences and Dr. Ariel Frisancho, Country Director, Catholic Medical Mission Board Peru

Dr. Caroline Aura, a research scientist at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and Sabin Behavioral and Research Grant program partner, and Yael Berman, a fact-checking reporter for AFP in Brazil, highlight the challenges associated with addressing vaccine misinformation in communities. Dr. Caroline talks about her new research that examines government and health system trust, while Yael shares how the infodemic has impacted her fact-checking and debunking work. With special guests: Dr. Caroline Aura, Research Scientist, University of Nairobi and Yael Berman, Fact-Checking Reporter, AFP

Amid war and humanitarian crises across South and Southeast Asia and a recent military coup in Sudan, Dr. Jaya Shreedhar, a health media advisor from India, and Mohamed Modber, a nurse and advocate in Sudan, discuss vaccine equity and acceptance challenges in these settings and consider the support that health workers and journalists need to have the security, safety and tools to address vaccine access and demand.

Sabin's Community Conversations on Vaccines podcast series explores the topic of vaccines and immunization, targeting an audience of global health policymakers and influencers, through conversations with health workers, other immunization professionals, researchers and journalists from low- and middle-income countries.

We talk with Dr. Adefunke Adesina, a medical practitioner and epidemiologist and monitoring and evaluation focal person for the Lagos State Ministry of Health, and Elizabeth Kohlway, Senior Manager of Community Building and Digital Engagement at Sabin, about the opportunity to integrate immunization with other health services to touch more people and the need for global communities of immunization professionals, such as Sabin's Boost community, to address immunization and vaccine challenges.

Natalia Flores, a science journalist and researcher and the content manager at Agência Bori, and Dr. Denise Garrett, Vice President of Applied Epidemiology at the Sabin Vaccine Institute and a native of Brazil, discuss the challenges that Brazilian journalists have faced while reporting on vaccines during the pandemic and the need for transparency by public health experts and governments to increase vaccine acceptance and demand.  

In this episode, we are joined by Dorothy Logedi, a nurse and coordinator of a vaccine program in Kisumu, Western Kenya, and Margaret Odera, a community health worker and mentor mother to women living with HIV in the capital Nairobi's Mathare slum. Vince and Francesca talk to Dorothy and Margaret about the unique challenges the pandemic has posed to themselves, their community and their country, and how they are helping to increase COVID-19 and routine vaccine uptake in their communities.

Sabin's Community Conversation on Vaccines podcast series explores the topic of vaccine and immunizations, targeting an audience of global health policymakers and influencers, through conversations with health workers, other immunization professionals and journalists from low- and middle-income countries.

Imagine this: you are a journalist covering your country's election, and the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. How would you continue to do your job well, while keeping yourself and your family safe? In this episode, we explore those very challenges with Nazima Raghubir, a Guyanese journalist and president of the Guyana Press Association. Vince and Francesca talk to Nazima about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her and the stories she tells, the urgency for health workers and public health officials to communicate with journalists effectively and the importance of equitable media coverage and dissemination of information for indigenous persons and migrants. Hosted by: Vince Blaser, Director, Immunization Advocates, Sabin Vaccine Institute and Francesca Montalto, Associate, Vaccine Acceptance and Demand, Sabin Vaccine Institute  

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Marina Shikhashvili, a primary healthcare expert in Tbilisi, Georgia, with over 30 years of experience. Vince and Francesca talk to Dr. Shikhashvili about the impact COVID-19 has had on the medical community, the challenges of treating patients remotely in a pandemic and how health workers globally can benefit from communication and community engagement skillsets. Hosted by: Vince Blaser, Director, Immunization Advocates, Sabin Vaccine Institute and Francesca Montalto, Associate, Vaccine Acceptance and Demand, Sabin Vaccine Institute

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Naveen Thacker, the executive director of the International Pediatric Association. Vince and Francesca talk to Dr. Thacker about the challenges of rolling out COVID-19 vaccines and his experiences delivering routine childhood immunizations and working on India's polio eradication program. Dr. Thacker discusses global barriers to vaccines and immunization, including issues with communication, the infodemic and social inequity. He also shares his recent appearance in a PSA for COVID-19 vaccination and discusses the Vaccine Trust Project, IPA's new online learning modules. Hosted by: Vince Blaser, Director, Immunization Advocates, Sabin Vaccine Institute and Francesca Montalto, Associate, Vaccine Acceptance and Demand, Sabin Vaccine Institute

Sabin's Community Conversation on Vaccines podcast series explores the topic of vaccine and immunizations, targeting an audience of global health policymakers and influencers, health workers, other immunization professionals and journalists from low- and middle-income countries.