Vaccine Safety and Confidence-Building Working Group (VacSafe)

The WHO has recognized vaccine hesitancy as one of the top threats to global health. The VacSafe Working Group provides the opportunity to work with an exceptional cadre of international experts to explore innovative, large-scale approaches to addressing the problem.

One such project in the Vaccine Information Network (VIN). The VIN’s purpose is to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates by (1) establishing how and why minds are changed and (2) using that information to frame confidence-building messages communicated by trusted community leaders (influencers) in partnership with public health authorities. The pilot will serve as a proof-of-concept that can be used to build national systems.

To be successful, such projects will require considerable amounts of public, institutional, and corporate funding. VacSafe WG will help surface and support projects with the potential to scale through seed funding that can be leveraged for additional support. For more information please go to https://vacsafe.columbia.edu/.

Faculty

• Lawrence Stanberry MD, PhD
• Wilmot James, PhD

Locations

• South Africa
• Zimbabwe

Areas of Focus

• Health Security
• Infectious Diseases