Childhood Immunization: GW/ICF Research & Evaluation Forum

The childhood immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is designed to protect infants and children early in life, when they are most vulnerable and before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Children between birth and 6 years of age have 14 recommended immunizations for diseases such as Chicken Pox, Diphtheria, Haemophilus, Hepatitis A/B, and Rotovirus.

Despite the progress made in increasing vaccination rates among all children between the ages of 19 and 35 months since 2009, disparities remain, particularly for those below the poverty level. Reasons for not immunizing children vary and can be attributed to any number of factors including an inability to get to a pediatrician’s office during normal office hours, lack of insurance, inability to afford copays or concerns about vaccine safety.

On October 17, 2016, the George Washington University and ICF International will host the 6th Research and Evaluation Forum. This forum will focus on childhood immunization as it brings together a panel of experts in autism, communications, pediatrics, surveillance, and survey research to examine the underlying motivations behind immunizing children, national surveillance activities to track progress, and novel approaches to gather immunization data.

This panel will discuss key questions such as:

• What influences the public’s perceptions of vaccinations?
• How are immunization data collected and analyzed?
• What are current trends in vaccination?
• How are other aspects of care influenced by vaccine choices?

Moderator

Dr. Lisa Guay-Woodford, Richard L. Hudson Professor of Pediatrics and associate vice president for Clinical and Translational Research at the George Washington University, and director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National Medical Center

Panelists

Dr. John Boyle, Director of Survey Research, ICF International

Dr. Anjali Jain, Vice President at The Lewan Group

Dr. Glen Nowak, Director of Grady College Center for Health and Risk Communication, University of Georgia

Dr. Kevin Pelphrey, Director of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute at the George Washington University

WEBCAST
If you are unable to attend in person, sign up to join the webcast by selecting the "Webcast" ticket option when you register. The Webinar can be watched at the GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus, Discover Hall, Room 110, or remotely.

Questions about this forum should be directed to the Office of Industry and Corporate Research at [email protected].