The History of Anti-Vaccination

Elizabeth Salisbury
MS2, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine

The History of Anti-Vaccination

Registration link:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1kMwiRCVRB-KOq58Hfs6PA

Lecture information: This talk investigates the origins of the anti-vaccination movement, tracing its roots back to the smallpox vaccine. The anti-vaccination movement will be explored through three lenses: mandatory vaccinations and government control, safety and efficacy, and perceptions of risk. How did the anti-vaccination arguments we hear today develop and gain traction? What vaccine disasters have fueled the anti-vaccination movement? And, finally, as (future) healthcare providers, how do we talk to vaccine-hesitant patients about vaccines? How do we combat the anti-vaccine movement?

Speaker information: Elizabeth Salisbury obtained her B.A. in Biology from Williams College in 2018, where she also concentrated in Science and Technology Studies. At Williams, she explored medicalization and the pharmaceutical industry in relation to ADHD and PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). After taking one year to pursue infectious disease research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, she matriculated to UNC School of Medicine, from where she plans to graduate in 2023 with an M.D. She is currently researching perspectives on vaccination in the hopes of fostering better communication between healthcare providers and patients.

Please visit the Bullitt History of Medicine Club website for more information.