PUBH6383: Vaccines

Vaccines are one of the most successful public health interventions ever developed. Yet, fundamental misconceptions about how and why vaccines work and about the scientific evidence about their efficacy and safety limit the ability of public health professionals to prevent and control the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.Vaccinology is the branch of infectious disease epidemiology that addresses these issues, building upon core concepts in epidemiologic methods and study designs to understand both the individual- and population-level impact of vaccines. In this graduate level course, students will focus on critical concepts and methods in epidemiology, infectious diseases, vaccinology, and public health needed to:1) Understand the principles of infectious disease transmission dynamics that determine how and why vaccines reduce the burden of disease2) Utilize epidemiologic methods and study designs to assess both individual and population-level vaccine efficacy/effectiveness3) Develop and implement strategies to address the challenges of achieving and maintaining high vaccine coverage in diverse communities across the US and globally.More than 25 human diseases can be prevented by vaccination and dozens of novel and next-generation vaccines are currently under development. From ongoing efforts to eradicate polio worldwide to measles outbreaks in the US where the disease had once been eliminated to the development of fast-tracked Ebola vaccines during the West African outbreak, vaccines have taken center stage in the field of infectious diseases over the past several decades because of the incredible impact vaccines have had on saving lives, preventing disease, and preserving health. However, despite the success of vaccination programs against many serious diseases, challenges to designing, delivering, and maintaining trust in vaccines persist. Globally, vaccine-preventable diseases (pneumonia and diarrheal diseases including rotavirus) remain top causes of death in children under 5 years old. Yet vaccine access continues to be a challenge. The field of vaccinology allows us to examine, from an epidemiologic methods perspective, how and why vaccines protect individuals and populations and how and why we face challenges to achieving and maintaining high vaccine uptake among at-risk populations worldwide. In doing so, we gain the knowledge needed to develop strategies that can successfully protect all individuals from vaccine-preventable diseases. From the perspective of researchers, public health practitioners, and medical professionals, we will learn about numerous study designs to assess vaccine efficacy, effectiveness, and safety, and we will learn to apply communication skills critical to translating epidemiologic evidence about vaccines to the public. Specifically, we will draw upon the primary literature to understand concepts in infectious disease transmission dynamics, herd immunity, maternal immunity, and waning/boosting of immune responses. These concepts will set the foundation for understanding how and why vaccines protect both individuals and populations and how individuals interact with populations in complex ways. Throughout this course, we will apply principles of epidemiology and epi methods to understand how vaccines have successfully reduced the burden of disease in many different settings across the globe and to examine how the challenges of vaccine hesitancy, vaccine refusal, and lack of access threaten the advances that have been made in reducing the burden of infectious diseases. Students from many different disciplines who are interested in understanding why vaccines have been regarded as one of the greatest public health achievements of all time will gain a clear understanding of the essential role that they play in preventing disease and maintaining health populations.

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