At SMHS, first-year medical students spend time this week participating in a clinical public health summit in which students work in teams to address problems focused "How Physicians Can Help End the HIV Epidemic."
Himmelfarb's Reference team contributes to the students' learning by maintaining resource guides for public health summits, including the guide created for this week's summit. The guide links students to specific resources to learn more about diagnosing, treating, preventing, and responding to HIV outbreaks as well as resources and information specific to the city or state on which the students' project design is focused. The guide also provides students information on finding information by provide useful MeSH terms and keywords for searching PubMed/MEDLINE and other databases. This research guide is one of the many ways that Himmelfarb Library staff contribute to the school's educational mission, by bringing together resources that add dimension to classroom learning and hands-on learning.
November is National Diabetes Month. According to the CDC, 38.4 million people in the United States of all ages have diabetes. Among adults, this comprises 14.7% of the total population. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024)
While the CDC statistical report provides one way of navigating available data on diabetes, PolicyMap, a resource available to you via Himmelfarb Library, can help you visualize data by showing its distribution across a geographic area.
PolicyMap screenshot (PolicyMap, 2025)
Percent of births to mothers diagnosed with pregnancy-induced diabetes in 2023, PolicyMap screenshot (PolicyMap, 2025)
You can browse PolicyMap by topic (including health indicators) or by level of geography, and the resulting map can be saved, printed, edited, or annotated. PolicyMap also includes a handy citation button for attribution of its content.
The three most commonly seen types of diabetes are:
Type 1 diabetes mellitus, in which the body stops producing insulin;
Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the most prevalent type, which is linked to genetics, lifestyle, and weight;
Gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy and can increase the chances of developing Type 2 diabetes later on.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops in 5-9% of pregnancies in the United States each year. While it may be asymptomatic, GDM testing, which occurs around the 24th week of pregnancy, can catch the condition before complications develop. All pregnant patients should be tested for GDM. (DynaMed, 2025) The testing involves a 1-hour non-fasting oral glucose test. If results from the 1-hour test show the blood glucose level as too high, a second, fasting test is conducted over three hours. (NIDDK, 2017)
In those patients who are diagnosed with GDM, treatment includes dietary changes and regular exercise targets. Initially, patients may need to self-monitor and log blood glucose. Medication is only required when target glucose levels cannot be attained through diet and exercise. (DynaMed, 2025) If blood glucose is well-controlled, patients with GDM can carry their pregnancy almost to term (39 weeks). (ACOG, 2018) The Canadian Diabetes Association, meanwhile, suggests doctors offer induction of labor between 38 and 40 weeks gestation to decrease the risks of stillbirth and cesarean birth. (Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee, 2018)
Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee, Feig, D. S., Berger, H., Donovan, L., Godbout, A., Kader, T., Keely, E., & Sanghera, R. (2018). Diabetes and Pregnancy. Canadian journal of diabetes, 42 Suppl 1, S255–S282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2017.10.038
PolicyMap. (n.d.). Crude percent of diagnosed diabetes among adults in 2022 [Map based on data from CDC_PLACES: Data downloaded from https://www.cdc.gov/places/index.html, August 2023]. Retrieved November 12, 2025, from http://www.policymap.com
The Rotation occasionally turns its lens on standout teams across the GW community. Today, we’re featuring the GW Cancer Center: where groundbreaking research, compassionate care, and community engagement come together every day. We spoke with scientists, clinicians, and outreach leaders from both the GW Cancer Center and the GW Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center to share a behind-the-scenes look at the innovation and impact driving their work. This post is the second post of a two-part series. Check out part one of this exciting discussion from last week!
The Cancer Center is involved in educating the next generation of researchers and health care providers in various aspects of cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. What types of educational programs, research training, and professional education are available for students, researchers, and practitioners interested in cancer research?
Alison Hall, PhD: Associate Center Director for Education & Training; Senior Associate Dean for Research; Director of the Institute for Biomedical Science; Professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine
Speaking for our education and training portfolio, we’ve built a true pipeline - from early undergraduates to practicing clinicians - that equips people to conduct impactful, equity-minded cancer research at GW.
Undergraduates:
GW-SPARC (Summer Program Advancing Research on Cancer) is the flagship 10-week, mentored summer program co-led by Drs. Alison Hall and Ed Seto. SPARC places diverse rising juniors in GW Cancer Center labs for hands-on research, and features a robust program of skills training and career development centered on addressing the cancer health needs of our catchment area. Students present posters at summer’s end. This program is supported by the American Cancer Society and GWCC.
Biology of Cancer Course: GW undergraduates participate in the popular BISC 2213 Biology of Cancer course, taught by Dr. Daoud Meerzaman of NCI.
Medical Students:
Clinical & Translational Research Scholarly Concentration: A longitudinal track (≈50 students/year) that pairs medical students with mentors, strengthens research methods, and advances projects from idea to dissemination.Students present posters at the GW Research Showcase. This program has been shown to increase graduates’ careers in academic medicine (Radville et al., 2019).
GW Summer Fellowships: Medical students also compete for GW summer fellowships from the WTGill Fellowship as well as the Health Services Fellowship, and are encouraged to seek external support.
Graduate Students and Postdocs:
GW Cancer Biology PhD Program: Outstanding students from around the nation participate in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program and earn a PhD in Cancer Biology. Graduate program directors, Dr. Jiyoung Lee and Dr. Dalia Haydar guide PhD students through the program, and many win NIH F31 awards for their study.
NCI-Funded Cancer Biology Training (T32): GW’s T32 selects postdocs and one PhD trainee annually for a 2-year program combining discovery research, coursework/workshops, and a focus on cancer health needs in our region. This grant application is currently up for a competing renewal.
Early-Career Researchers and Professional Education: Additional structured training and mentored awards are available through the New Investigator workshops (third Thursdays at 4), leading to K and fellowship applications.
Services and Training: Study design, REDCap/PowerTrials, data management, regulatory tools; grant writing, plus short courses and workshops lower barriers to starting and completing rigorous studies.
Across all tiers, our priorities are the same: mentored, hands-on research experiences; structured skills training; near-peer and faculty mentoring; and attention to cancer health disparities in our D.C. catchment area. That’s how SPARC and our broader portfolio are “seeding” the next generation, and how we’re growing a workforce ready to make cancer research more effective, inclusive, and patient-centered.
What advice would you give to medical students or early career researchers who want to get started in cancer research?
Jenna Clements: My advice is first to build a surface-level knowledge base spanning the many arms of cancer research, and then choose your niche and dive deep into that one thing. Once you nurture a deep knowledge base centered on a single topic, a larger web of understanding will naturally develop because of the interconnectedness of all the subfields of cancer research. But if you try to understand everything deeply from the beginning, you’ll quickly be overwhelmed. It will all come with time, but it does take time!
Bethel Sebsebie: Research is very important to the future of medicine. It’s through research that diseases once thought incurable are now being cured and treated today. For medical students or early career researchers, I encourage you to stay curious and open to learning. Each clinical trial and each lab discovery is a step forward to new, innovative treatments for cancer and many other complex diseases. We've already come so far, but there is still so much more to discover. So to anyone considering a career in cancer research and medicine, stay curious, be compassionate, be persistent, collaborate with others, and get involved early. Whether you're working in the lab or at the bedside, your contributions are part of a much larger mission - to improve lives and bring hope to patients everywhere.
Tell us about the National AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (NACSR) and the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC), and their impact on patients, not just at GW, but worldwide.
Together, these programs connect clinical care, laboratory innovation, and global collaboration to accelerate discovery and improve outcomes for people affected by both HIV and cancer.
As Director of the ACSR, I lead a national effort headquartered here at GW and established by the NCI in 1994 to provide high-quality, well-annotated biospecimens and data that drive clinical, basic, and translational research. For more than 30 years, the ACSR has served as the world’s primary biorepository dedicated to individuals with HIV and cancer, supporting studies that span the pre- and post-antiretroviral therapy eras. Our global network, which includes satellite sites in São Paulo, Brazil, and Cape Town, South Africa, ensures that specimens are ethically collected, meticulously curated, and accessible to researchers around the world. Within the ACSR, the AMC Biorepository Program provides the laboratory and governance framework that supports both domestic and international AMC clinical trials, integrating specimen processing, storage, and data management across sites.
In addition to directing the ACSR, I chair the AMC Laboratory Resources Committee (LRC), where I work with colleagues across the consortium to connect laboratory science with the AMC’s clinical trials. This bridge, linking what happens at the bench to what happens in the clinic, ensures that discoveries made in the lab can quickly inform patient care. Here at GW, the AMC Clinical Site, led by Dr. Sharad Goyal, enrolls patients in cutting-edge trials for HIV-associated cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma and lymphoma, offering access to promising new therapies.
Together, these initiatives create a seamless translational pathway, from patient enrollment and biospecimen collection to laboratory discovery and biomarker development. Our shared goal is both simple and profound: to turn science into solutions that improve the lives of people living with HIV and cancer, in the U.S. and around the world.
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about the GW Cancer Center?
The GW Cancer Center is driven by a bold and compassionate vision: to create a cancer-free world through groundbreaking research, innovative education, and equitable care for all. That vision is what inspired me to join and lead this extraordinary organization. It speaks not only to scientific excellence but to a profound responsibility: to eliminate health disparities and ensure that our work is rooted in the realities of the communities we serve.
Our commitment to our catchment area, which includes Washington, D.C., and surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia, is at the heart of everything we do. Guided by the voices and leadership of our Community Action Council, we engage deeply with our community, design programs that reflect our communal lived experiences, and build lasting partnerships grounded in trust. Together, we are working to make sure that every individual has a fair and fighting chance against cancer.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share more information about the GW Cancer Center, the exciting research happening there, and the great work being done.
References:
Radville, L., Aldous, A., Arnold, J., & Hall, A. K. (2019). Outcomes from an elective medical student Research Scholarly Concentration program. Journal of investigative medicine: The official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research, 67(6), 1018–1023. https://doi.org/10.1136/jim-2018-000943
October 2025 National Physical Therapy Month campaign from the American Physical Therapy Association
Every October, we turn our thoughts to Physical Therapy, in observance of National Physical Therapy Month. This year, the organization representing physical therapists in the United States, the American Physical Therapy Association, has as the theme for this month, PT for Future Me, a campaign aimed at educating consumers about the role of physical therapy in promoting improved movement and independence (PT For Future Me: An APTA ChoosePT Campaign, 2025). The PT for Future Me Patient Toolkit gives consumers a sense of how PT can exert positive effects across the lifespan, from childhood through older adulthood (PT for Future Me Patient Toolkit, n.d.). The website also includes a PT finder tool, which covers all 50 states and Washington, DC.
GW is home to the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and also houses PT residency programs in neurology, orthopaedics, and pediatrics. Check out the PT program's news page for the latest updates from the program and its graduates, including this October 2025 article on pro bono PT clinics being established by a DPT alumnus, Dominic DiPrinzio. Dr. DiPrinzio is working to increase access to PT by making services available free of charge, via partnerships with medical professionals across disciplines, as well as institutions (Cohen, 2025).
A PubMed search shows that physical therapy touches on every specialty and discipline within medicine. Before October ends, take some time to examine recent publications in your area of expertise, then consider how physical therapy might help the patients you work with, and how you can partner with a PT to help your patients achieve lifelong mobility and wellness.
The Rotation occasionally turns its lens on standout teams across the GW community. Today, we’re featuring the GW Cancer Center: where groundbreaking research, compassionate care, and community engagement come together every day. We spoke with scientists, clinicians, and outreach leaders from both the GW Cancer Center and the GW Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center to share a behind-the-scenes look at the innovation and impact driving their work. This post is part one of a two-part series. Stay tuned next Wednesday, October 29th, for part two of this exciting discussion!
Tell us about the GW Cancer Center. What is the Cancer Center? Please tell us about what the Cancer Center does and its mission.
The GW Cancer Center is a powerful force in the fight against cancer, driven by a deep commitment to saving lives and transforming care. We are rooted in Washington, DC, bringing together passionate researchers, dedicated clinicians, and community leaders who work side by side to advance cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. The Center’s mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through cutting-edge science, compassionate care, and a fierce dedication to health equity. Every initiative, every breakthrough, and every patient story fuels our determination to build a future where cancer is no longer a life-defining diagnosis, but a challenge that can be met with strength, science, and hope.
Tell us about the research being conducted at the Cancer Center.
As a member of the GW Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology and Immunology Program, my team is supported by a Katzen Internal Pilot Award. This funding fuels bold, early-stage ideas in cancer research. Our project focuses on prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the District of Columbia.
We’re tackling one of the biggest challenges in the field: understanding how immune cells influence tumor growth and spread. Using 3D high-resolution confocal imaging, we’re mapping macrophages in the prostate to see how their interactions within the tumor microenvironment might drive tumor innervation - the connection between cancer cells and nerves that can accelerate disease progression.
Cancer research has transformed what it means to receive a diagnosis. Advances in precision medicine, immunotherapy, and targeted drug development have dramatically improved survival rates and made treatments less invasive and more effective. The GW Cancer Center is deeply committed to driving this progress by conducting research that not only expands scientific understanding but also directly improves outcomes for patients in our community and beyond.
Cancer research has transformed what it means to receive a diagnosis. Advances in precision medicine, immunotherapy, and targeted drug development have dramatically improved survival rates and made treatments less invasive and more effective. The GW Cancer Center is deeply committed to driving this progress by conducting research that not only expands scientific understanding but also directly improves outcomes for patients in our community and beyond.
The Cancer Center recently celebrated the opening of the new Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center. Tell us about the new center and the types of programs offered there.
Sherrie Flynt Wallington, PhD: Professor of Community of Policy, Populations and Systems (Tenured); Associate Center Director for Community Outreach and Engagement (COE)
The GW Cancer Center has opened a new kind of space in Southeast DC’s Ward 8 - one built around wellness, prevention, and community. The GW Cancer Prevention and Wellness Center, located at 1201 Sycamore Drive SE, Suite 103, is designed to be a welcoming place where neighbors can come together to learn, connect, and take proactive steps toward wellness. The Wellness Center is more than a building: it's a promise that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy, vibrant life.
Inside, visitors will find a wide range of services to support cancer prevention and overall wellness. As programming ramps up, the Wellness Center will offer cancer prevention education, nutrition counseling, tobacco cessation support, and support groups. Currently, we're hosting fitness and stress management programs, and opportunities to connect with others through support groups and community events.
What makes the Wellness Center special is its focus on the whole person - body, mind, and spirit. It blends clinical expertise with strong community partnerships to make prevention accessible, practical, and meaningful.
The idea is simple but powerful: when people have the knowledge, resources, and support they need, they can take real steps toward healthier lives.
At the heart of it all is a shared belief that wellness starts here. And it starts with you.
What inspired you to work in your field?
Holly J. Meany, MD: Children’s National; Director, Solid Tumor Program; Director, Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program
I always knew I wanted to work with children. I was drawn to a career in pediatric oncology because it allowed me to take care of complex, sick children, but also to have continuity of caring for a patient and family over a long period of time. As I continued in my training, I better appreciated the complexity of the field and constant advances in therapy, which keep every day interesting.
What is your favorite aspect of the work that the Cancer Center does?
What I love most about the Cancer Center’s work is that no two patients are treated the same. While we follow the gold standard of care, we also recognize that each person’s journey is unique. We tailor treatments to align with patients’ goals, preferences, and needs. Every decision is a collaboration between clinicians and patients, empowering patients to take an active role in their care and their future.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share more information about the GW Cancer Center, the exciting research happening there, and the great work being done. We’re excited to hear more about this great work next week in part two of this series!
Baker RE, Mahmud AS, Miller IF, et al. Infectious disease in an era of global change. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2022;20(4):193-205. doi:10.1038/s41579-021-00639-z
Barr, I.G., Subbarao, K. Implications of the apparent extinction of B/Yamagata-lineage human influenza viruses. npj Vaccines9, 219 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-024-01010-y
Himmelfarb Library provides clinical, evidence-based medicine resources, including DynaMed and epocrates+, which provide information to support cancer care. DynaMed is a point-of-care tool designed to facilitate efficient and evidence-based patient care information, including drug and disease information. DynaMed provides information including background, history and physical, diagnosis, disease management, prognosis, prevention, and screening information on medical conditions. DynaMed’s easy-to-read topic pages cover a wide range of conditions and diseases, including cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma in children, as seen in the screenshot below.
epocrates+ is Himmelfarb’s other evidence-based point-of-care database that provides disease and drug information. epocrates+ provides a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, risk factors, history and exam, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Like DynaMed, epocrates+ covers a wide range of medical conditions, including cancers. epcorates+ also offers a quick reference area that covers the basics of a condition, as seen in the cervical cancer quick reference screenshot below.
If you’re looking for the latest in cancer research, Himmelfarb provides access to many cancer journals! The following list is just a sample of the cancer-related titles you can access through Himmelfarb’s journal collection:
Cancer: An American Cancer Society journal that started publication in 1948, Cancer is one of the oldest peer-reviewed oncology journals. This journal focuses on highly relevant, timely information on the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer.
JAMA Oncology: This definitive oncology journal publishes important clinical research, major cancer breakthroughs, actionable discoveries, and innovative cancer treatments.
Cancer Cell: This journal provides access to major advances in cancer research, including clinical investigations that establish new paradigms in treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of cancers.
Gynecologic Oncology: This journal publishes clinical and investigative articles about tumors of the female reproductive tract and the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of female cancers.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute: This journal publishes significant cancer research findings focused on clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, and health outcomes studies.
Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network: JNCCN publishes the latest information on clinical practices, oncology health services research, and translational medicine, as well as updates to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.
The National Cancer Institute publishes information summaries on specific types of cancer and cancer topics. Summaries are available via a patient version, which provides straightforward information for consumers, as well as health professional versions with more detailed information and supporting citations. For example, the prostate cancer patient overview provides a brief overview, as well as information related to causes and prevention, screening, treatment, research, statistics, and resources for coping with cancer. The prostate cancer health professional version provides much of this same information, with more in-depth links for treatment, screening, genetics, and supportive and palliative care.
If you’re interested in finding health statistics about cancer, we have information on that, too! Check out our Health Statistics: Cancer Guide. This guide provides links to resources to find general cancer statistics, as well as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. Resources to find cancer mortality maps and graphs are also included.
September is Suicide Prevention Month and provides an opportunity to raise awareness about suicide and suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide). If you, or someone you know, has thoughts of suicide, immediate help is available. Call, text, or chat 988 to speak to a trained crisis counselor.
Like other mental health conditions, suicidal thoughts can impact anyone. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), one in twenty adults (5%) has serious thoughts of suicide each year. In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death in people between 10 and 24 years old, and is the 11th leading cause of death overall (NAMI, 2025). Physicians have an increased risk of suicide and suicidal ideation compared to the general population because of “high workload volume and medical errors” (AMA, 2025). Physicians are also less likely to seek help when experiencing suicidal ideation (AMA, 2025). A recent study published in JAMA found that non-physician health care workers, including nurses, health technicians, and health care support workers, are also at increased risk of suicide compared to the general population (Olfson et al., 2023).
The warning signs of suicide can include talking about wanting to die, feeling empty and hopeless, withdrawing from friends or loved ones, and/or taking dangerous risks. The infographic below from the NIH National Institute of Mental Health includes additional warning signs. If you or someone you know is experiencing these warning signs, get help by contacting the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988!
If you are interested in learning more about suicide prevention, Himmelfarb Library has a Suicide and Suicidology Collection that includes numerous books on this topic. Notable titles from this collection include:
Olfson, M., Cosgrove, C. M., Wall, M. M., & Blanco, C. (2023). Suicide risks of health care workers in the US. JAMA, 330(12), 1161–1166. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.15787
A person holding a baby, Photo by Ana Curcan on Unsplash
August is National Breastfeeding Month, as established in 2011 by the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, an independent nonprofit which brings together over 130 organizations which collaborate to "drive efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States."
Breastfeeding is the subject of numerous recommendations from professional organizations, including the World Health Organization and the Academy of American Pediatrics; however, the practice is contraindicated in individuals diagnosed with HIV, Hepatitis C, and a number of other conditions. (DynaMed, 2024)
Breastfeeding is a source of pride and of conflict in new parents. Advice to new parents abounds, but not all of it is accurate. An August 2025 article in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior looks at TikTok videos related to breastfeeding, assessing whether they are evidence-based and accurate. As with any other health topic, breastfeeding information on social media can be misrepresented, and misinformation may be shared without a critical eye.
In their study, Parra et al. created a new TikTok account in order to avoid algorithm bias, and searched the hashtag #breastfeeding to find content to include. The videos examined were limited to English language only, and videos which addressed breastfeeding or breast milk informatively. Additionally, videos included audio or text explaining the content. Coders in the research team reviewed the content collected, tagging informational content as evidence-based (EB), nonevidence-based (NEB), or misinformation. The research team also collected engagement data to assess the reach of each video, in terms of the likes, views, comments, saves and shares each video received. Analysis took place over a period of one month. (Parra et al., 2025)
The study indicates that the breadth of views and likes on the average TikTok video on breastfeeding indicates the promise of this platform for promoting health communication. The majority of videos included in this study were EB. However, "there were no statistically significant differences in engagement and reach between EB and NEB videos," (Parra et al., 2025). The majority of TikTok users posting NEB videos included mentions home remedies and herbal galactogogues (substances that increase breast milk production) which have not been rigorously studied. While NEB videos were not the majority of breastfeeding-focused videos examined in this study, this content is likely to be viewed by those who plan to or are already breastfeeding, and may shape attitudes about breastfeeding as well as breastfeeding behavior. (Parra et al, 2025)
The authors acknowledge the following limitations of their study: 1) it was focused only on the accuracy of the video content, and did not analyze the content or quality of the communication; 2) only English language videos were included in the study; 3) the diversity of individuals featured in the videos examined -- in terms of race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, income or education attainment -- was not objectively evaluated; 4) while the study focused on English-language content only, the dataset included videos originating from outside the US; 5) platforms such as TikTok are rapidly evolving, meaning this analysis can only represent a snapshot in time, not the current or future landscape of the platform. (Parra et al, 2025)
Given these clearly stated limitations, we can still gain some perspectives from this research. It is widely acknowledged that social media platforms, where users of all types and with different motivations are able to post content, is an empowering force, but one that can also be used to spread misinformation. Practitioners of all types benefit from becoming more aware of the specter of health misinformation that lies on social media, and would do well to find ways to proactively engage patients on this topic. The fact that the authors of this study found that the preponderance of breastfeeding videos they identified on TikTok were indeed evidence-based is a hopeful finding.
References
DynaMed. Breastfeeding. EBSCO Information Services. Accessed August 26, 2025. https://www.dynamed.com/management/breastfeeding
Parra, A., Ramirez, J., von Ash, T., & Lebron, C. N. (2025). Fact-Checking #Breastfeeding: Analyzing TikTok Videos Related to Breastfeeding Information. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2025.07.008
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM)! Staying updated on immunizations is an important way to protect yourself against preventable diseases. Vaccines help provide immunity before potential exposure to diseases by creating antibodies in your body to fight off infections and training your immune system to recognize and destroy harmful pathogens before they can cause serious illness.
We also have several books (both in print and online) on the topic of vaccines:
Vaccines: A Clinical Overview and Practical Guide: by Joseph Domachowske, and Manika Suryadevara. This e-book covers the fundamentals of vaccines, including what constitutes a vaccine, how they are manufactured and tested, how vaccine recommendations are developed, and practical concerns such as vaccine confidence and hesitancy, misconceptions, and patient communication.
Vaccine Law & Policy: by Tony Y. Yang and Dorit Reiss. This book, available in both print and as an e-book, includes comprehensive coverage of key aspects of vaccine law and policy, from product development and intellectual property protections to regulation, public mandates, and vaccine injury claims.
Vaccine Wars: The Two-Hundred-Year Fight for School Vaccinations: by Kimberley Tolley. This e-book provides a comprehensive history of the efforts to vaccinate children from contagious diseases in US schools and examines what triggered anti-vaccination activism in the past, and why it continues today.
Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start - And Why They Don’t Go Away: by Heidi Larson. This e-book examines how the issues around vaccine hesitancy center around people feeling left out of the conversation, and examines the social vectors that spread vaccine rumors, how they spread around the globe, and how these individual threads are all connected.
Want to learn more about staying up-to-date on your vaccines and keeping track of which may need updating? Our Immunization Awareness Month post from August 2024 has resources to help you do that! Want to learn more about how vaccines work? Check out this great video from Nature - which you can also share with your patients:
