MaineHealth Virtual Public Health Grand Rounds with Dr David A Higgins

In this engaging and informative presentation, Dr. David Higgins shared tips and tools to address vaccine hesitancy. He described the current landscape of vaccine-preventable disease resurgence, and explained the federal policy context driving increased vaccine hesitancy. He then shared how to apply evidence-based communication strategies for individual vaccine conversations, including with families from religious communities. Finally, he identified tools for public and community-level vaccine communication, including prebunking and faith community engagement. David Higgins, MD, MPH, is a general pediatrician, preventive medicine specialist, and health services researcher. His work centers on improving child and adolescent health with a focus on vaccine delivery. He serves as an attending physician in the Child Health Clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado and has practiced general pediatrics in both rural and urban settings in Colorado and Montana.