COVID-19 Vaccine: Key Considerations for Academic Nursing

Lois Privor-Dumm is Senior Advisor, Policy, Advocacy & Communications and Director, Adult Vaccines, at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). She is an expert on immunization across the life-course. She is currently advising a variety of institutions including the Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore City Health Department, and the World Health Organizations on decision making and implementation around influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. She works with a variety of stakeholders including governments, healthcare professionals, organizations working on health and social justice issues as well as with a network of pastors in Baltimore to help address hesitancy issues around healthcare and vaccines. She worked with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to contribute to the Interim Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Distribution in the United States and report on the Public’s role in COVID-19 Vaccination.

She joined JHSPH in 2005 and supported vaccine programs in more than 70 countries. Previously she worked in the pharmaceutical industry where introduced of a variety of vaccines including the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. She holds a master of International Business Studies (University of South Carolina) and executive certificates in Innovation and Human-Centered Design and Business Communication from Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business.

Tener Goodwin Veenema, PhD, MPH, MS, is a Contributing Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a Professor of Nursing and Public Health in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At the Center, she conducts, manages, and leads research projects to explore health systems optimization and healthcare worker protection during disasters and large-scale biological events. She also serves as an Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journal Health Security (formerly Biosecurity and Bioterrorism). Dr. Veenema’s program of research focuses upon informing evidence-based policy related to health care systems and public health response for catastrophic events such as pandemics and radiation/nuclear disasters. She has conducted national workforce analyses evaluating emergency healthcare worker readiness and health systems coordination for disaster response in Ireland, Japan and the United States. Dr. Veenema is currently conducting studies addressing the use of personal protective equipment and the mental health burden on emergency healthcare providers during COVID-19. She is editor of Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological and Radiological Terrorism and Other Hazards, 4th Ed., the leading textbook in the field and developer of Disaster Nursing, a digital technology application (“App”) to provide decision support during disasters at the point of care. Dr. Veenema was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal of Honor (International Red Crescent, 2013) the highest international award in Nursing for her professional service in disasters and public health emergencies. Dr. Veenema served as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) 2017-18 Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence.