Vaccinations

Unpacking Vaccination Opposition

Unpacking Vaccination Opposition

Polio, measles, mumps and meningitis — these are all viruses that have seen drastic decreases in transmission or even near-eradication due to vaccines. In Canada, most of us lined up with our classmates in school to get vaccinated without a second thought. Yet now, in 2022, with even more medical advancements and technology on our side, a lot of Canadians are hesitant or downright against the COVID-19 vaccine.

What’s changed to create this vaccination opposition? Loss of trust in experts? Increase in misinformation? Conspiracy theories being presented as fact? People picking and choosing their facts? In this webinar, we ask experts: what’s causing this societal shift?

Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2022

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Meet the host

Corey Hogan leads communications efforts for the University of Calgary as the Senior Associate Vice-President, Communications in the Office of Advancement.

Joining the University of Calgary in March 2020, Corey has been responsible for institutional communications, brand and communications infrastructure and university publications. He is a member of the Covid-19 crisis management team.

Prior to joining the University, Corey served as head of government communications under Alberta Premiers Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney. Other past leadership roles have included National Director of Engagement Strategies for global consulting firm Hill+Knowlton and Chief Strategy Officer for communications technology firm Northweather.

In his work at the University and in other professional roles, Corey has encouraged a rigorous, data-driven approach to communications and management, and the application of psychology, data science and technology to communications challenges.

Corey is an active volunteer, having served on the board of the Calgary 2026 Olympic bid corporation, the Premier’s Task Force on Market Access, and numerous local boards and associations. He is an award-winning pundit and regular CBC panelist.

Corey holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.

Meet the speaker

Dr. Sajjad Fazel, PharmD, MPH is an internationally recognized public health professional with over 5 years experience working in health policy, advocacy and communications. Sajjad is currently the Manager of Research Impact at Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Devoted to science communication, he created the Afya Yako program – a health promotion initiative that improved the health literacy of over 100,000 Tanzanians. Sajjad has also been involved in COVID-19 misinformation research and his work has been featured in major news outlets including BBC, CBC, CTV and Global News.

Dr. Craig Jenne is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Jenne completed his PhD at the University of Calgary in 2005 followed by Post-doctoral positions at the University of California, San Francisco and the Australian National University before returning to Calgary in 2009. Dr. Jenne began an independent research program in 2013 using intravital microscopy to study infectious disease such as drug resistant bacterial infections and influenza. Of particular interest is how infection, immunity and inflammation interact with hemostasis leading disseminated coagulation in the critical ill. Dr. Jenne’s group is supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute. In addition, Dr. Jenne serves as the Scientific Director of the Snyder Translational Laboratory in Critical Care Medicine. The Snyder Lab works to foster clinical research projects by providing “wet bench” and biochemical support to clinical researchers, analyzing patient samples for biomarkers to develop an understand the underlying mechanisms of critical illness in an effort to improve patient care and outcomes.