223.687.71
Vaccine Policy Issues

Prerequisite:

223.662 Vaccine Development and Application

Description:

Examines current domestic and international policy issues in vaccine research, development, manufacturing, supply, licensure, delivery, and utilization. Includes topics: priorities for funding vaccine research and development, ensuring an adequate supply of safe and effective vaccines, vaccine financing and new vaccine introduction decision-making, ethics, and compulsory vaccination. Emphasizes the identification of important vaccine policy issues and the formulation and evaluation of policies to address these issues. Presents the roles, responsibilities, and policy positions of key immunization stakeholders via guest lectures by a wide array of experts who have worked for/with important vaccine stakeholders (e.g., UNICEF, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, US Government, and GAVI Alliance). Learns skills including developing a Policy Paper. Includes readings relevant scientific papers and publications of U.S. and international agencies.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Assess a vaccine policy issue including determination of its health impacts
2. Describe vaccine policy stakeholders, evaluate their positions on a variety of vaccine policy issues, and assess the ability of these stakeholders to influence vaccine policy (e.g., their political capital).
3. Formulate vaccine policy alternatives and apply a framework to evaluate the feasibility and potential impact of these policy alternatives
4. Construct tools to assess and/or promote vaccine policy including a policy analysis and briefing memo

Methods of Assessment:

This course is evaluated as follows:

• 10% Participation
• 70% Paper(s)
• 20% Briefing Memo

Instructor Consent:

No consent required