In this episode of Healthcare Matters, Dr. Robert Popovian and Ben Blanc bring you essential takeaways from the World Vaccine Congress. Joined by guests Abby Bownas, leader of the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition (AVAC) and the American Disease Prevention Coalition (ADPC), and Dr. Thomas Acciani, Director of U.S. Vaccine Policy at GSK, they delve into their significant roles within the vaccine landscape and discuss the overarching importance of the congress. Dr. Popovian highlights the latest advancements in vaccine research conducted by GHLF and their research partner IQVIA Human Data Sciences.
This episode offers a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of vaccine development and deployment. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the field of vaccines.
Among the highlights in this episode:
01:20: Dr. Popovian shares his recent participation to the World Vaccine Congress, including his roles as a presenter and panel moderator, offering insights into the significance of the event
02:43: Dr. Popovian and Abby Bownas discuss the importance of increasing adult vaccination rates and the federal and policy opportunities that can help achieve this goal
04:13: Abby explains the role of the American Disease Prevention Coalition (ADPC) in supporting pharmacists as vaccinators across different states, highlighting the variation in vaccination rules and authority levels
05:06: Dr. Popovian and Abby discuss the broad coalition of partners involved in ADPC, including pharmacists, vaccine makers, patient groups, and advocacy organizations. They emphasize the coalition's efforts to harmonize state laws on pharmacist vaccination authority before federal temporary provisions expire
06:53: Abby stresses the collaborative effort required among all providers to improve vaccine access and uptake, making the case for pharmacies and physicians to work together effectively
08:23: Dr. Acciani describes his role at GSK and the importance of addressing policy barriers to enhance patient access to vaccines, stressing the collaboration with public and private sectors to remove these obstacles
09:17: Dr. Popovian and Dr. Acciani discuss the need to eliminate unnecessary policy barriers to improve vaccination accessibility, advocating for a "no wrong door" policy where patients can receive vaccinations immediately upon request
11:20: Dr. Popovian presents findings from a study on Medicaid reimbursement and its correlation with vaccine uptake, emphasizing the impact of economic incentives on vaccination rates
13:50: Dr. Popovian discusses GHLF’s research on immunization access and its correlation with reimbursement strategies, particularly focusing on the disparities in vaccination rates among different socio-economic groups
15: 57: Dr. Popovian discusses the challenges faced by immunocompromised patients in accessing vaccines, discussing the significant barriers that persist despite insurance coverage
17:27: Dr. Popovian shares insights on future research directions for GHLF, including a study on vaccine uptake challenges among immunocompromised patients and the potential policy interventions to reduce barriers to vaccination
20:10: Dr. Popovian reflects on the broader implications of vaccine research beyond infectious diseases, pointing to exciting developments in oncology vaccines and their potential impact on public health
Contact Our Hosts
Dr. Robert Popovian, Chief Science Policy Officer at GHLF: rpopovian@ghlf.org
Ben Blanc, Associate Director, Digital Production and Engagement at GHLF: bblanc@ghlf.org
A podcast series produced by Ben Blanc.
We want to hear what you think. Send your comments, or a video or audio clip of yourself, to podcasts@ghlf.org
Listen to all episodes of Healthcare Matters on our website or on your favorite podcast channel.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.