Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH, Research Director, Immunize.org

Bio:

Dr. Humiston is the Director for Research for Immunize.org and a Professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy and University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO.  Dr. Humiston’s career has focused on immunization delivery in three ways: research, quality improvement, and education. 

Research: She is a health services researcher with more than 120 peer-reviewed publications on innovative and practical approaches to improve vaccine delivery. She now serves as co-chair of the Academic Pediatrics Association Special Interest Group on Immunization.  

Quality improvement: Dr. Humiston has been the Principal Investigator on numerous MOC Part vaccination quality improvement projects for both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Academic Pediatrics Association.  Most recently Dr. Humiston’s work has focused on increasing immunization rates among pregnant women. For the previous 5 years her emphasis was HPV vaccination to prevent cancer; she was the AAP’s representative on the American Cancer Society’s HPV Vaccination Roundtable Steering Committee. 

Immunization education: Her experience as an immunization educator includes development and implementation of print, live, video, and interactive Internet forms of immunization education for clinicians. She is the Principal Investigator for the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society’s “Comprehensive Vaccine Education Program.” Dr. Humiston previously worked in (what was then) the Training Education Branch of CDC’s National Immunization Program. During her tenure with CDC, she was the project officer on a series of projects that led to a successful demonstration of improved immunization-related communication with parents in primary care offices. 

Dr. Humiston is proud to have been a member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), including service as Chair of NVAC’s Subcommittee on Communication and Public Engagement. 

Jody Gan, MPH, CHES Department of Health Studies, American University

 Bio:

Ms. Gan, MPH, CHES is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Health Studies at American University. Ms. Gan enjoys sharing her experiences and passion for health and wellness from three decades of experience developing health communication materials, trainings, and community outreach strategies for a wide range of programs at the local, state, and national level. Recently, Ms. Gan has been involved in organizing webinars and town halls to promote COVID community vaccination and testing strategies. Ms. Gan serves as President of the Maryland Public Health Association, the state affiliate of the American Public Health Association.  Ms. Gan received her M.P.H. from Boston University School of Public Health and her B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Nicole Mitchell, CRNP, Community-based clinical provider 

Bio:

Nicole Mitchell is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Graduating with honors from Hampton University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, then going on to earn a Master of Science in Nursing in family practice at Coppin State University. Ms. Mitchell is currently working at Capital Digestive Care in Rockville, MD, with a clinical interest in Irritable Bowel Disease and Hepatology and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee for the American College of Gastroenterology. Ms. Mitchell has used her education and professional skills to recently start and open a holistic clinic which focuses on nutritional counseling and cannabis education. In service to the community, she is the Chair of the COVID-19 Re-opening Task Force as well as the Co-Chair for the health and wellness ministry at the Emory Fellowship church in Washington D.C. She has developed a special interest in the health of the underserved and minority population. Ms. Mitchell was the co-facilitator for “Don’t Miss Your Shot to Stop COVID-19!”  addressing the concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and its effect on the minority and underserved communities in DC metropolitan area. The webinar was headlined by Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, renowned NIH Vaccine Researcher who has been at the center of the development of the Moderna vaccine; Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the D.C. Health Department; Anita Jenkins, CEO of Howard University Hospital. As a patient advocate, Ms. Mitchell uses her knowledge and resources to promote a healthy living and lifestyle. In her free time, Ms. Mitchell enjoys dancing, singing, and spending time with her husband and three children.

Conflicts of Interest

 Dr. Humiston has participated in educational forums sponsored by Sanofi-Pasteur. The remaining instructors and advisors have no interests to declare.

Anti-discrimination Policy

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