IMWI Spring Conference 2023 Recap
Bringing Wisconsin Together – Collaborating on Immunization Best Practices
Immunize Wisconsin and our coalition partners collaborated to find new ways to improve vaccination uptake and administration throughout our state. Over the course of two days, attendees had the opportunity to connect with their professional peers and other healthcare experts to network, identify issues, and problem-solve together.
Thank You to All Who Registered
Thank you for your overwhelming support of our 2023 spring conference! Registration is now closed. We are grateful for your support and look forward to connecting in Wausau, WI. Stay up to date with conference outcomes and our plans for next year by signing up for the IMWI quarterly newsletter.
May 18 & 19, 2023
Hotels Near the Jefferson Street Inn Conference Venue
Attendees stayed close to the conference venue to be just moments away from the action:
Courtyard by Marriott Wausau (2.4 Miles)
Hilton Garden Inn Wausau (3.4 Miles)
Stewart Inn (0.5 Miles)
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Wausau, WI (3.9 Miles)
Best Western Plus Wausau Tower Inn (1.7 Miles)
Hampton Inn Wausau (2.0 Miles)
LEARN
Three Learning Sessions Were Available During the Conference
KEYNOTE SPEECH:
How Digital Health & Technology Transform Trust in Prevention
Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, MBE, FAAP
As technology and media infuse the health space, we examined the opportunities of novel communication on improving wellbeing, accessible health care, and the experience of both prevention and treatment of disease. The advancement of technology combined with public health messaging is an increasingly important tactic for prevention strategies and immunization campaigns.
PANEL DISCUSSION:
IMWI Awardee Grant Panel Discussion
Our first cohort of IMWI Grant Program Awardees learned more about their plans to improve vaccination uptake in the state of Wisconsin. They discussed new and innovative ways to connect with their local communities to address vaccine hesitancy and help get our children and families back on track with their regular immunization schedules.
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Innovative Practices and Collaboration Panel Discussion
Participants, healthcare experts, and vaccination community leaders explored new and innovative ways to collaborate across the medical home to improve vaccination rates in Wisconsin.
Kirsten Cooper
Executive Director
Autism Society Greater Wisconsin
Kirsten Cooper is the Executive Director of the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin. She holds a Masters of Social Work degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Communicative Disorders. Kirsten has worked with Autistic individuals and their families through direct service and systems change work for almost 20 years. Recently, Kirsten led a local pilot program through the Autism Society of America’s Vaccine Education Initiative with the goal of increasing vaccine access for the Autism community. She is passionate about working collaboratively to create more inclusive and accepting communities.
Ryan Bender, PharmD
Director of Clinical Services
Forward Pharmacy
Ryan Bender is the Director of Clinical Services for Forward Pharmacy. He has worked on providing immunizations in south central Wisconsin since his graduation from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in 2005. In his role at Forward Pharmacy, he creates the policies and procedures for administering, storing, and handling vaccines. He trains staff on current recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice and coordinates the administration of immunizations on and off site of pharmacy locations. He has been on the board of directors for the Dane County Immunization Coalition since 2019 and is the current Chair.
Ericka Sinclair, MS, MPH
Founder & CEO
Health Connections, Inc.
Ericka Sinclair, MS, MPH is a Health Care Visionary who, as the Founder and CEO of Health Connections, Inc., a healthcare firm that, since 2015, has provided direct clinical care and wraparound behavioral and social service referrals for vulnerable populations who traditionally experience barriers to accessing health care. The clinic’s areas of focus are Primary Care, HIV Care/Treatment/Prevention, and Transgender Health.
In doing this work, Ms. Sinclair has become an advocate, mentor, teacher, consultant, and speaker on health equity, trauma-informed care, diversity and inclusion, and healthcare access. Ericka Sinclair also serves as the Vice-Chair for the City of Milwaukee’s (WI) very first Board of Health.
PARTICIPATE
Peers Participated, Engaged, and Collaborated in Three Key Breakout Sessions
BREAKOUT SESSION 1:
Role Play Exercise on Speaking with Vaccine Hesitant Parents and Patients
Led by Raj Naik, MD, FAAP, Co-Chair of Immunize Wisconsin
In this interactive session, attendees had the opportunity to learn effective communication techniques for addressing vaccine hesitancy. Led by Raj Naik, MD, FAAP, attendees participated in role-playing exercises to gain hands-on experience and confidence in discussing vaccines with hesitant parents and patients. Through this session, attendees explored ways to address common misconceptions, build trust, and effectively communicate the importance of vaccines.
Raj Naik, MD, FAAFP
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 (GHS) since 1999.
He is a general pediatrician and the Chief Medical Information Officer. 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 serves on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
He is the current co-chair of the advisory council for Immunize Wisconsin. Immunization advocacy activities have included co-chairing and serving on the subcommittees for the ethical framework and allocation of COVID-19 vaccine for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), leading HPV Vaccine Hub and Spoke Grants across several states, leading a grant from the Chapter Quality Network of the American Academy of Pediatrics (CQN-AAP) to improve early childhood immunizations, and serving as the Medical Advisor for the Improving Adolescent Immunization Rate Project for CQN-AAP. He also led a learning collaborative in partnership with the American Cancer Society to improve HPV vaccination rates in other large health systems across the country. He is currently serving on the faculty for national AAP Echo Grant to improve child and adolescent vaccinations.
He was named the 2018 HPV Vaccine Champion Award for Wisconsin from the Center for Disease Control and American Cancer Association 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.
BREAKOUT SESSION 2:
Making the Most of the Wisconsin Immunization Registry
Led by Kevin Samuelson, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Immunization Program
This session, led by Kevin Samuelson and the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) staff from the Department of Health Services (DHS), provided attendees with an in-depth look at the WIR system. Participants learned how to access and navigate the registry, as well as best practices for using it to enhance patient care and improve vaccination rates. Through this session, attendees gained insights into the WIR’s functionalities and features, and learned how to use the registry to manage immunization records, generate reports, and stay up-to-date with the latest immunization trends.
Kevin Samuelson
Kevin Samuelson is an Information Systems professional with over 28 years of experience, working in varied industries and supporting a wide range of system (e.g. manufacturing, payroll, human resources, immunization systems, and so on). For the past twelve and half years Kevin has worked with State immunization information systems (IIS), with the past eleven of those years with the Wisconsin Immunization Registry. Kevin currently serves as the Implementation Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Immunization Information System (WIR). In his role Kevin has lead interoperability, help desk, and training, as well as provides system and technical consultation and evaluation of WIR operation and performance. Kevin is an active member of several American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) committees including the Standards and Interoperability Steering Committee and Health Level 7 (HL7) user group, he also participates with the Wisconsin Epic User Group.
BREAKOUT SESSION 3:
What You Need to Know Today: Data, Safety, and Case Scenarios
Led by Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP, Ascension (Thursday/Friday) and Paul Hunter, MD, FAAFP, UW School of Medicine and Public Health (Thursday)
This session, led by Margaret Hennessy, MD, FAAP, and Paul Hunter, MD, FAAFP, provided attendees with a comprehensive update on the latest data, safety protocols, and real-world case scenarios related to immunization. Participants gained insights into recent developments in vaccine research, as well as learn about safety protocols and guidelines for immunization. Through real-world case scenarios, attendees had the opportunity to explore best practices and gain practical experience in handling different scenarios. This session was designed to help attendees stay informed and up-to-date on the latest developments in immunization and to enhance their skills in vaccine management and patient care.
Margaret HennessyMargaret 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.
Paul Hunter
Dr. Paul Hunter practiced family medicine for 19 years in underserved communities in Milwaukee 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 an outpatient acting internship and supervising community–based public health projects. As a medical consultant to the City of Milwaukee Health Department, he facilitates collaboration between clinical medicine and public health. He also teaches health professionals about immunizations, sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis. From 2016 through 2020 he was a voting member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
MEET
Meet the First Ever Cohort of IMWI Grant Program Awardees for the 2022/2023 Grant Cycle
Celebrated together at our awards dinner, we formally introduced the first cohort of the IMWI Grant Program awardees and honor the recipients of the DHS Big Shot Awards.
WATCH
Early Screening of the New Documentary Shot in the Arm
Directed by Academy Award Nominee, Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden, Food Evolution) and Executive Produced by Neil DeGrasse Tyson this poignant and timely documentary explores vaccine hesitancy historically and in the context of our modern pandemic.
“Scott’s de-masking of Robert Kennedy Jr. is a public service! SHOT IN THE ARM is a timely project that will save lives in the United States and around the world.” – Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD – University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication
Attendees Participated in a Live Q&A
with the Director after the film to learn more about their findings, methodology, and public reception.
Visit ShotInTheArmMovie.com
to learn more about the filmmakers and featured contributors:
Dr Anthony S. Fauci, MD
Karent Ernst, Director of Voices for Vaccines
Dr, Paul A. Offit, MD
Dr. Peter J. Hotez, MD
Blima Marcus, DNP
NETWORK
Connect and Network with Vaccination Advocates and Professionals Throughout Wisconsin
The IMWI Spring Conference offered a number of opportunities for participants to network throughout our two-day schedule:
Sponsors and Exhibitors were open during our break sessions.
Participants connected and socialized during our cocktail reception in the Grand Ballroom.
Participants enjoyed lunch together on the day between our panel and breakout sessions.
ENGAGE
In our Expo Center, participants learned more about others working in the immunization space!
Attendees Stayed Informed at the Conference Through the Conference App
The conference app allowed attendees to stay up-to-date on the latest conference information. With the app, they had access to a wealth of information, including the event schedule, speaker bios, session descriptions, and key event details. Participants were recommended to download the app before the conference began.
STAY CONNECTED
WITH IMMUNIZE WISCONSIN
Join our mailing list to receive coalition news and updates!