Beyond the Needle - A Physician's Guide to Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

We are witnessing alarming levels of trust erosion and vaccine skepticism that have emerged in the post-COVID world.  Join us as we take a deeper look into this critical issue with Christina Wells, MD, MPH, DipABLM, FAAFP and Marian Sassetti, MD, FAAFP.  

These seasoned family doctors, with over five decades of combined experiences, address the concerning decline in vaccine confidence.  They share their encounters with unexpected mi...

Do you know the true impact of COVID-19 vaccinations in preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death? Join us for a vital conversation with our faculty experts.  Together, we uncover the latest research on the vaccines' role in preventing complications from the virus and reveal exciting new findings on potential anti-inflammatory benefits and a reduced risk of long COVID for those who have been vaccinated.

As new data...

The new normal.  As clinicians, it is important to have new plans for how we're going to enjoy our lives, enjoy each other, and continue to care for our patients the best way we can.  Our patients count on us to be their trusted caregivers.

Santina Wheat MD, MPH, FAAFP and Marian R. Sassetti, MD, FAAFP discuss the importance of our interactions with patients to show we are thinking about their health and disease prevention.  Th...

In part two of this series, Dr. Stephanie LaBedz, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Illinois at Chicago, joins Dr. Christina Wells, a family physician, also with UIC, to discuss her experience with long COVID.  She shares how it has helped in her approach to patients suffering from long COVID. They talk about what family physicians should understand about long COVID.

There are many ways that pati...

Dr. Heather Prendergast, an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Stephanie LaBedz, a pulmonary and critical care physician, and Dr. Christina Wells, a family medicine physician, all from the University of Illinois at Chicago, share their experiences and insights on long COVID.  Their goal is to help primary care physicians be more equipped in dealing with patients who present with long COVID symptoms.

We know COVID-19 vaccines help red...

The conversation continues.  Dr. Corinne Kohler, Dr. Marian Sassetti, and Dr. Christina Wells reflect on the evolution of the pandemic in the past year.  They share their experiences and engage in a discussion about how we, as a community of healers, can collectively move forward.
 Meet the Faculty

Topics include:

• How practices have changed - both in day-to-day activities clinical activities and long-term  
• Ways to...

Trauma, collaboration, community, crisis, grief, perseverance, fear, uncertainty, mistrust, resilience…  

What words summarize the pandemic for you?  Have they changed over time?

Dr. Corinne Kohler, Dr. Marian Sassetti, and Dr. Christina Wells reflect on the evolution of the pandemic in the past year.  They share their experiences and engage in discussion about how we, as a community of healers, can collectively move forwar...

With so much attention in the news about bivalent boosters and trying to keep up with changes in vaccination schedule guidelines, some of the focus has shifted away from having conversations with adults who remain unvaccinated.  Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP, Carl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, and Marian R. Sassetti, MD, FAAFP remind us of the importance of making certain that everyone who is eligible receives the COVID-19 vaccines. Join ou...

No one is immune to COVID affecting their lives.  This is especially true for people with compromised immune systems and people they interact with.  Christopher Smyre, MD, Timothy Ott, DO, FAAFP, IAFP President, and Carl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, will discuss the additional challenges & concerns these patients may have when considering whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.  They will talk about ways to prevent getting COVID and...

With multiple types of practices in various locations that serve patients with a broad range of access to medical care facilities and health insurance, there is not a “one size fits all” answer for implementing  COVID-19 vaccines within a facility.  Join Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP, Marian Sassetti, MD, FAAFP, and Santina Wheat, MD, MPH, FAAFP as they discuss how they overcame challenges as they introduced COVID-19 vaccines into diff...

Carl Earl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP, and Marian Sassetti, MD, FAAFP continue their discussion in part 2 of this podcast series addressing disparities in healthcare and the importance of preventative medicine in reducing them.  Today, the focus is on the primary care provider’s impact on COVID-19.  They will share what they think a primary care doctor's role is in helping to address and prevent di...

Carl Earl Lambert, Jr., MD, FAAFP, Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP, and Marian Sassetti, MD, FAAFP host this 2-part podcast series addressing disparities in healthcare and the importance of preventative medicine in reducing them.  The pandemic has brought the curtain down and clearly exposed major disparities we are still facing.  They invite you to join them as they address these issues with honesty, care, and compassion.  

Whoever...

Daniel Johnson, MD and Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP host this expanded episode to discuss, in detail, the COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years to 6 months old . They acknowledge that many physicians may be hesitant to recommend parents vaccinate their infants. They will help listeners understand more about these vaccines so they are better equipped when recommending the COVID-19 vaccination and answering questions that p...

Santina Wheat MD, MPH, FAAFP and Corinne Kohler, MD, FAAFP talk about some of the different aspects of their experiences with patients pre-conception, during pregnancy, and while nursing.  They will share conversations, additional concerns, and fears that this special population has as the decision to get vaccinated not only effects them, but it also effects the fetus and newborn.  They also discuss reasons why these patients are c...

Christina Wells, MD, MPH, and Corrine Kohler, MD discuss the phases they went through to implement vaccine clinics and how they have evolved at two Federally Qualified Health Centers.  Candice Oberlies, DMS, PA-C and Clinical Manager and Nancy Bell, Practice Administrator share their experiences from the clinical and administrative perspectives and offer tips for setting up vaccination clinics and integrating the COVID-19 vaccines ...

Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP and Santina Wheat MD, MPH, FAAFP discuss challenges and opportunities when vaccinating pediatric patients in the ages five to eleven and why we really do need to focus on this younger population. They share some of the most common conversations they are having with parents of this age group.

Learn how you can use every interaction with your patient as an opportunity to find out what parents are thinki...

Christina Wells, MD, MPH and Santina Wheat MD, MPH discuss challenges and opportunities for vaccinating adolescent patients ages twelve to seventeen.  They share some of the most common conversations they are having with patients and their parents in this age group.

Learn how you can use every interaction with your patient as an opportunity to find out what families are thinking and to be able to find the real reason that they'...

There were not many COVID-19 treatment options available in 2020 & 2021.  Now there are at least four that can be used for non-hospitalized patients.  The frequent changes may have been difficult to keep up with. difficult to keep up with all the changes. Timothy Ott, DO, FAAFP, IAFP President, and Mustafa Alavi, MD, breakdown the options and share resources to help physicians feel more comfortable in selecting and prescribing ...

In part 2 of this two-part podcast, Mustafa Alavi, MD and Christina Wells, MD, MPH, FAAFP continue their discussion with Rachel Caskey, MD, MA and Amy Christison, MD. They explain major factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and ways to apply motivational interviewing techniques to address these concerns. 

They remind us, although people get their information from multiple sources, enormous amount of research have confirmed year a...