A Moment of Change in Public Health Policy: Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Few issues have tested public trust in medicine as deeply as vaccines, and few individuals have influenced that dialogue more than Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a longtime member of the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Committee. In this timely and candid interview with Raise the Line host Lindsey Smith, Dr. Offit points to this year’s severe flu season and a resurgence of measles as alarming proof points of how a changing federal perspective on vaccine policy is having a real impact on public health. “You’d like to think you can educate about the importance of vaccines, but I fear at this point the viruses themselves are doing the educating.” 

In this wide ranging discussion, Dr. Offit also addresses: 

• The rigorous and painstaking process of developing vaccines, based on his experience co-inventing the rotavirus vaccine. 
• Shifting levels of public trust in scientific organizations. 
• Promising innovations in vaccine development. 

Don’t miss this deeply-informed perspective on the interplay of science, policy, and public education, and his encouraging message to young clinicians about managing the current challenges in public health.  

Mentioned in this episode: 
Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Perelman School of Medicine

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