The 2023-24 Ellis L. and Jennie Mae Krause Lecture in Science at Marietta College is pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, as our distinguished speaker.
On Thursday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m. in the Alma McDonough Auditorium, Dr. Hotez will present a lecture titled "Global Vaccines and Immunizations: The Science vs. The Anti-science."
In his talk, Dr. Hotez will address the current landscape of vaccines and immunization efforts globally. Drawing on his extensive research expertise, he will examine the scientific evidence surrounding vaccine efficacy and safety and contrast this with the rise of anti-vaccine pseudoscience.
Dr. Hotez's insights into vaccinology and tropical medicine have made him one of the nation's preeminent scientists and public health advocates. As a clinician and scientist, his perspective promises to be of great interest to our academic community.
We hope you will be able to join us for what is sure to be a thought-provoking and enlightening lecture. The event is free and open to the public.
Abstract
Prof. Hotez is a vaccine scientist at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development (Texas Children's CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine who develops vaccines for global health while combating rising antivaccine activism. The Texas Children's CVD is accelerating low-cost (and patent-free) recombinant protein vaccines for low- and middle-income countries, including two COVID vaccines produced and distributed in India and Indonesia, respectively, where almost 100 million doses have been administered. In the U.S., substantial progress has been made in vaccinating the population against COVID-19, with the important exception of an estimated 200,000 unvaccinated Americans who lost their lives because they became victims of antivaccine disinformation and refused COVID-19 vaccinations. This antivaccine defiance has evolved over the last 20 years beginning around disinformation claiming vaccines cause autism, but now transforming into a politically-motivated and complex ecosystem. It has begun to globalize to Canada, Western Europe, and increasingly low- and middle-income countries. He will discuss his new book: The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: A Scientist's Warning (Johns Hopkins University Press).
