The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) is launching an initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the U.S. The Vaccine Integrity Project and its steering committee will engage professionals across the U.S. immunization landscape to gather feedback on how non-governmental entities may be able to help protect vaccine policy, information, and utilization across the U.S.
The Vaccine Integrity Project is supported by an unrestricted gift from Alumbra, a foundation established by philanthropist Christy Walton. CIDRAP’s long standing mission is to “prevent illness and death from targeted infectious disease threats through research and the translation of scientific evidence into real-world, practical applications, policies, and solutions.”
“This project acknowledges the unfortunate reality that the system that we’ve relied on to make vaccine recommendations and to review safety and effectiveness data faces threats,” Dr. Michael Osterholm, Regents Professor and Director of CIDRAP said. “It is prudent to evaluate whether independent activities may be needed to stand in its place and how non-governmental groups might operate to continue to provide science-based information to the American public.”
The Vaccine Integrity Project has established a Steering Committee comprising eight leading public health and policy experts to make recommendations for how vaccine use can remain grounded in the best available science, free from external influence and focused on optimizing protection of individuals, families, and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases. The Steering Committee co-chairs are Dr. Margaret Hamburg, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and co-president of the InterAcademy Partnership, and Dr. Harvey Fineberg, President, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, past President of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (previously Institute of Medicine).
Across a series of information-gathering sessions, the Vaccine Integrity Project will engage professional medical associations, public health organizations, state public health officials, vaccine manufacturers, medical and public health academia, health insurers, healthcare systems, pharmacies, health media experts, and policymakers. Based on feedback collected during the sessions, future activities may be established, such as: establishing a network of subject matter experts to conduct vaccine evaluations and develop clinical guidelines based on rigorous and timely reviews; strengthening the evidence base by identifying knowledge gaps and recommending studies to enhance vaccine-related evidence, practice, and policy; and reviewing government decisions and messaging to provide clear, evidence-based information, where needed. Discussions will help shape the potential scope, membership criteria, and operational factors, including priority issues, timely and effective communication channels, and triggers for activation and deactivation of such efforts.
CIDRAP will provide regular updates on the progress of the Vaccine Integrity Project upon completion of the planned sessions.
For more information, please contact: Kevin Griffis at 202-412-8377 or KevinCGriffis@gmail.com.
About the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
Part of the University of Minnesota’s Research and Innovation Office, CIDRAP is a global leader in addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response. Founded in 2001, CIDRAP works to prevent illness and death from targeted infectious disease threats through research and the translation of scientific information into practical applications, policies and solutions.
