Trust and Fear in a Pandemic
By Heidi Larson | 19 April 2021
Heidi Larson has spent the past two decades trying to understand what makes people in various countries hesitant to take vaccines. In response, she created the Vaccine Confidence Project, an interdisciplinary project that brings together experts and citizens across countries and social networks to study how rumours are disseminated and to better understand medical misinformation. She argues that in 2021, as governments around the world roll out vaccination programmes, we need to rebuild communities’ faith and trust in medical information.
About the Expert
Heidi J. Larson, PhD, is Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science and is the Founding Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is also Clinical Professor of Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, and Guest Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Larson previously headed Global Immunisation Communication at UNICEF, chaired GAVI’s Advocacy Task Force, and served on the WHO SAGE Working Group on vaccine hesitancy. The VCP is a WHO Centre of Excellence on addressing Vaccine Hesitancy. Her research focuses on the analysis of social and political factors that can affect uptake of health interventions and influence policies. Her particular interest is on risk and rumour management from clinical trials to delivery – and building public trust.
Here are the top three questions on Heidi Larson’s mind at this moment:
How will the global community perform when it comes to vaccinating people against COVID-19?
What is the role of emotions in the roll-out of vaccines and in the public’s willingness to accept vaccines?
How can we improve people’s trust in government?
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