When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire federal vaccine advisory committee and installed new members, it raised alarms across the public health world. At the same time, measles is making a comeback as more Americans are hesitant about getting vaccines. Professor Lindsey Haynes-Maslow explains how we got here and what it will take to rebuild public trust. Drawing on her work in community-based health outreach, she shares why clear, consistent communication is critical for vaccine education and how local leaders and trusted messengers can help cut through the noise.

For more on this topic:

• Watch Haynes-Maslow’s video, “A Journey through Public Health: Health Policy,” produced by UNC’s Department of Health Policy and Management.

• Check out her work on immunization education and vaccine hesitancy at EXCITE.