UCLA CTSI featured among CTSA hubs supporting vaccination in their communities against COVID-19

On September 1, UCLA CTSI was among the national CTSA hubs highlighted by the Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC) for efforts in vaccinating underserved and vulnerable communities and addressing vaccine hesitancy so that hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 decrease.

CLIC, the coordinating center for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program, featured UCLA CTSI's vaccine hesitancy research with focus groups in Los Angeles from November 2020 to January 2021 with participants who self-identified as American Indian, African American, Filipino, Latino or Pacific Islander.

Researchers published the results of these focus groups, a brief which provides recommendations and insights around public health vaccine policy, messaging and outreach.

The focus groups were part of the Share, Trust, Organize, Partner: The COVID-19 California Alliance (STOP COVID-19 CA), which is a coalition of 11 academic institutions, including all California CTSA Program hubs. STOP COVID-19 CA addresses “gaps in COVID-19 (mis)information, vaccine trial participation, and vaccination accessibility” and is funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL).

Read the full CLIC press release.

image caption: Elizabeta Nemeth, PhD

Image source: UCLA