Vaccines

Head shot of Heather Lanthorn

Heather Lanthorn's research takes a deep dive into health mis- and disinformation

When Heather Lanthorn assumed the role of program director of the new Mercury Project at the Social Science Research Council in December 2021, she was ecstatic. Not only was she helping to build the field around a current phenomenon with long-term implications, but she also was returning to her roots and work that led her to the University of Michigan School of Public Health and deepened while she was there.

Hand holding a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Michigan Medicine

New Vaccines for a Novel Virus: Insights from Coronavirus and Vaccine Experts

Conversations with Arnold S. Monto and Emily Toth Martin

From duration of immunity to safety pauses, vaccine experts Arnold Monto and Emily Toth Martin discuss the details of the pandemic and our efforts to bring about its end using vaccines and other measures. How do we know the vaccines are safe and effective? How concerning are the variants? And what about kids?

A nurse writes on a vial of blood taken from a man who was included in the Tuskegee syphilis study in Alabama, circa 1950.

Understanding Black Distrust of Medicine

Joel D. Howell

Using the bodies of African Americans without consent is a dark part of US medical history and part of a much larger issue in this country. Even if these widely documented—and incredibly gruesome—experimentations had never happened, the underlying racism that led us to permit such atrocities must still be addressed.

Global map connected by dots and lines, a metaphor for collaboration

It's Time to Rethink Capacity Building in Global Health Work

K. Rivet Amico

Capacity building is a ubiquitous phrase in grant applications, communications, and guidelines for many global health initiatives. Too often the phrase connotes an assumption that “established” US partners build knowledge or practice in “less-resourced” communities. What language can we use to more honestly recognize the value and contributions of all collaborators?