Staff, Boards & Advisors

Amy Pisani is a distinguished expert in the field of vaccine advocacy and education, with a remarkable tenure dating back to 1996 when she joined Every Child By Two (now known as Vaccinate Your Family). As the Chief Executive Officer, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of immunization accessibility in the United States. Amy’s tireless dedication has made her a driving force for immunization advocacy, working tirelessly to advance the health and well-being of communities across the nation. Throughout her career, Amy has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to realizing VYF’s mission, which is to safeguard individuals of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases and bridge immunization disparities.

In alignment with VYF’s founding principles, Amy has spearheaded collaborative initiatives that unite elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from national and local organizations in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. She guides the team in legislative education, fosters partnerships with like-minded advocates, collaborates with the media to ensure evidence-based reporting on vaccines, and employs diverse communication channels to educate the public.

Amy has been at the helm through VYF’s remarkable growth in the organization’s social media, effectively reaching over four million individuals annually. Through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, VYF disseminates science-based information that underscores the importance of timely vaccinations and the safety of vaccines. In addition to this digital outreach, VYF’s website, available in both English and Spanish, attracts over one million visitors each year and has earned the prestigious Vaccine Safety Net seal of approval from the World Health Organization.

Amy’s dedication extended to the urgent need for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. She played a pivotal role in various vital initiatives, including the Made to Save Collaborative, the HHS COVID Community Corps, and the White House Equity Panel. VYF continues to bring together partners who united in the fight against COVID-19 through the VYF-hosted Vaccination Collaborative. This platform facilitates the exchange of invaluable insights, research, and communication strategies, shaping evidence-based programs and policy efforts to ensure universal access to all vaccines.

Amy remains at the forefront of public health advocacy by actively engaging in conferences, hosting and presenting at congressional briefings, and vigilantly monitoring and responding to regulatory and policy changes that impact immunization delivery. The campaigns developed under her guidance have educated hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the field.

In addition to her work with VYF, Amy demonstrates her commitment to public health in various capacities. She proudly serves as the President of her local Rotary Club and has been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow for her contributions. From 2011 to 2015, she served as a public member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Presently, she is a founding member of the 317 Coalition, ensuring stable congressional immunization funding, and sits on the steering committee of the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, the HPV Roundtable, and several other coalitions that share VYF’s mission.

Amy’s rich career history extends beyond pediatrics. She gained extensive healthcare advocacy experience during her roles as the Education Program Coordinator at the Optical Society of America, Senior Staff Specialist for the American Nurses Association, and Program Director for the American Nurses Foundation. Her early career was dedicated to advancing the deaf community. Amy holds a Master’s of Science degree from Gallaudet University for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., and a Baccalaureate Degree in Psychology from the Catholic University of America, also in Washington, D.C.

amy@vaccinateyourfamily.org

www.vaccinateyourfamily.org

www.shotofprevention.com

Facebook (@Vaccinateyourfamily)

Twitter (@VaxYourFam)

Instagram (@Vaccinateyourfamily)

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As the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO), Serese Marotta brings over 25 years of experience in science, public health, immunization, non-profit leadership, and patient advocacy. Serese is responsible for directly supporting the Chief Executive Officer in leading the organization by overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing strategic plans and policies, managing key departments, overseeing key programs, partnerships, and activities, and serving as a point of contact for stakeholders.  

During her time at Vaccinate Your Family, Serese has been instrumental in developing, leading, and promoting key community-based programs aimed at increasing vaccine confidence and equitable access. The SQUAD™ program (which stands for SQuaring Up Against Disease) provides a scalable and sustainable platform for advocates who want to get involved in supporting vaccines and science. As part of this program, advocates are trained, mobilized, and empowered to share their stories, educate their peers, and help reignite a culture of immunization at national, regional, and local levels. The Vaccination Community Navigator program for Promotores/Community Health Workers is designed to build their capacity to engage communities in vaccine conversations and navigate people of all ages to vaccination services. Serese also spearheaded the development of Vaccinate Your Family University, which provides opportunities for post-secondary learning for patient advocates, community health workers, partners, and healthcare providers.  

Serese’s passion for public health began early in her career as a scientist focused on human health and ecological risk assessments. Her journey as a patient advocate began after her personal experience of losing her healthy five-year-old son, Joseph, to influenza during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Since that time, she has made it her mission to help support other individuals and families that have been personally impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases and increase public awareness about the life-saving value of vaccines.  

Previously, Serese served as the Chief Operating Officer for Families Fighting Flu, a national non-profit organization focused solely on influenza. In her role there, she managed the day-to-day operations of the organization, including strategic planning, public relations, communications and marketing, educational programming, strategic partnerships, and fundraising. She successfully elevated the organization’s visibility and reach through service on strategic coalitions (e.g., American Thoracic Society Public Advisory Roundtable, Adult Vaccine Access Coalition), earned media opportunities (e.g., NBC Nightly News, NPR, USA Today, Huffington Post), and new partnerships at local, regional, and national levels. Serese served as a national and international flu expert on behalf of the organization, developed evidence-based resources for priority populations, and increased operating revenue to $1M over five years.   

Due to her personal experience with flu and her strong scientific background, Serese is a subject matter expert on influenza. She currently serves as the President for the Coalition to Stop Flu and serves as a valuable resource to key partners in the flu ecosystem. Serese has also served as a consumer reviewer for the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, where she collaborates with prominent researchers and scientists to help determine research funding for Congressional appropriations. In her role at VYF, Serese helps ensure scientific integrity is maintained across key departments.    

Serese began her work in the public health field as a senior environmental scientist at a global consulting firm managing complex, multi-pathway qualitative and quantitative human health and ecological risk assessments for hazardous waste sites across the U.S. She managed multifaceted environmental projects involving vapor intrusion issues, hazard identification, development and evaluation of toxicity values, risk-based cleanup goals, fish consumption advisories, flora and fauna community surveys, threatened and endangered species biology, wetland assessments, biological monitoring, field studies, and habitat characterization. As part of this work, Serese collaborated with federal and state agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate potential carcinogenic risks and non-carcinogenic hazards and determine necessary remediation efforts required to help protect human health and ecological resources from organic and inorganic chemicals in various environmental media (e.g., groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water).   

Serese graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Bachelor of Science in environmental and forest biology. 

Marshall Hayes joined Vaccinate Your Family as Director of Development in the fall of 2021.  In this role, Marshall is responsible for building a comprehensive fundraising program and strategies to increase philanthropic support to advance Vaccinate Your Family’s mission and vision. To help achieve VYF’s mission of protecting people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases, Marshall will lead the organization in securing the financial support of individuals, foundations, and corporations whose interest in a safe and healthy society aligns with our mission.

Marshall has spent his entire career in the not-for-profit sector working to support community-based organizations that seek to create a healthy and equitable space for all members of the community. He started his career in the field of Aging as Executive Director of Elder Care Services, working to provide elderly clients the support they needed to remain safe, independent, and living at home. It was in that role that he received the prestigious Community Peace Prize for his work in the field of Elder Abuse Prevention. Eventually his career path led him to field of fund development where he worked for many years as the director of a higher education foundation, helping to provide scholarships to deserving students in need. Most recently Marshall worked for American Dental Association Foundation where he secured funding in support of free dental care for underserved children and people with disabilities.

Marshall obtained his Masters of Arts degree in Communications from Illinois State University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Eureka College in Eureka Illinois.

As the Government Affairs Director, Lecia Imbery is responsible for developing and implementing effective policy and government affairs strategies and campaigns in support of Vaccinate Your Family’s strategic goals, mission, and vision.

Lecia brings with her more than 20 years of experience in advocacy, policy, program management, volunteer management, and fundraising in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining VYF, Lecia served as the deputy executive director and senior policy writer at the Coalition on Human Needs, an alliance of national nonprofits working together to promote public policies addressing the needs of people with low incomes. Prior to that, Lecia managed federal and state grassroots advocacy campaigns at the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of University Women.

Before moving to Washington, DC, Lecia worked for nonprofits and engineering firms in San Francisco and Chicago. Lecia has BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Barry Wilhelm is a seasoned instructional designer, project manager, and learning & development professional with over a decade of experience in education, training, and credentialing. With a background in psychology and advanced degrees in international and higher education, Barry specializes in creating engaging and accessible learning experiences that drive personal and organizational growth.

Throughout his career, Barry has led the development of leadership programs, DEI initiatives, and education portfolio strategies, leveraging technology to enhance user engagement and learning outcomes. His expertise spans instructional design, project management, and AI-driven education, with a proven track record of increasing program reach, revenue generation, and learner satisfaction.

Barry has worked with organizations such as the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine, the American Cancer Society, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the Obesity Medicine Association, where he successfully implemented credentialing programs, onboarding redesigns, and accessibility improvements. Passionate about education and technology, Barry is committed to driving innovation in learning and empowering individuals through knowledge.

Barry holds a Master of Art in International Education from George Washington University and a Master of Education in Higher Education from the University of Virginia. He received his Baccalaureate Degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech.

Diana Yassanye, Communications Director, brings a multitude of experiences over her 30-year public health career, including a focus on infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases. She is responsible for strategizing, directing, and supervising all VYF communications to advance public and partner understanding of vaccines, immunization policy, and evidence-based health information. She oversees brand management, media relations, digital strategy, and public messaging, and develops and implements effective communication strategies and campaigns in support of the organization’s strategic goals, mission, and vision.

Prior to joining VYF, Diana co-founded Parasol Health Consulting, pairing subject matter experts with clients in health research, pharmacy, healthcare, and public health for project-based initiatives including the development of national clinical study recruitment campaigns, healthcare training, and coalition building. She was also the Lead for Public-Private Partnerships at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for seven years and spent another six years there leading partnership communications, strategy, policy, and training for emergency preparedness and response. She provided messaging, external outreach, organizational leadership, and successful change management in external partnership engagement across CDC. Her team also led the ethics and transparency reviews of $20M-$40M annually in direct gifts and foundation support to the agency.

Her last role at CDC was Lead of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, coordinating COVID vaccine distribution to 41,000 pharmacies in the U.S. She was also involved in operations, crisis emergency risk communications, external affairs, planning, and policy for national and international public health emergencies including H1N1, 2009; Hurricane Sandy, 2012; Ebola, 2014-2016; Zika, 2015; Chikungunya, 2016; Tropical Storm Dorian, 2019; COVID-19, 2020-2022; Operation Allies Welcome Afghan Refugee Resettlement, 2021.

Her first decade of public health was in grassroots, national, and international sexual health, HIV, STI, and other infectious disease prevention, education, curriculum design, and outreach. She then pivoted to public health emergency preparedness and response in state and local public health in Connecticut, before moving to Atlanta.

Diana has publications in peer-reviewed journals including Vaccine, Health Security, Public Health Reports, and the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from California State University Northridge and a Master of Science in Health Education from Columbia University Teachers College.

Grisel C. is Vaccinate Your Family’s Education Lead and ensures VYF’s educational programs promote equitable, evidence-based practices.  

Damaris L. is Vaccinate Your Family’s Communication Lead, where she is responsible for developing and executing VYF’s comprehensive social media campaigns and community relations. As a multilingual person, Damaris leads VYF’s public health education and communications initiatives in Spanish-speaking communities, ensuring communities of all socioeconomic backgrounds can access accurate vaccination data and information.

Prior to joining VYF, Damaris was a Public Relations representative for various unions and legislative campaigns, such as the Los Angeles Families Fighting Flavored Tobacco movement, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the Service Employee International Union. In this past role, Damaris led grassroots organizing and media relations efforts to ensure safe working conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic and end the sale of flavored tobacco in California. Additionally, Damaris has extensive Public Relations experience representing health technology companies and launching thought leadership strategies, providing counsel across campaigns for companies tackling critical industry issues such as clinician burnout and health inequity.

Damaris earned a dual BA in International Relations and Spanish from the University of Southern California.

Natasha is Vaccinate Your Family’s Government Affairs Lead. She is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and analysis of state and federal government affairs strategy in alignment with Vaccinate Your Family’s goals and vision. 

Natasha began her career in the vaccine field as a Research Assistant in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, where she supported researchers in studying the effectiveness of HPV vaccines in women with HIV and exploring new cervical cancer screening technologies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as a Vaccine Clinic Manager with her local Medical Reserve Corps, supporting vaccination efforts in her community.  

Her expertise led her to the vaccine policy arena, where she participated in the Policy Academy within Merck’s Global Public Policy office. She then worked as a Consultant on the Vaccines Policy team at Avalere Health, advising clients on key issues related to vaccine access and public health.   

Natasha holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Spanish from Marquette University and a Master of Public Health from Saint Louis University.

Leah Moore is Vaccinate Your Family’s Development Lead. In her role, she supports and coordinates strategic donor relationships, fundraising initiatives, and community engagement efforts that advance the organization’s ability to educate partners, stakeholders, and the general public and increase access to vaccines. With a background in nonprofit leadership and storytelling, Leah specializes in building authentic connections with donors, partners, and the communities she serves.

Prior to her current role, Leah spent over a decade with Charleston, South Carolina-area nonprofits ranging from the arts to social services. At places like Trident United Way, Turn90, and the Charleston Literary Festival, she honed her expertise in philanthropy, donor engagement, and impact-driven communications. She has also led major fundraising campaigns and community support drives across the Lowcountry, mobilizing resources for schools, families, and local nonprofits. In addition to her nonprofit leadership, Leah is a published writer whose work spans fiction, editorial, and organizational storytelling.

Leah earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Montclair State University in New Jersey and continues to use her skills to elevate voices, foster collaboration, and strengthen communities.

Sydney is Vaccinate Your Family’s Strategic Partnerships Lead. She is responsible for cultivating, managing, and expanding strategic relationships and collaborations with a diverse set of partners both within and outside of the public health and immunization space.

Throughout her career, Sydney has partnered directly with communities to advance family-centered care in both the United States and internationally. Such work has included designing popular education programs in Tennessee, championing youth-led multimedia advocacy campaigns in Nigeria, and building an enabling health policy environment in Connecticut. Her intersectional perspective on immunizations is shaped by a belief that our well-being is defined by our diverse identities as much as it is by the conditions of our community and the context of our lives.

Within the immunization space, Sydney has worked to bridge the knowledge-to-action gap for vaccine confidence, access, and equity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she supported the federal government’s global response to childhood infectious disease outbreaks, routine immunization service disruptions, and equitable COVID-19 vaccine delivery. She also has been recognized as a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Hilleman Award Finalist for her novel analysis of pregnant people’s online experiences navigating vaccination decision-making in the United States.

Sydney holds a Bachelor of Arts in Global Social Change and Development from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University. Her family roots in the southeastern United States and personal patient and public health advocacy inform her justice-oriented approach to collective care.

Love is Vaccinate Your Family’s Partnerships Coordinator. She is dedicated to impacting the health and lives of those in underserved communities. She has used her knowledge of public health practices, healthcare management, consulting, data analysis, and communication to serve initiatives and organizations within the U.S. and abroad. 

Jax Gottwald serves as Vaccinate Your Family’s Operations Coordinator, supporting the organization’s daily operations and administrative infrastructure. She plays a key role in financial and logistical coordination, with a focus on strengthening VYF’s operational systems, supporting compliance efforts, and contributing to the development and management of the organization’s budget. Jax also provides administrative support to the CEO, Deputy CEO, Board of Directors, and advisory committees.

Prior to joining VYF, Jax served as a Health Services Administrator, where she oversaw healthcare operations, coordinated immunization protocols, and ensured compliance with public health standards—experience that directly supports VYF’s mission to advance vaccine education and accessibility. She also worked as the Director of Partner Risk Strategies, where she led cross-functional initiatives focused on contract compliance, risk management, and strategic partnerships—skills she now brings to optimizing organizational efficiency and stakeholder collaboration at VYF.

Jax holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California Coast University, where she graduated summa cum laude. She is passionate about public health, social justice, and the intersection of policy and community impact.

Allison Howells is Vaccinate Your Family’s Communications Coordinator. She is committed to making health information engaging and approachable to better inform and empower patients.

Previously, Allison worked as a Community Engagement Intern with the nonprofit Dysautonomia International. In this role, she served as a support group leader and Facebook moderator where she communicated health information to patients with autonomic nervous system disorders. At Dysautonomia International, Allison also served as an Events and Fundraising Intern, where she helped organize awareness events and initiated a communication outreach strategy to support fundraisers for dysautonomia research.

Allison received her Bachelor of Arts in English from The University of Texas at Austin, with a Certificate in Health Communications. Her academic interests focused on narrative medicine and storytelling within medical contexts.

Taryn Chapman, MS

Taryn Chapman is a science communications consultant specializing in infectious diseases and vaccines. She has a master’s degree in molecular medicine from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, concentrating in biochemistry, microbiology, and immunology. Taryn focused on human herpesviruses, eastern equine encephalitis, dengue fever, influenza, and HIV during her graduate studies. Following graduation, she took an immunology position at a chemical and biomedical engineering lab exploring new vaccine technology and DNA vaccines.

After the birth of the first of two children, Taryn went into vaccine advocacy as a writer, public speaker, and content creator. She built a website, The Vaccine Mom, which led to opportunities to appear on television, in podcasts, and speak in educational settings. Taryn currently works for several large vaccine organizations, journals/news sources, and holds contracts with healthcare organizations worldwide.

Taryn excels in content creation and enjoys engaging with those looking for information from a relatable and credible source. Visit Taryn’s Instagram account, The Vaccine Mom, for attention-grabbing and thought-provoking information on vaccines and infectious diseases.

Amy Pisani is a distinguished expert in the field of vaccine advocacy and education, with a remarkable tenure dating back to 1996 when she joined Every Child By Two (now known as Vaccinate Your Family). As the Chief Executive Officer, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of immunization accessibility in the United States. Amy’s tireless dedication has made her a driving force for immunization advocacy, working tirelessly to advance the health and well-being of communities across the nation. Throughout her career, Amy has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to realizing VYF’s mission, which is to safeguard individuals of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases and bridge immunization disparities.

In alignment with VYF’s founding principles, Amy has spearheaded collaborative initiatives that unite elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from national and local organizations in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. She guides the team in legislative education, fosters partnerships with like-minded advocates, collaborates with the media to ensure evidence-based reporting on vaccines, and employs diverse communication channels to educate the public.

Amy has been at the helm through VYF’s remarkable growth in the organization’s social media, effectively reaching over four million individuals annually. Through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, VYF disseminates science-based information that underscores the importance of timely vaccinations and the safety of vaccines. In addition to this digital outreach, VYF’s website, available in both English and Spanish, attracts over one million visitors each year and has earned the prestigious Vaccine Safety Net seal of approval from the World Health Organization.

Amy’s dedication extended to the urgent need for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. She played a pivotal role in various vital initiatives, including the Made to Save Collaborative, the HHS COVID Community Corps, and the White House Equity Panel. VYF continues to bring together partners who united in the fight against COVID-19 through the VYF-hosted Vaccination Collaborative. This platform facilitates the exchange of invaluable insights, research, and communication strategies, shaping evidence-based programs and policy efforts to ensure universal access to all vaccines.

Amy remains at the forefront of public health advocacy by actively engaging in conferences, hosting and presenting at congressional briefings, and vigilantly monitoring and responding to regulatory and policy changes that impact immunization delivery. The campaigns developed under her guidance have educated hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the field.

In addition to her work with VYF, Amy demonstrates her commitment to public health in various capacities. She proudly serves as the President of her local Rotary Club and has been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow for her contributions. From 2011 to 2015, she served as a public member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Presently, she is a founding member of the 317 Coalition, ensuring stable congressional immunization funding, and sits on the steering committee of the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, the HPV Roundtable, and several other coalitions that share VYF’s mission.

Amy’s rich career history extends beyond pediatrics. She gained extensive healthcare advocacy experience during her roles as the Education Program Coordinator at the Optical Society of America, Senior Staff Specialist for the American Nurses Association, and Program Director for the American Nurses Foundation. Her early career was dedicated to advancing the deaf community. Amy holds a Master’s of Science degree from Gallaudet University for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., and a Baccalaureate Degree in Psychology from the Catholic University of America, also in Washington, D.C.

amy@vaccinateyourfamily.org

www.vaccinateyourfamily.org

www.shotofprevention.com

Facebook (@Vaccinateyourfamily)

Twitter (@VaxYourFam)

Instagram (@Vaccinateyourfamily)

YouTube

Kirsten Thistle is co-founder and partner of Health Impact Strategies, a boutique consultancy that specializes in healthcare communication, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. For almost 30 years, she has focused on educating policymakers, the media, and the public on the safety of vaccines and the value of immunizations across the lifespan.

Kirsten previously was the campaign director for Health is Primary, a coalition of family medicine organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, focused on raising public awareness about the critical role of primary care in the US health care system.  This work included driving initiatives to increase immunization rates across the lifespan.

Kirsten was senior vice president and head of the US Health Care practice at APCO Worldwide in Washington, D.C.  She served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and has taught graduate-level courses in communications and issues management.

Lisa Robertson received her undergraduate degree from Hanover College in 1996 and her Master’s in Public Health from Indiana University in 2002.  Lisa Robertson spent 11 years as the Executive Director of Reach Out and Read Indiana.  Reach Out and Read is a pediatric literacy program using books to help assess development and send books into the homes of young children.  In 2013, Lisa accepted the position as the Executive Director of the Indiana Immunization Coalition.  The mission of the coalition is to reduce the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.   This is done through education,  advocacy, and direct service.  In 2024, the coalition administered over 57,000 vaccines.  Lisa and the coalition have received the State Health Commissioner Award for Excellence in Public Health,  the Cancer Control Champion Award in 2019 and 2022, the National Adult and Immunization Summit Immunization Excellence Award, the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Control and the Indiana Association of School Nurses KA Coffman Award.   

Dr. Amelia Burke-Garcia is an award-winning digital expert, health and behavior change communicator and researcher, author, and keynote speaker. With nearly 20 years of experience creating innovative and impactful interventions that move people to action, she is a leader in the digital communication and behavior change sector. She has worked with renowned organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDCFoundation, the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Pfizer, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Cadbury Confections, GEICO Insurance, Danone North America, The Institute of Technology at Carlow (Ireland), The Australian Market & Social Research Society, and The University of Aalborg(Denmark). With both domestic and international work experience, Dr. Burke-Garcia is an influencer amongst public health professionals, communication experts, business leaders, and entrepreneurs globally. She offers keen insight into the areas of health communication, behavior change and persuasion, digital and social media, and measuring impact.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Burke-Garcia has spearheaded some of the most innovative digital communication initiatives on a variety of topics. Examples include investigating perspectives and motivations of non-vaccinating online influencers, designing a targeted social media intervention with mommy bloggers to help social media users lower their risk for breast cancer, leveragingMeetUpgroups and the Waze mobile application to support flu vaccination and HIV testing, respectively, and running GEICO’s first-ever brand awareness campaign working with YouTube influencers. Currently, Dr. Burke-Garcia is a program area director at NORC at the University of Chicago where she has been working under CDC’s COVID-19 response to build and direct the award-winning How RightNow/QueHacerAhoracampaign, which is aimed at increasing people’s ability to cope and be resilient amidst the pandemic. Earlier roles have included acting as director for CDC’s National Influenza Vaccination campaign and co-Principal Investigator on a study that aimed to understand messages and motivations of vaccine-hesitant or refusing social media influencers. Dr. Burke-Garcia is based in the United States and has international experience working with partners in Europe, the UK, Australia, and South America.

Jessica Malaty Rivera is an infectious disease epidemiologist and science communicator. She earned her MS in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Georgetown School of Medicine and has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to disease surveillance research, public health policy, and vaccine advocacy. Her specialty is in translating complex scientific concepts into impactful, judgment-free, and accessible information for a diverse audience. She is currently the Science Communication Lead for The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, a researcher with the COVID-19 Dispersed Volunteer Research Network, a research affiliate at Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, and an expert contributor for NBC Bay Area and CNN. Jessica  was recently named one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine for her work on COVID-19 research and data communication. Between her day jobs and being a full-time mother to two little kids, she also dedicates several hours a week to promoting science literacy and debunking misinformation on social media.

Read Francesca’s story here.

Linn Bumpers, granddaughter of Vaccinate Your Family Co-Founder BettyBumpers, practices environmental law at Baker Botts in the firm’s Washington, D.C. Environmental, Safety and Incident Response group. Her experience includes addressing air quality, water quality, enforcement, and emerging contaminates – including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Linn graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Senior Editor for the Georgetown Environmental Law Review and served as Vice President of the Environmental Law Society. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara, where she graduated with distinction. During law school, Linn clerked for the Maryland Office of the Attorney General in the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Dr. Chapman is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Innovation & Value Research (formerly the Innovation and Value Initiative), a nonprofit research organization whose mission is to advance the science, practice, and use of value assessment in healthcare to make it more meaningful to those who receive, provide, and pay for care. Dr. Chapman was Director of Health Economics at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) prior to coming to the Center, where he led development of economic evaluations that accompanied reviews of clinical evidence, assessing the potential costs, cost-effectiveness, and budgetary impact of a wide range of diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic and other clinical interventions.

Before ICER, Dr. Chapman held positions as Vice President of Health Economics and Outcomes Research at Avalere Health and Principal in the Health Economics and Outcomes Research practice at IMS Health, where he was US regional lead for IMS’s Retrospective Database Analysis Center of Excellence.

Dr. Chapman holds a PhD in health policy with a concentration in decision sciences from Harvard University and an MS in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Theresa Chapple-McGruder, PhD, MPH is the Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Health Equity and a member of the Faculty in Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, she served as director of the Oak Park (Ill.) Department of Public Health, where she was instrumental in coordinating the Chicago metropolitan area community’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Chapple-McGruder earned her PhD in epidemiology and maternal and child health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2009 after completing an MPH in maternal and child health at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She has led major maternal and child health initiatives for the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and the Georgia Department of Health, where she served as director of the Office of Maternal and Child Health. Chapple-McGruder has coauthored several important peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and reports focusing primarily on public health workforce development and inequities in maternal and child health outcomes. 

Dr. Tamera Coyne-Beasley is the Derrol Dawkins, MD Endowed Chair in Adolescent Medicine, Division Director for Adolescent Medicine, Vice Chair of Pediatrics for Community Engagement, and Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at the University of Alabama Birmingham and Children’s of Alabama. Her areas of expertise and training include adolescent medicine, preventive medicine, health services research, epidemiology, and public health. Her research, academic, community engagement, and policy and program development focus on adolescent health and well-being, sexual and reproductive health, risk behaviors and resiliency, immunizations, global health, and health inequities.

Dr. Coyne-Beasley has been the Principal Investigator on several projects on adolescent sexual health with a focus on HIV and HPV prevention. As a vaccine expert, Dr. Coyne-Beasley was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). She continues to contribute toward the review of scientific immunization evidence and the development of ACIP vaccine recommendations as a member of multiple workgroups. She is on the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Dr. Coyne-Beasley is also a Past President of the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine.

Jeffrey Ekoma serves as the Senior Director of Government Affairs at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In this role, he advocates for the interests of public health agencies across the United States, U.S. territories, freely associated states, and the District of Columbia. With a deep commitment to public health, Jeffrey collaborates with more than 100,000 public health professionals employed by these agencies.

His expertise lies in providing strategic guidance on legislative matters pertaining to various aspects of public health. These include health equity, data modernization, environmental health, food safety, tobacco control, substance abuse, obesity, physical activity, social determinants of health, opioids, improving vaccination rates, and suicide prevention. Through his efforts, Jeffrey actively contributes to advancing the overall well-being of the public.

Jeffrey’s academic accomplishments include a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in health care management from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. He also holds a master’s degree in health science with a focus on community health from Towson University. At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, he achieved a bachelor’s degree in biology with honors.

With his extensive education and multifaceted experience, Jeffrey continues to be an engaged advocate in shaping policies and initiatives that have a positive impact on public health and the well-being of communities across the nation.

Dr. Leslie Gonzalez is a board-certified family medicine physician, public health advocate, and healthcare communicator. Originally from Los Angeles, she completed her Family and Community Medicine Residency at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago and is currently completing a fellowship program in New York City. She earned her DO from Western University of Health Sciences, with additional graduate degrees in biomedical and medical sciences, and a BA in Biology from California State University, Northridge.

Dr. Gonzalez reaches over 180,000 followers on social media, where she shares evidence-based guidance on vaccination, preventive care, infectious disease, and health misinformation, while encouraging careers in healthcare. Passionate about representation, she creates content in English and Spanish. She has led initiatives that elevate Latinx voices in medicine, expand access to resources, and strengthen trust between providers and the communities they serve, bringing a valuable equity-focused perspective to public health and patient-centered advocacy.

A frequent media contributor, she has been featured by Univision, Telemundo, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Spectrum News. On the Board of Directors for Vaccinate Your Family, she brings clinical expertise, public engagement, and bilingual health communication to advance vaccine confidence and equitable access.

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia is the President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health policy, research and advocacy organization in Washington, DC that promotes optimal health for every person and community and that envisions a nation where prevention and health equity are foundational to policymaking at all levels of society.  Dr. Gracia is a national health equity leader with extensive leadership and management experience in federal government, the nonprofit sector, academia, and professional associations.  Before being appointed President and CEO, she served as TFAH’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to joining TFAH, Dr. Gracia served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and Director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  In that capacity, she directed departmental policies and programs to end health disparities and advance health equity, and provided executive leadership on administration priorities including the Affordable Care Act and My Brother’s Keeper.  Previously, she served as Chief Medical Officer in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, where her portfolio included adolescent health, emergency preparedness, environmental health and climate change, global health, and the White House Council on Women and Girls.  Prior to that role, she was appointed as a White House Fellow at HHS and worked in the Office of the First Lady on the development of the Let’s Move! initiative to solve childhood obesity.

A first-generation Haitian-American, Dr. Gracia is active in many civic, professional, and academic organizations.  She serves as a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, the National Academy of Medicine Culture of Health Program Advisory Committee, the Dean’s Council at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, the Board of Advisors of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, Women of Impact, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Claire is the Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM).  AIM is a nonprofit, membership association whose members serve as directors in each of the 64 federally-funded state, territorial, and local public health immunization programs.  (50 states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Palau, Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Houston and San Antonio)

Claire has served as Executive Director of AIM since 2004. Claire has over 18 years of experience in children’s health and immunization. After working on Capitol Hill for 5 years, Claire spent 3 years lobbying for children’s health issues. In 1997, she became the Director of Immunization Policy for the Association of State & Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), where she worked with state health officials, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other partners to improve and enhance immunization policies and practices. She joined the Association of Immunization Managers as its first Executive Director in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Wagner College in Staten Island, NY and a Masters degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, is a nationally recognized thought leader in vaccines and prevention, working and teaching at the intersection of public health and healthcare law and policy. He has led many efforts to expand and protect access to vaccines and preventive services and improve public health outcomes. 

Mr. Hughes is a partner at Epstein, Becker & Green where he leads a multidisciplinary team of attorneys and advisors. He was formerly vice president of public policy at Moderna, guiding the company’s policy strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Previously, he was managing director at Avalere Health, where he founded and led the firm’s vaccines group. Mr. Hughes previously held roles with Merck and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Arkansas State Board of Health. 

Prior to joining the GW Law faculty, he held an appointment as a professorial lecturer in health policy and management at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. During law school, Mr. Hughes proudly served as a research assistant to renowned health law and vaccines scholar Professor Sara Rosenbaum. 

Mr. Hughes received his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School and his Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. 

He is a member of the National Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health and has been named among Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” in Health Care Law. 

He publishes regularly in health law and policy journals and is often quoted in the news media, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR’s Marketplace, The Hill, Forbes, Politico Pro, Axios, Bloomberg Law, Law360 and Fierce Healthcare. 

Dr. Mary Koslap-Petraco is a clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook University School of Nursing in Stony Brook, NY, and a primary care provider in her own private practice after working for Suffolk County Department of Health Services for 30 years where she used her experience as a public health nurse to make system level changes. While on staff at SCDHS, Dr. Koslap-Petraco managed and led the immunization programs. She provided education to staff and the public on various communicable diseases and assisted in the management of communicable diseases.

She is a member of the ad hoc advisory board of the New York State Get Smart safe use of antibiotics campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ad Hoc Nurse advisory group, a nurse consultant for Immunize.org, and chair of the scientific advisory board of Vaccinate Your Family. Dr. Koslap-Petraco speaks on immunizations and infectious diseases nationally and internationally and has authored numerous articles and written chapters in seven textbooks. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Maldonado is a pediatric infectious diseases epidemiologist and current acting chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. She attended Stanford University School of Medicine, completed pediatric residency and pediatric infectious diseases fellowships at Johns Hopkins University, and was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before joining the faculty at Stanford University.

She has led a number of NIH, CDC, Gates Foundation and WHO funded domestic and international pediatric infectious diseases studies, focused on pediatric HIV and pediatric vaccine preventable diseases. More recently, she has focused on health disparities and infectious diseases outcomes, including COVID-19 in pediatric and adult populations. She is recent past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases and a liaison to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

She has over 250 peer reviewed publications and is co-editor of the textbook “Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn Infant” and the American Academy of Pediatrics “Red Book”. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Debbie has served as Director for The Arizona Partnership for Immunization, better known as TAPI, since February 1996. She developed her knowledge of the community and her skills in coalition development as an active community member and as an elected official serving in the Arizona Legislature. First elected at the age of 27 in 1978 Debbie served a total of 30 years, (with an 8 year break) in both the House of Representatives and the Arizona State Senate.

She served in legislative leadership as Minority Whip and worked as a member Governor’s Working Group to establish the framework for the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Her key areas of interest were education, health, insurance and consumer issues.

In her local community Debbie worked with many organizations and served on multiple task forces to improve the health status of women and children in Arizona.  Her reputation for being a knowledgeable advocate for maternal and child health issues has allowed her to build critical relationships with key partners on these issues. In 2012 she was recognized for her advocacy by the Children’s Action Alliance in Phoenix and Every Child By Two (now VYF)  in Washington DC.

She volunteers her time as a member of the planning committee of the National Conference on Immunization and Health Coalitions and has partnered with Vaccinate Your Family for nearly 30 years.

Debbie is married to Glenn Davis, a retired Superior Court Judge. They have a blended family of five adult children and three grandchildren. Both love to travel and learn about history, art and culture around the world.

Debbie holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology from Arizona State University, 1975.

Dr. Scott is a clinical infectious diseases physician and Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente Oakland and his infectious diseases fellowship at UCLA, and is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. 

 He serves as Medical Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Stanford Health Care – Tri-Valley, where he maintains an active clinical practice with particular expertise in HIV care and prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and emerging infections. He participates in NIH-funded clinical research including the RECOVER and ACTIV-6 studies of COVID-19 and long COVID, and previously served on Stanford’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group. 

 Dr. Scott has emerged as a national voice for evidence-based vaccine policy. As senior researcher for CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project, he co-authored a comprehensive systematic review of COVID-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He co-leads a collaborative database cataloguing over 1,700 randomized controlled vaccine trials. His recent work has focused on countering vaccine misinformation and defending evidence-based immunization policy. He has published numerous op-eds in STAT News, CIDRAP, The Conversation, and other outlets, and has given over 100 media interviews with outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, and NPR. In 2025, he testified before the U.S. Senate on vaccine science. 

John currently serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors. As the founder of O-L-I Interactive, Inc. in Cleveland, OH, John brings 35 years in advertising, design, graphics and marketing experience to the board. John has been a member of the board of since it’s founding in 1991 and has been instrumental in the development of outreach materials for the public, legislators and their spouses, including one of our earliest campaigns with the Gerber baby food line. Considered by many as “Uncle John”, he has a wonderful family filled with nieces, nephews and his beloved dog, Molly.

Jessica Malaty Rivera is an infectious disease epidemiologist and science communicator. She earned her MS in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Georgetown School of Medicine and has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to disease surveillance research, public health policy, and vaccine advocacy. Her specialty is in translating complex scientific concepts into impactful, judgment-free, and accessible information for a diverse audience. She is currently the Science Communication Lead for The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, a researcher with the COVID-19 Dispersed Volunteer Research Network, a research affiliate at Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator, and an expert contributor for NBC Bay Area and CNN. Jessica  was recently named one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine for her work on COVID-19 research and data communication. Between her day jobs and being a full-time mother to two little kids, she also dedicates several hours a week to promoting science literacy and debunking misinformation on social media.

Stacy B. Buchanan, DNP, MSN serves as an Assistant Professor-Clinical Track with Emory University School of Nursing, splitting her time working in the Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice department at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Her clinical practice is completed by working as needed in her pediatric nurse practitioner role in a local pediatric urgent care. With twenty years of experience, she has educated families and promoted healthy lifestyles for all patients. In her role as clinical faculty for pediatric nurse-practitioner students, she instructs and mentors them to develop their skills as an advanced practice provider. In the clinical setting, she provides opportunities for them to model effective communication when dealing with vaccine hesitant families. Teaching them to listen attentively and recognize the unique ethnic and cultural barriers impacting vaccine decisions. It is her belief that all children should receive timely vaccinations according to the vaccine schedule. 

Stacy earned her DNP from Georgia State University Byrdine F. Lewis College of Health Sciences and her MSN from Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She is a current Sigma member and serves as a team captain for the annual local ALS United Walk. Traveling and spending time with family brings her joy. 

Marybeth Daucher, Ph.D., served as the Associate Director of Management and Operations at the Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH). She earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from George Washington University and developed expertise in vaccine process design and translational program management.

Throughout her career, Dr. Daucher focused on immunology and infectious disease research, contributing to scientific publications investigating the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection. In her role at NIAID, she led efforts to translate vaccine research from laboratory prototypes to production ready candidates, providing valuable insight into regulatory strategy and large-scale vaccine development. Her scientific expertise and experience in research and program management position her to offer strategic guidance and enhance the board’s capacity to support educational, advocacy, and policy initiatives aligned with our mission. 

Dr. Katharine J. Head is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI), is Co-Director of the IU Center for HPV Research, and serves as the Assistant Director of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.  She is also an affiliate faculty with the Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics at IU Health and holds an adjunct faculty position in the Medical Humanities and Health Studies Program at IUI. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Immunization Coalition since 2024. 

 Her research focuses on health communication—particularly focused on vaccination, cancer screening, patient–provider interaction, and public health campaigns. She has published over 90 academic journal articles in outlets such as Health Communication, Qualitative Health Research, Preventive Medicine, and Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics , and as a translational scholar, she also disseminates her work to groups such as school, clinics, and community organizations. 

 She regularly teaches classes on interpersonal communication, research methods, patient-provider communication, eHealth communication, and health communication campaigns. In community settings, she regularly teaches workshops on effective communication strategies to address vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. 

Margaret O’Donnell, DNP, FNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, is a distinguished nurse practitioner, educator, and clinical leader with more than four decades of experience across critical care, emergency services, primary care, clinical research, and health policy. A graduate of Nassau Community College, Catholic University of America, and Stony Brook University—where she earned her MSN, Family and Adult NP certification, and later her DNP—she has held leadership roles throughout major health systems and is now the Clinical Director of Northwell Health’s Medical Service Line Advanced Clinical Providers, overseeing more than 100 providers and was instrumental in the creation of the system’s first Primary Care NP Fellowship Program. Dr. O’Donnell has been influential in advancing NP practice, including major contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive legislative advocacy, and precepting hundreds of NP students; she is also involved in NIH-

funded research focused on improving Health Care Proxy discussions and identifying patients at risk for hereditary cancers. Widely recognized for her innovation and service, she has been featured in regional and national media and has received numerous honors—including the AANP Excellence in Advocacy Award, NPALI NP of the Year Award, and the Long Island Business NewsNurseHero Award—and is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. O’Donnell provides comprehensive health care to a variety of patients within diverse populations. Dr. O’Donnell has lectured extensively on a variety of health topics including health policy, adult vaccination concerns, genomics, osteoporosis, and DM.

Paul A. Offit, MD is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition, Dr. Offit is the Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is a recipient of many awards including the J. Edmund Bradley Prize for Excellence in Pediatrics from the University of Maryland Medical School, the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America, and a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Offit has published more than 160 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, RotaTeq, recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC. For this achievement Dr. Offit received the Luigi Mastroianni and William Osler Awards from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Charles Mérieux Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases; and was honored by Bill and Melinda Gates during the launch of their Foundation’s Living Proof Project for global health.

In 2009, Dr. Offit received the President’s Certificate for Outstanding Service from the American Academy of Pediatrics. In 2011, Dr. Offit received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Biologics Industry Organization (BIO), the Distinguished Medical Achievement Award from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the David E. Rogers Award from the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Odyssey Award from the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2012, Dr. Offit received the Distinguished Medical Achievement Award from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Drexel Medicine Prize in Translational Medicine fro the Drexel University College of Medicine. In 2013, Dr. Offit received the Maxwell Finland award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the Distinguished Alumnus award from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Innovators in Health Award from the Group Health Foundation. In 2015, Dr. Offit won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching from the University of Pennsylvania and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2016, Dr. Offit won the Franklin Founder Award from the city of Philadelphia, The Porter Prize from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal, and the Jonathan E. Rhoads Medal for Distinguished Service to Medicine from the American Philosophical Society.

Dr. Offit was a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a founding advisory board member of the Autism Science Foundation and the Foundation for Vaccine Research. He is also the author of eight medical narratives: The Cutter Incident: How America’s First Polio Vaccine Led to Today’s Growing Vaccine Crisis (Yale University Press, 2005), Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases (HarperCollins, 2007), for which he won an award from the American Medical Writers Association, Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure (Columbia University Press, 2008), Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All (Basic Books, 2011), which was selected by Kirkus Reviews and Booklist as one of the best non-fiction books of the year, Do You Believe in Magic?: The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine (HarperCollins, 2013), which won the Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking from the Center for Skeptical Inquiry and was selected by National Public Radio as one of the best books of 2013, Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine (Basic Books, 2015), which was selected by the New York Times Book Review as an “Editor’s Choice” book in April 2015, Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong (National Geographic Press/Random House, April 2017), which was nominated for Best Science and Technology book of 2017 by Goodreads, and Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren’t Your Best Source of Health Information (Columbia University Press, June 2018).

Walter A. Orenstein, MD, is a Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, Global Health, and Pediatrics, as well as Associate Director of the Emory Vaccine Center and Director of the Emory Program on Vaccine Policy and Development having returned to Emory University in October 2011.  From 2008 through 2011, Dr. Orenstein was Deputy Director for Immunization Programs in the Vaccine Delivery department of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His primary focus at the foundation had been on polio eradication, measles control, and improving routine immunization programs.   Between 2004 and 2008, he held the same positions as his current Emory appointments as well as other responsibilities.  Prior to 2004, Dr. Orenstein worked for 26 years in the Immunization Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  From 1988-2004, he was the Director of the United States Immunization Program.  He is a former Assistant Surgeon General of the USPHS. Dr. Orenstein successfully developed, promoted, facilitated and expanded new vaccination strategies to enhance disease prevention.

Dr. Orenstein has authored and co-authored numerous books, journals and reviews. Along with Stanley Plotkin, MD, Paul Offit, MD, and Kathryn Edwards, MD, Dr. Orenstein co-edited Plotkin’s Vaccines, 7th edition in 2018 – the leading textbook in the field. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. In 2006, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine (as of July 1, 2016, now called the National Academy of Medicine).  He is a past Chair of the WHO’s Poliomyelitis Technical Consultative Group.  He served as the Chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) under the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2011 to 2016.  He is also currently a member of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization Polio Working Group as well as Measles and Rubella Working Group. On July 1, 2016, Dr. Orenstein became the President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) for two years.  In February 2018, he will be inducted as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Dr. Orenstein received his Bachelor of Science at The City College of New York in 1968, and his degree in Medicine from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1972. He completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Southern California Medical School. Dr. Orenstein also completed a residency in preventive medicine at the CDC.  In 2006, he received an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Wake Forest University.

Dr. Anita K. Patel, MD, is a double board-certified pediatrician and pediatric critical care physician, who most recently served as an Attending Physician at Children’s National Medical Center and as Associate Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Over her career, she combined front-line clinical care of critically ill children with rigorous research —including NIH-funded work using big data and AI-driven predictive analytics to study severity of illness, sedation, and delirium management in pediatric patients. Dr. Patel has dedicated herself to translating complex medical science into practical, evidence-based guidance for families, leveraging both her deep clinical expertise and her passion for improving pediatric health outcomes. Her background —blending critical care, research, and family-centered communication —would bring a valuable, informed, and compassionate perspective to our board as we continue our mission. 

Dr. Aaron Scherer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Scherer has graduate and post-graduate training in social psychology and health risk communication with a research program focused on identifying and utilizing insights from the psychological sciences to create and evaluate innovative risk communication-based interventions to improve the utilization of healthcare services. Dr. Scherer led the Healthcare and Public Perceptions of Immunizations (HaPPI) Survey Collaborative (https://osf.io/zvw28/overview), which designed and conducted surveys to inform recommendations made by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and was a member of WHO’s Behavioral and Social Determinants of Vaccination Work Group, making him well-suited to contribute to our Board’s efforts in vaccine advocacy, outreach, and education.

Dr. Ilan Shapiro, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACHE, is a community pediatrician and physician executive with experience in medical affairs leadership, clinical strategy, and health communications. He completed his medical training in Mexico and later continued his professional development and clinical training at Mount Sinai Hospital. His work focuses on strengthening healthcare delivery, supporting clinical teams, and improving how medical information is communicated to the public. 

Dr. Shapiro is a recognized physician voice in health media, with more than 1.8 billion single views across platforms. He is known for translating complex medical and public health topics into clear, practical guidance for families. His areas of focus include pediatric prevention, vaccine education, maternal-child health, and chronic disease prevention. He also produces bilingual health education content through his @Dr_Shaps platform. 

Dr. Shapiro holds leadership roles in organized medicine and has participated in physician advocacy at the state and national level, including work with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association House of Delegates. He continues to practice clinically as a pediatrician, grounding his leadership and communications work in direct patient care. 

Melissa Stockwell, MD MPH is the Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs and Development and the Felice K. Shea Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Professor of Population and Family Health in the Department of Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. She is also the founding director of the Department of Pediatrics’ Center for Children’s Digital Health Research. Additionally, she is a practicing pediatrician and is Associate Director of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) practice-based research network. Her areas of expertise and training include general pediatrics, preventive medicine, health services research, epidemiology, and public health. Dr. Stockwell’s work, which concentrates on underserved children and adolescents, focuses on interventions to improve vaccinations, with an emphasis on health technology and health literacy, as well as on respiratory infections and long COVID. Dr. Stockwell was appointed the convening chair of the Pediatric Coordinating Committee for the NIH’s RECOVER Long COVID initiative. 

 Throughout her career, she has been Principal Investigator on numerous studies from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). She has published 174 scientific articles. She has been inducted into the American Pediatric Society, the oldest academic pediatric organization in North America. 

Read Francesca’s story here.

Dr. Maurine Neiman is a professor in Biology and in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Iowa. She uses genomics as well as experiments in natural populations to study the evolution of sexual reproduction, invasive species, and host-parasite interactions. On a personal level, Maurine tragically lost her healthy, two-year-old son, JJ, to influenza in February 2020. Since that time, she has become an avid parent advocate in the immunization space, helping to educate others about the disease burden of flu and the importance of annual vaccination. Maurine is particularly interested in how genetic factors may predispose some otherwise healthy children to severe flu-related outcomes.

Read JJ’s story here.

Read Madison’s story here.

Read Brent’s story here.

Read Callie’s story here.

Read Braden’s story here.

Read Maria’s story here.

Betty Bumpers, who passed away in 2018 is the Co-founder of organization. She was the wife of the late Senator Dale Bumpers, a mother of three children, and a former art teacher. Mrs. Bumpers received her education at Iowa State University, the University of Arkansas, and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

During her husband’s tenure as Governor of Arkansas, Betty Bumpers was the leader of a successful statewide immunization program for children, which was later used by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as a national model for other states. During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, she worked with First Lady Rosalynn Carter to implement immunization programs state-by-state. She and Rosalynn Carter have been credited with the passage of laws mandating vaccination at school entry, which now exist in every state. As a result of these laws, the United States has a 95% plus immunization rate for school enrollees. Realizing the need to immunize our citizens and the need to increase the immunization rates for our nation’s uninsured, underinsured and undocumented, they have continued their efforts with us.

Betty Bumpers has served on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the National League for Nursing Board, the All Kids Count Advisory Board, and the Family Place Project Advisory Committee for Libraries for Our Future.  She has also been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame.

In commemoration of the vigilant advocacy of both Betty Bumpers and her husband, former Senator Dale Bumpers, the National Institutes of Health named their vaccine research center after the Bumpers. The Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center is a joint venture of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and incorporates a core of NIH scientists with expertise in immunology, virology and HIV research.

In addition to her vigilant efforts to eliminate preventable diseases in our children, Betty Bumpers dedicated herself to Peace Links, an international women’s peace education group that she founded in 1981. Reaching and involving mainstream, grassroots citizens in activities that reduce the threat of nuclear war, promoted alternative ways to solve conflict and encouraged dialogue and understanding between women internationally, Peace Link was a major force in ending the Nuclear Arms race. Although they officially disbanded in 2001, former Peace Links members in all fifty states continue to work towards attaining peace within our communities by taking part in discussions with women and children throughout the world who strive to create a better place for our children to live. Mrs. Bumpers was nominated by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and appointed by President Bill Clinton and served a 5-year term on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who passed away in 2023, was a cofounder of the organization. She worked for more than three decades to improve the quality of life for people around the world.

A mother of four, she maintained a lifelong dedication to issues affecting women and children. In 1991, she founded Every Child By Two (now Vaccinate Your Family) with Betty Bumpers, wife of Senator Dale Bumpers.  Rosalynn served as the President of the organization through 2021. Together, these two pioneers worked to advance a national focus on protecting all people in the United States from vaccine-preventable diseases. Their work began in the 1970s as First Ladies of Georgia and Arkansas, respectively, and continued during the Carter Administration, resulting in increased federal support for vaccine programs nationwide and the passage of state laws requiring evidence of vaccinations for school entry.

In 1991, in response to a U.S. measles epidemic, which sickened more than 55,000 people, hospitalized over 11,000 and killed more than 120, many of whom were young children, Mrs. Carter reached out to Mrs. Bumpers and subsequently founded Every Child by Two (ECBT).  Within two years of the establishment of ECBT, Carter and Bumpers traveled to more than a dozen states and ultimately to all 50 states to foster vaccination efforts and build immunization coalitions, consisting of local policymakers, service organizations and concerned citizens. Today, these coalitions continue to work along with state and local immunization programs across the U.S.  During the Bush, Clinton and Obama Administrations, ECBT successfully secured support to make vaccinations a national priority, institutionalized immunization screening for the seven million women and children served annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and helped to facilitate the Vaccines For Children program (VFC), which provides free vaccines to eligible families.  Rosalynn is revered by public health advocates throughout the nation for her lifelong dedication to immunizations.

Rosalynn was an advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Ga. The Center is a private, nonprofit institution founded by former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter in 1982. A full partner with the president in all the Center’s activities, the former first lady was a member of the Carter Center board of trustees. She created and chaired the Carter Center’s Mental Health Task Force, an advisory body of experts, consumers, and advocates promoting positive change in the mental health field. Each year, she hosted the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, bringing together leaders of the nation’s mental health organizations to address critical issues. Mrs. Carter emerged as a driving force for mental health when, during the Carter administration, she became active honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health, which resulted in passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.

She also worked with Habitat for Humanity, participating in the annual one-week Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project that in 1984 began building homes for the needy, and Project Interconnections, a public/private nonprofit partnership to provide housing for homeless people who are mentally ill. She served as distinguished centennial lecturer at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga., from 1988-1992 and was a distinguished fellow at the Emory University Department of Women’s Studies in Atlanta.

She served on the Policy Advisory Board of The Atlanta Project (TAP), a program of The Carter Center addressing the social ills associated with poverty and quality of life citywide, from the program’s inception in 1991 until its transfer to Georgia State University in 1999. In 1988, she convened with three other former first ladies the “Women and the Constitution” conference at The Carter Center to assess that document’s impact on women. Outside the Center, Mrs. Carter was president of the board of directors for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University, which was established in her honor on the campus of her alma mater in Americus, Ga. Through research, education, and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well-being of individuals, families, and professional caregivers; delineates effective caregiving practices; builds public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities. Since graduating from Georgia Southwestern College in 1946, Mrs. Carter has received many honors, among them the Volunteer of the Decade Award from the National Mental Health Association; the Award of Merit for Support of the Equal Rights Amendment from the National Organization for Women; the Notre Dame Award for International Service; the Eleanor Roosevelt Living World Award from Peace Links; the Kiwanis World Service Medal from Kiwanis International Foundation; the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service; the Georgia Woman of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on Women; the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the Institute of Medicine; the United States Surgeon General’s Medallion; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. In 2001, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She has written five books: her autobiography, “First Lady from Plains”; “Everything To Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life,” a book about life after the White House co-authored with President Carter; “Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book For Caregivers” (with Susan K. Golant); “Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers” (with Susan K. Golant), which was selected as the winner of the 1999 American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award in the service category; and “Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis” (with Susan K. Golant and Kathryn E. Cade).

Rosalynn continued to travel and speak throughout the world for all of her life, she was a deacon at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga., and enjoyed fly-fishing, bird-watching, swimming, and biking in her free time.

Rich Greenaway joined Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) in July of 2000 as the Director of Operations and Special Programs and served in this capacity until his passing in August 2019. Rich oversaw the day-to-day operations of the organization and managed various aspects of both grant funded and general projects. He was the heart and soul of the organization and his loss left a deep hole both operationally and emotionally. Rich was an amazing, compassionate, loving person who truly lived the mission of Vaccinate Your Family. He is truly missed by many both near and far.

Rich was the VYF representative to, and Chair of ImmunizeDC, the Immunization Coalition of Washington, DC; VYF representative to the DC Department of Schools Immunization Task Force; VYF representative to the DC School Nurses Task Force; VYF representative to the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition (AVAC) and represented VYF on Capitol Hill for both the 317 Coalition and AVAC. Rich served as the chair of the Advisory Panel that created the Bringing Immunity to Every Community Continuing Education offering for Nurses and other health professionals, a cooperative effort with the American Nurses Association. He was main point person to the Faith Based Working Group on Immunizations initiative, which was a collaborative effort with The Ecumenical Child Care Network. Rich served as VYF representative to the 2010 Vaccine Safety Writing Group under the Vaccine Safety Working Group of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC).

Rich obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Prior to joining the VYF staff Rich worked as the Immunization Grant Manager for the Immunization Cooperative Agreement between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Nurses Foundation (ANF) while concurrently acting as Continuing Education Liaison between the ANF and the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Department of Continuing Education. Rich transferred to the ANF from the ANA where he worked as the Continuing Education Associate reporting directly to the ANA Director of Continuing Education.

Many of the staff continue to report dreaming of Rich – which shows the major impact he had on all of us. We loved him dearly and miss him daily.