Immunizations 2026: Promoting Trust and Public Health During Changing Times

Immunizations 2026: Promoting Trust and Public Health During Changing Times

Vaccination conversations are growing more complex amid misinformation, shifting regulations, and widening access gaps. This session (recorded March 21, 2026) provides an updated view of the vaccine landscape and key policy changes affecting clinicians in Massachusetts. You will learn practical, evidence-based approaches to address hesitancy, guide difficult conversations, and support equitable access. Attendees will leave with communication strategies that build trust and strengthen patient confidence in a changing environment.

This course was a part of the Future Health: Best Practices for Advancing Care 2026 Conference. To view all sessions, click here.

Moderators

Samantha Rosman, MD, MPH
Pediatric Emergency Physician
Chair, Committee on Public Health, Massachusetts Medical Society

Mary Beth Miotto, MD, MPH, FAAP
General Pediatrician
Chair of the Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine of the Massachusetts Medical Society 

Faculty

Michael Curry, Esq.
President and CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

Angela Fowler, MD, MPH
Associate Medical Director for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Bureau for Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Naima Joseph, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Practicing Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston Medical Center

Ofer Levy, MD, PhD
Director, Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children’s Hospital
Senior Physician in Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital
Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

David Norton, MD
Pediatrician, Holyoke Pediatric Associates

Intended Audience

• Practicing physicians and physician leaders
• Senior-level health care executives
• Nurses and advanced practice providers
• Public health and government leaders
• CIOs, CMIOs, and innovation leaders in health care technology

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, learners should be able to:

• Explain the current national and Massachusetts vaccination landscape, including the ethical and operational implications of recent policy changes and legal challenges on vaccine trials, recommendations, and supply.
• Recognize contemporary themes of vaccine misinformation and demonstrate evidence-based communication strategies for de-escalating politicized conversations during brief clinical visits.
• Identify systemic and structural barriers that disproportionately reduce vaccine uptake in marginalized groups and analyze Massachusetts-specific initiatives aimed at improving vaccine availability and coverage.
• Discuss the critical role of vaccine advocacy in safeguarding public health and articulate practical methods for clinicians to respond to institutional policy shifts and health disparities.

Accreditation & Credit Information
Accreditation Statement  
The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement 
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistant (NCCPA)
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 0.75 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.

Exam/Assessment: A score of 70% or higher is required to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  

Course Fees:
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Physician Member: $30.00
MMS Resident/Student Member: FREE
Non-Member Physician: $67.50
Non-Members Resident/Student: $15.00
Allied Health Professional/Other: $24.00

Activity Term:
Original Release Date: May 4, 2026
Review Date(s): N/A 
Termination Date: May 4, 2029

Format and Estimated Time to Complete:  Video recording / 45 minutes

System Requirements
Desktops/Laptops
Windows 10
Mac OSX 10.6 higher

Most modern browsers including
IE 11+
Firefox 18.0+
Chrome latest version
Safari 12+

Mobile/Tablet
iOS devices beginning with OS version 10 or higher (includes, iPhone, iPad and iTouch devices)

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Contact Us
Contact us at nejmcust@mms.org  or (800) 843-6356. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451.