In partnership with NACCHO, Johns Hopkins University Institute for Vaccine Safety developed and facilitated a series of salon-style discussions with the intent to further explore and ideate on the future of public health.
Having been through a pandemic that resulted in the loss of over one million American lives, political unrest, and a racial reckoning, we are not the same individuals or institutions given 2020-2021. Using a qualitative research approach, the aim of this work was to gather high level perspectives from key stakeholders at the national, state and local level who can speak to larger forces at work that influence and impact immunization program planning and implementation, and how we can take these lessons while building programs for the future. A key goal was to identify the big dial, systemic ideas that merit dialogue about the future of public health including any best practices and lessons learned at the local level for dissemination and consider sustainability of practices moving out of the COVID-19 pandemic and into a world where COVID-19 vaccines are routine. These conversations, guided by pre-work and designed to spark innovative thinking, explored critical topics such as social cohesion and engagement, the intersection of politics and public health, and the role of civic participation in shaping public health outcomes. By capturing insights from these discussions, this report aims to inform strategies for equitable and sustainable public health improvements in an evolving landscape.
Read the report here.
