IMWI Events

IMWI Events

Find New Ways to Connect with the Immunization Community

ANNUAL SPRING CONFERENCE WEBINARS

Yearly Vaccination Conferences

Each year, Immunize Wisconsin hosts an in-person conference dedicated to empowering the immunization community here in Wisconsin. Through engaging speakers, interactive activities, and networking, we connect and collaborate with a diverse range of professionals committed to improving the health and well-being of all Wisconsinites through improved vaccine access and healthcare equity. 

Conference Archive

Immunization Intersections:
Bridging Gaps, Building Trust, and Boosting Health

The second annual IMWI spring conference took place in March of 2024. With over 150 attendees representing a wide cross section of our immunity community, participants gathered in the Wisconsin Dells to enhance the uptake of vaccinations, bolster confidence in vaccines, and effectively combat the spread of misinformation related to vaccines for preventable diseases. 

Conference Activities Included: 

  • Special Guest Speaker Giovannie Gone, LMAC, MPH, Executive Director of Immunize Kansas 
  • General sessions covering the current landscape of immunizations in Wisconsin and a thorough overview of the Wisconsin Immunization Registry 
  • A sensory friendly immunization training by the Autism Society 
  • Interactive breakout sessions dedicated to addressing vaccine access and uptake, building trust in a post-COVID-19 world, and building better communication strategies. 
2023

Bringing Wisconsin Together:
Collaborating on Immunization Best Practices

The inaugural IMWI spring conference took place in May of 2023. With over 100 attendees representing a variety of organizations and areas throughout Wisconsin, participants were able to connect and collaborate on improving vaccine uptake.  

Conference Activities Included: 

  • Hands-on workshops to improve vaccination awareness and administration 
  • Panel discussions with our inaugural cohort of grant awardees 
  • The premiere of A Shot in the Arm documentary 
  • Networking including an awards ceremony and cocktail hour 
  • Engagement with sponsors and vendors 
Yearly Vaccination Conferences
Webinars and Learning Sessions

Webinars & Learning Sessions

We connect with thought leaders and experts throughout Wisconsin to deliver educational webinars designed to help improve vaccine awareness, uptake, and administration. These webinars are free to attend! 

Upcoming Webinars 

Dr. Allison Kos

February 11, 2025 at 12pm CT

Adult Immunization Recommendations

Presenter: Allison Kos, DO

Join Dr. Allison Kos, Regional Medical Director at Aledade, Inc., for an engaging webinar on adult immunization recommendations. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert and gain valuable insights to enhance your immunization practices!

Dr. Kos is a Family Medicine physician with extensive experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). She most recently served as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Progressive Community Health Centers and Lakeshore Community Health Centers in Southeast Wisconsin.

Dr. Kos began her career as a National Health Service Corp Scholar, earning recognition for her commitment to providing health services in a high-need, underserved urban area. As CMO, she oversaw clinical services, provider staffing, quality improvement activities and performance. Additionally, she engaged in work and held roles with other organizations such as the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, Wisconsin Health+, Immunize Milwaukee, among others.

After nearly 18 years at Progressive Community Health Centers, Dr. Kos joined Aledade in 2025, where her operational expertise supports deploying clinically integrated care and programming aimed at addressing healthcare disparities. She works closely with primary care clinicians to build sustainable value-based care pathways that prioritize quality over volume, enabling practices to thrive across all payer types.

Dr. Kos trained at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine and then completed her family medicine residency at St Vincent Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Hennessy

April 15, 2025 at 12pm CT

Vaccines 101

Presenter: Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP

Join Dr. Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP, for an informative webinar, Vaccines 101. This session will cover the fundamentals of vaccines, their role in disease prevention, and their importance in promoting public health. Perfect for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of vaccines, this webinar will offer clear and practical insights to enhance your knowledge and confidence in immunization practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert in the field!

Margaret Hennesy, MD, FAAP Co-Chairs the Advisory Council for Immunize Wisconsin and  is a member of the Wisconsin Council on Immunization Practices. Dr. Hennessy is also the Chapter Immunization Representative for the Wisconsin Chapter of the AAP, acts as the Chair of the immunization committee for her hospital, is a member of the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Improvement Team for WCHQ, and is a frequent speaker on immunization topics.

Dr. Naik

June 17, 2025 at 1pm CT

Addressing Hesitancy

Presenter: Rajiv Naik, MD, FAAP

Join Dr. Rajiv Naik, MD, FAAP, for an insightful webinar on Addressing Hesitancy. This session will explore effective strategies for understanding and addressing vaccine hesitancy in clinical and community settings. Gain practical tools to build trust, foster meaningful conversations, and support informed decision-making about immunizations. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert and enhance your approach to addressing vaccine hesitancy!

Rajiv Naik, MD, FAAP graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (1995) and completed his Pediatric Residency (1995-1998) and Chief Residency (1998-1999) at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.  He has been at Gundersen Health System, now Emplify Health by Gundersen, since 1999 .

He is a general pediatrician and the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO).  He has served as Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, Section Head of Pediatrics-Onalaska, GHS Childhood Immunization Champion, GHS Physician Champion of Patient Education, and served on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

As a practicing pediatrician and CMIO, Dr. Naik’s focus has been to bring practical quality improvement interventions to clinical practices and health systems on the frontline of healthcare to improve the health and wellbeing of children across the nation and to innovate and help in Gundersen’s digital transformation journey.

He co-chaired the subcommittee for the ethical framework for allocation of COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics and served as a member of the subcommittee for allocation of COVID-19 vaccine for the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).  He served as the co-chair of the advisory council for Immunize Wisconsin, a 3-year CDC funded grant to improve immunization rates throughout Wisconsin.  Other quality improvement projects he has led include GHS HPV Quality Improvement Project, HPV Vaccine Hub and Spoke Grant (WIAAP, ICAAP 2018), HPV Vaccine Hub and Spoke Grant (6 Midwest state collaborative 2019), a grant from the Chapter Quality Network of the American Academy of Pediatrics (CQN-AAP) to improve early childhood immunizations.  He recently served as the Medical Advisor for the Improving Adolescent Immunization Rate Project for the CQN-AAP national project and led a learning collaborative in partnership with the American Cancer Society to improve HPV vaccination rates in other large health systems across the country (Intermountain Health, M Health Fairview).  Other quality improvement work includes serving on the faculty for national AAP Echo Grant to improve child and adolescent vaccinations, presenting at HPV Vaccine Summits 2016-2017 (CDC grant in collaboration with WIAAP, WI Department of Health Services, WI Comprehensive Cancer Control Program WICCP, and WI Area Health Education Center), and improving child health through electronic medical record (EMR) innovation.

He was named the HPV Vaccine Champion Award for Wisconsin from the Center for Disease Control and American Cancer Association in 2018 and the 2021 Champion from The Wisconsin Cancer Collaborative for his work on improving HPV vaccination and has received a Special Achievement Awards from the WIAAP for his work on child and adolescent vaccines.  His team’s innovative work with optimizing the electronic medical record (EMR) for HPV vaccine rate improvement was been turned into a national Clinical Program by the EMR vendor (Epic). In addition, he has partnered with an artificial intelligence company (Olive AI) to automate patient panel management and patient engagement via text messaging (SMS).  This “first in the country” solution was recently awarded with an Innovator award from Healthcare Innovation.  Dr. Naik’s team has also been recognized as a cross-industry 2023 CIO 100 Award winner  for innovation for improving medication workflow interoperability to improve the safety, experience, and efficiency of medication management for patients and staff.

Explore Our Past Webinars

ACIP Recommendations and Managing Pertussis

Join Paul Hunter, MD, for an engaging webinar on the latest ACIP recommendations, including key updates on immunization guidelines and insights into managing pertussis in clinical and public health settings.

Dr. Paul Hunter has practiced family medicine for over 30 years in Milwaukee and Madison WI and Rockford IL.  As a Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Hunter teaches medical students by directing a statewide, outpatient acting internship and supervising community–based public health projects. As a medical consultant to the immunization programs at health departments, he teaches health professionals how to implement vaccination recommendations in clinical practice. From 2016 through 2020 he was a voting member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. UW Medical School in Madison 1984 – 1989 UW Residency in Eau Claire 1989 – 1992 Family Medicine 1992 – 2011, Underserved in Milwaukee & Rockford Public Health & Academic Medicine 2009 – University of Wisconsin Community-based projects and research Teaching public health and medical students, City of Milwaukee Health Department (Imms, STDs, TB), CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices 2016-2020

Duration: 00:52:24

Watch Webinar Password: c=D18V4i

Preparing for Respiratory Virus Season

Preparing for Respiratory Virus Season

Join as Immunize Wisconsin (IMWI) Advisory Council Co-Chair and expert Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP, guides us through crucial strategies for protecting our communities during the 2024 respiratory virus season. Gain valuable insights on flu vaccinations, COVID-19 updates, and RSV prevention tailored for Wisconsin residents. Key topics include: flu vaccine updates, COVID-19 vaccine updates, RSV prevention in Wisconsin, and vaccine promotion.

Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP Co-Chairs the Advisory Council for Immunize Wisconsin and is a member of the Wisconsin Council on Immunization Practices. Dr. Hennessy is also the Chapter Immunization Representative for the Wisconsin Chapter of the AAP, acts as the Chair of the immunization committee for her hospital, is a member of the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Improvement Team for WCHQ, and is a frequent speaker on immunization topics.

Duration: 00:56:38

Watch Webinar Password: +Pk*WEP0

Maximizing-HPV-Vaccine-Impact

Maximizing HPV Vaccine Impact: The Case for Early Initiation and Regional Insights

This webinar focuses on the evolving landscape of HPV vaccination in Wisconsin, where we’ve seen a notable increase in vaccinations among boys and girls over time. However, the post-Covid era presents new challenges with vaccine hesitancy, potentially affecting the uptake of essential vaccines like HPV. This webinar focuses on evidence that supports initiating HPV vaccination at age 9, a strategy that promises to significantly boost the vaccination rates by age 13. This early intervention is key to maximizing protection against six types of cancer.

Presenting this webinar is Matt Flory, a seasoned professional from the American Cancer Society with 23 years of experience. In his current role, Matt collaborates with payors, healthcare providers, and public health advocates to enhance HPV vaccination rates and cancer screening efforts. His rich background includes serving as a past President of the Minnesota Public Health Association and holding a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. 

Duration: 00:38:00

Watch Webinar Password: ^?F4JU.6

unreaveling-mrna

Unraveling mRNA: Navigating the New ACIP Recommendations & Tacking Vaccine Misinformation

This is an essential session for healthcare professionals, public health stakeholders, and anyone interested in understanding the science and policies surrounding mRNA vaccines and immunization practices. Our esteemed speakers, Dr. Stephanie Schauer and Dr. Ajay Sethi, bring their wealth of knowledge and frontline experiences to shed light on, the latest Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) standards, and the pivotal role of correcting misinformation surrounding mRNA vaccines.

Stephanie Schauer, Ph.D., is the Director of the State of Wisconsin Immunization Program. Stephanie received her Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology from Boston University and first worked for the Massachusetts Immunization Program. She subsequently joined the Wisconsin Immunization Program to move back to the Midwest. Additionally, she has co-led the Executive Steering Committee of the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) Consortium since 2019. Her interests include ensuring a modern IIS, using data to inform the programmatic direction, and a love of puns often shared with staff. 

 Dr. Ajay Sethi is Professor of Population Health Sciences and Faculty Director of the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studies the epidemiology of infectious diseases and works on addressing public health misinformation. Dr. Ajay Sethi’s research interests lie broadly in the study of infectious diseases. His studies aim to identify modifiable behavioral and structural factors associated with transmission and morbidity and mortality if infection is established. He works in the areas of HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, healthcare-associated infections, the microbiome, and addressing public health misinformation. In 2021, Dr. Sethi received a Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.  

Duration: 00:38:00

Watch Webinar Password: @T=R5Xhr

rsv-immunizations

Latest Updates in RSV Immunization: Passive Protection for Infants and Vaccine Updates for Pregnant Individuals and Adults 60+

This informative webinar is tailored for healthcare professionals, immunization advocates, and all those committed to enhancing public health, offering an extensive overview of the latest advancements in RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) immunization.

Margaret Hennessy, MD.  On the steering committee for Immunize Wisconsin, a member of the Wisconsin Council on Immunization Practices, Chapter Immunization Representative for the Wisconsin Chapter of AAP, Chair of the immunization committee for my hospital, a member of the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Improvement Team for WCHQ, and a frequent speaker on immunization topics. 

Duration: 00:48:57

Watch Webinar Password: =$m5rMcJ

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for Consideration

Is your organization hosting a remote or in-person immunization event? Are you looking to increase attendance and connect with other like-minded vaccination professionals in Wisconsin? Submit your event to the Immunize Wisconsin team for distribution on our Community Events Calendar. All events will be evaluated by our Education & Events subcommittee prior to public posting. Our team will reach out with any questions and confirm your addition to the calendar prior to posting. Please use the form below to submit your event information for review:

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