University System of Maryland (USM) effort includes video message, joint statement, and stepped-up campus advocacy activities.
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, has joined University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, and presidents of the system’s other 11 universities in a special promotional effort to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations across Maryland.
This multimedia campaign — designed to dovetail with state activities to promote the safety and efficacy of vaccines, especially in communities with vaccine hesitancy — also will highlight the many ways USM faculty, staff, and students are contributing to fight the pandemic.
The new effort includes a statement in support of vaccines signed by Perman and all 12 of the system’s presidents and a video for distribution on social media.
(Watch video below.)
“Our presidents wanted to do this campaign,” said Perman, a former UMB president. “They wanted a strong joint statement that would demonstrate their confidence in the vaccines, and they wanted to publicly pledge to get vaccinated themselves once they’re eligible.
“Our intent isn’t just to persuade members of our campus communities to get vaccinated; it’s to persuade all Marylanders — especially those most at risk, those who are suffering disproportionately, those who might have concerns about safety or efficacy.”
The USM campaign is designed to support a Maryland Department of Health (MDH) “GoVax” awareness campaign that will launch this week and dovetail with initiatives of local public health agencies.
In the video, President Jarrell says, “We’re confident in the vaccines’ safety and efficacy. We appreciate the integrity of the scientific process. And we’re grateful to the women and men who participated in the clinical trials.”
In the statement, the USM presidents emphasize that it is critical to demonstrate their trust in the vaccine and to do so specifically because of distrust that exists in communities of color.
“America’s chronic inequality in health care access, its race-based disparities in health outcomes, and history of racism and exploitation in medical research and care have made Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities justifiably skeptical,” the statement notes. “However, members of these communities are at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying from it.”
Of the 12 USM presidents, more than half are Black women and men.
“Through this pledge, we [hope to] … ensure the communities we serve get the full protection of a COVID vaccine, so that, together, we can end this virus for good,” the statement says.
“We trust the people who developed and tested these vaccines. In fact, some of them are the USM’s own faculty and alumni,” Perman said. “So, yes, we’re confident in the science and in the scientists.”
The video message from the USM presidents affirms the statement and emphasizes their pledge to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. The video will be released throughout the state. It endorses themes such as service, humanity, trust, and protection of our most vulnerable citizens.
With the approved vaccines bringing the first sign of hope since the pandemic became widespread in the United States during winter 2020, the USM presidents want to underscore the importance of redoubling efforts as the nation enters the next stretch of defeating the pandemic.
USM takes great pride in the leadership its institutions have shown in fighting COVID-19, through vaccine development and other notable endeavors in service and teaching.
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) led clinical trials of the vaccine to determine safety and efficacy, enabling its quick approval — with the prospect of saving countless lives.
President Jarrell marked his first day as president last fall by taking part in the vaccine trial.
In naming her its 2020 co-Marylander of the Year, The Baltimore Sun saluted Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, UMSOM. The Sun editorial said, “As one of two principal investigators for the COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network … Dr. Neuzil has led a major effort to develop and test safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines under the country’s Operation Warp Speed public-private partnership.”
Several USM institutions are in discussions with the Maryland Department of Health and local health departments to serve as vaccine distribution sites for their own students, faculty, and staff, and, in some cases, for residents in the surrounding communities as well. Meanwhile, nursing students from UMB are exiting early to join the workforce in battling COVID-19.
USM is working on pathways to engage current nursing and pharmacy students in the state’s mass vaccination program. These paths include direct employment of USM students by health care institutions, volunteer opportunities, and options to offer for-credit clinical rotations to students engaged in mass vaccination efforts so they might serve while making progress toward their degree.