Vaccines: Film and Health Panel
Examine the science behind vaccinations, the return of preventable diseases and the risks of opting out in a hour-long documentary from PBS. A panel of health experts from the Shawnee County Health Agency will lead a discussion and answer questions following the film.
Monday, August 24, 2015 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Marvin Auditorium 101BC
"Anyone who has any questions about vaccines and vaccination should attend this program. The film does an excellent job of explaining how vaccines work and what happens when people are not vaccinated." Linda Ochs, Shawnee County Health Agency's Family Services Division Manager explained the appeal of a public film screening. "The panel will be able to answer any general questions about vaccines, disease outbreaks and personal experience with Meningitis."
The Health Information Neighborhood of the library is partnering with the Shawnee County Healthy Agency and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to bring reliable health information to our customers. "There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet about vaccinations. I hope anyone who has questions about safety, the vaccine schedule, or trying to decide if they should vaccinate their children will attend this presentation," Ochs said.
Meet the panel members
Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino
Gianfranco Pezzino, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Fellow and Strategy Team Leader, joined the Kansas Health Institute in 2004. He oversees KHI’s work on public health services and systems. Gianfranco’s work focuses on the development and dissemination of best practices for the organization, financing and delivery of public health services. This work includes supporting local public health departments in their preparation for national accreditation, and contributing to the field of applied public health services and systems research.
Gianfranco co-directs the Center for Sharing Public Health Services, a multi-year, multi-million dollar national initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which focuses on cross-jurisdictional sharing as a strategy to create efficiencies in public health. Gianfranco has international health experience, and served as state epidemiologist and medical director for the bioterrorism program with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. During this time, he was president of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
In addition to his work at KHI, Gianfranco serves as the Shawnee County, Kansas health officer and is a site visitor for the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). He also serves on the Board of the Family Service and Guidance Center, a community mental health for children. Gianfranco obtained his medical degree magna cum laude at the University of Bologna, Italy, and his master’s degree in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, is Board-certified in preventive medicine and public health and is certified in evaluation practice from George Washington University.
Dr. Dennis Cooley
Dr. Dennis Cooley is a general pediatrician who has practiced in Topeka, Kansas for over 30 years. He is on staff at Stormont-Vail Hospital and is a volunteer clinical instructor with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Cooley is very active with the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has served three terms as president of the Kansas Chapter of the AAP and is the chapter’s legislative coordinator.
In 2010 the AAP appointed him to its national Committee on Federal Government Affairs and he frequently goes to Washington to speak with Kansas’ federal congressmen on child health issues. Dr. Cooley is the chair of the Kansas Blue Ribbon Panel on Infant mortality and the Kansas Maternal Child Health Council.
He was involved with the Immunize Kansas Kids program since its inception and served as the Education Specialist for the organization. He is currently a member of the Kansas Immunization Coalition. He has given many presentations on immunization issues including vaccine hesitancy. In 2014 he was awarded the CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award for the state of Kansas.
Andy Marso
Andy Marso, M.A., Writer, joined the Kansas Health Institute in 2014 as a journalist for the KHI News Service, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration with KCUR, KCPT and Kansas Public Radio. He previously covered state government news for the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he won the Burton W. Marvin Kansas News Enterprise Award, and received the Great Plains Journalism Award for investigative/project reporting.
Andy has also written for The Olathe News, the St. Cloud Times and the Washington Post. His memoir, “Worth the Pain: How Meningitis Nearly Killed Me – Then Changed My Life for the Better,” was named a 2014 Kansas Notable Book. Andy has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.
Health Information Resources
How do you know what to believe anymore, when your health information comes from sensational news headlines, sponsored content from drug companies, and provocative blog posts shared by acquaintances on social media?
What sources do you trust for reliable health information?
As your Health Information Librarian, I recommend checking your health facts using the medical journals and scientific publications you can access through the library. Try three related databases available with your library card, which include excerpts from medical encyclopedias, full text articles from health magazines and medical journals and position papers from the World Health Organization.
- Health Source – Consumer Edition
- Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
- Consumer Health Complete – EBSCOhost
When you are looking online for basic diagnosis and treatment advice, avoid advertisement-supported websites and try these recommendations:
- MedlinePlus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine for health, wellness, disorders, conditions and drug information.
- KidsHealth from Nemours with sections for parents, for kids, for teens, and for educators.
Recommended sources for vaccine information:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vaccines & Immunizations, specifically Flu.gov
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), specifically their consumer site HealthyChildren.org
- National Immunization Awareness Month: Medicine Before Vaccines from AAP
- Immunization Action Coalition (IAP)
