On April 14, during the AACR Annual Meeting, AACR Past President Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR, and Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, moderated a panel discussion in which researchers, community leaders, patient advocates, and other experts shared their insights regarding how we can work together to increase uptake of vaccinations and eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic. The panelists discussed the scientific evidence that demonstrates the safety and benefit of the COVID-19 vaccines, including how decades of basic research enabled the rapid development of these lifesaving vaccines; provided the latest information regarding the public’s views and willingness to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines; talked about the strategies that are being used to overcome misinformation and build trust in the vaccines; and addressed the concerns and answered the questions that patients with cancer have about the vaccines.

watch session

Co-moderators

• Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR, AACR Past President (2020-2021), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC)
• Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, Chair, AACR Health Policy Subcommittee, University of Michigan

Panelists

• Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, Director, National Institutes of Health
• Grace Cordovano, PhD, Patient Advocate, Enlightening Results
• Lee Greenberger, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Mary Gullatte, PhD, RN, Corporate Director, Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice at Emory Healthcare Inc.
• Liz Hamel, Vice President and Director, Public Opinion and Survey Research, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
• Lisa C. Richardson, MD, MPH, Director, CDC Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
• E. John Wherry, PhD, Director, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Watch Panel

Additional coverage

Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence – CancerToday Magazine