Vaccine Speaker Series
Join us for a lunchtime installment of our Vaccine Speaker Series on Carnegie Science Center’s Facebook Page with noted vaccine expert, pediatrician, and science advocate Dr. Peter J. Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine. Our conversation with Dr. Hotez will cover the latest developments in the fight against COVID-19 and counter some of the misinformation circulating about the vaccines. Do you have a question for Dr. Hotez? Submit it here, and we may ask it during this program. Be sure to follow Carnegie Science Center on Facebook to tune in to the free event. A recording of the conversation will be available on Carnegie Science Center’s YouTube Channel.
Credit Agapito Sanchez,
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD 
Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also the Co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) and Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. He is also University Professor at Baylor University, Fellow in Disease and Poverty at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Senior Fellow at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M University, Faculty Fellow with the Hagler Institute for Advanced Studies at Texas A&M University, and Health Policy Scholar in the Baylor Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy.
Sponsored by:
Past conversations:
Vaccine Science & Safety
Panelists
Credit Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Damani Arnold Piggott, MD, PhD
Assistant Dean for Graduate Biomedical Education and Graduate Student Diversity; Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Credit Abbie Tyler Photography
Dr. Anthony Cillo, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Credit Dr. Imran Qadeer
Dr. Imran Qadeer
Chief Medical Officer, Allegheny General Hospital
Vaccines are among the most significant achievements of public health. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, vaccinations have prevented more than 100+ million cases of serious disease since 1924.
Community Health
Focusing on the physical and mental well-being of a group in a specific region, community health includes initiatives to help community members maintain and improve their health and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Panelists
Credit Joshua Franzos
Dr. Paul Duprex, PhD
Director, University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research
Credit Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Amesh Adalja, MD
Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Health Security
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Obinna Nnedu, MD
Infectious Diseases Physician, Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana
What’s Next for Public Health?
As public health moves forward, explore the lessons learned from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Panelists
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Pennsylvania
Alison Beam
Acting Secretary of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Credit Ariangela Kozik
Dr. Ariangela Kozik, PhD
Research Investigator, University of Michigan; Co-founder and Vice President, Black Microbiologists Association
Credit University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Anuradha Ray, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine & Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
About vaccine hesitancy
Approximately 25% of unvaccinated adults do not currently plan on getting one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy at this rate will make long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic longer, if not impossible. According to the US Census Bureau , vaccine hesitancy reactions are broken down to the following:
- Concern about side effects (51%)
- Other people need the vaccine more (28%)
- Unsure if vaccine works (21%)
- Don’t trust vaccine (20%)
- Don’t trust government (18%)
- They don’t believe they need a vaccine (12%)
About the Vaccine Speaker Series
As a trusted voice of science in the Pittsburgh region and beyond, Carnegie Science Center’s Vaccine Speaker Series invites local and national experts on COVID-19, vaccines, and the immune system to address the many aspects of vaccination – vaccine science and safety, community health, and what’s next for public health.
