UCL Lunch Hour Lecture | Who do we trust when it comes to vaccines?

Professor Sara Garfield and Professor Sudaxshina Murdan explore the role of trust, relationships and community engagement in promoting vaccination.

About the lecture

Professor Sara Garfield and Professor Sudaxshina Murdan will explore the role of trust, relationships and community engagement in promoting vaccination. Drawing on projects from the UK and around the world, they will share insights into how communities, faith leaders and local advocates can help shape conversations about vaccines.

They will discuss two examples of this work. The first is an international programme that trains university students to become vaccination champions, empowering them to support informed discussions about vaccination with their families, friends and communities. The second explores vaccine hesitancy in different faith communities and investigates the factors that influence trust in vaccination programmes.

They will challenge common assumptions about vaccine hesitancy and highlight why listening to communities, building meaningful partnerships and understanding people’s lived experiences are essential for improving public health.

About the speakers

Sara Garfield is a pharmacist and lecturer. Her research has specialised in understanding patients’ perceptions of medication and vaccination, factors influencing patients’ decisions about treatment, shared decision making, medication adherence, safety and quality of medication use and the involvement of members of the public in data collection and analysis.

Sudaxshina Murdan is a pharmacist and pharmaceutical scientist and specialises in the formulation of drugs and vaccines for humans, fish, poultry, and livestock. Her research focuses on mucosal vaccination and development of topical medicines, such as for the treatment of nail fungal infections. She researches and teaches on vaccine acceptance.

About the chair

Professor Bryony Dean Franklin is a hospital pharmacist by background, with 30 years’ experience of research into medication safety, medication use in practice and patient safety more generally. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Quality & Safety, Professor of Medication Safety at UCL School of Pharmacy, Executive Lead Pharmacist for Research at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Director of the NIHR North West London Patient Safety Research Collaboration.