Autoimmune Newscast: Should I Get the COVID-19 Vac

Newswise — The approval of COVID-19 vaccines has brought with it hope, excitement, as well as concerns. AARDA is committed to ensuring you have the information you need to make the right decisions for your health. A panel of medical experts will discuss frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines, as well as address audience questions during our upcoming Autoimmune Newscast, “Should I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?” on 2/26 at 2pm ET

This event is your opportunity to get answers to those questions that may be lingering in the back of your mind, including:

As someone with an autoimmune disease, should I get vaccinated for COVID-19?
Will receiving the COVID-19 vaccine compromise my immune system?
Has the COVID-19 vaccine been properly tested for safety and efficacy?
Is the vaccine safe to get as an immuno-compromised individual?
What are the potential side effects of the vaccine?
How soon will I be able to get the vaccine as someone with an autoimmune disease?
What is the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine?
What exactly is herd immunity? And, how can it be achieved?
Will the vaccine trigger an autoimmune flare?
Should patients delay administering their medication if it is within close vicinity to when they get the vaccine?
What can patients and advocates do to drive towards equitable vaccine distribution?

In the first-ever Autoimmune Newscast, join a panel offering diverse perspectives from the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, patient advocates, and renowned physicians and health policy professors! Space is limited, be sure to reserve your seat in advance and register here!

CAPT Janell Routh, MD, MHS, Co-Deputy, Implementation Unit, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, graduated from the UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program in 2004, and UCSF Pediatric Residency Program in 2007. For the next three years she practiced pediatric HIV and general tropical medicine in Malawi with the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. She returned to the US to start the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) fellowship with CDC in Atlanta in 2010. Her CDC experience has spanned food and waterborne outbreaks, cholera prevention in Haiti, to her current work in the Division of Viral Diseases as the Team Lead for Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Domestic Polio.
Brooke Abbott is the creator of The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles & IBDMoms. She owns & operates, The Crazy Creole Mommy Life, Inc. She is an advocate often representing the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation & The Digestive Disease National Coalition on, Capitol Hill. She is also member of the, IBD Social Circle. Brooke has written for The Right Start blog, Single Mom Planet, Mommybites, The Toddler Blog, Mom.Me, and more. She is currently featured in Everyday Health, HealthCentral & inflammatoryboweldisease.net. Brooke has sat on advisory boards for Pfizer, Single Mom Planet Foundation, WEGO Health, The HollyRod Foundation & HealtheVoices. Currently she sits on advisory boards for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, & AbbVie. Brooke has been featured in The Phoenix Ostomy Magazine, US Weekly, LifeScript, LA Parent, Ostomy Connection, Prevention Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine & CCFA.org.
Anna Legassie is a patient advocate and healthcare strategy and development professional living and working in Boston. Diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) at age 11, Anna uses her expertise as a patient to consult with healthcare start-ups, pharmaceutical companies, and other healthcare organizations collaborating to incorporate the patient voice into healthcare design, technology, and policy reform. Currently she is on the Massachusetts Leadership Board of the Arthritis Foundation and also serves on the Foundation’s National Advocacy Committee. She is a member of the Tufts Medical Center Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and is on the patient advisory board of Clara Health.
Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD, is the Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University. She is an internationally respected leader particularly in the field of law and genetics. An active participant in policy debates, she has advised the National Institutes of Health as well as other federal and international bodies on an array of topics ranging from children’s health to the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. Her teaching interests include law and genomics, bioethics and law, reproductive rights, and public health and research ethics. Professor Clayton has worked on numerous projects for the National Academy of Medicine, including chairing both landmark reports on Vaccine Safety as well as Beyond Myalgic Encephalitis, serving as a member of its Advisory Council and chair of the Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice. She is currently co-chair of the Report Review Committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and in that role, has overseen most of NASEM’s reports on COVID-19.
Mehrdad Matloubian, MD, PhD is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at University of California, San Francisco. As a physician-scientist with decades of experience in studying immune responses to viruses, he has a general interest in mechanisms of immune mediated diseases and approaches for a better understanding of the molecular basis of such processes. In addition to actively providing care for patients with complex rheumatologic autoimmune diseases, he serves as the scientific director of UCSF’s PREMIER (premier.ucsf.edu), an NIH funded Precision Medicine in Rheumatology program with the goal of advancing treatment of autoimmune diseases through utilization of cutting edge molecular and bioinformatics technologies.
Lilly Stairs has served as an advocate for over a decade, transitioning into patient advocacy after she was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune diseases. As the Founder and Principal at Patient Authentic, Lilly helps healthcare organizations build programs that educate and empower patients. She regularly shares her experience and expertise via speaking engagements from conferences to Capitol Hill, serves Interim CEO for the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), and is a Lead Patient Advisor to several major pharmaceutical and health tech companies.