At a time when public confidence in science faces unprecedented skepticism, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, BlackDoctor.Org, and Moderna convened an important conversation on trust, misinformation, and the life-saving power of vaccines.
Moderated by Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, Dean of CDU’s College of Medicine, the panel featured Los Angeles County Health Officer Muntu Davis, MD, MPH; AltaMed Director of Research & Evaluation, Adrienne Martinez-Hollingsworth, ’14 MCNL; and Jerry P. Abraham, MD.
CDU President David M. Carlisle, MD, opened the discussion by grounding the audience in history. “There’s no better time to discuss the importance of vaccines than now,” he said, reminding the audience that smallpox “no longer exists on Earth because of vaccination.” He noted that life expectancy in the U.S. has risen by 30 to 40 years thanks largely to public health measures like vaccination and clean drinking water.
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith framed the evening’s theme pointedly: “This is a matter of trust and a matter of misinformation. Institutions like CDU are responsible for, and accountable to, our communities on this issue of trust…and we take that very seriously.”
The panelists, who together brought decades of experience in medicine, public health, and community engagement, unpacked how trust is earned, how it is lost, and how it can be restored.
“We have to be honest about what we’re talking about,” said Dr. Muntu Davis. “Vaccines reduce your risk of dying or getting seriously ill. But that’s not the message that always gets across.” He reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that communication sometimes faltered: “People don’t expect us to be perfect, but they do expect us to explain things clearly and answer their questions. Part of trust is communication.”
For Dr. Adrienne Martinez-Hollingsworth, trust is inseparable from history. “We have to admit that people [mistrust] because we sterilized people not too long ago,” she said, alluding to California’s sordid history of forced sterilizations. That lived history, she noted, explains lingering fears: “When we talk about vaccines, this isn’t ancient history. It’s living memory for many.”
Dr. Jerry P. Abraham brought the discussion to the ground level. “We have two historically Black institutions like CDU and Kedren Health that can really turn things around,” he said. “The community trusts us. But when it comes to trust, we have to support our doctors, nurses, and scientists so they can keep earning it.”
He described how Kedren’s mobile vaccine units, an approach first introduced in the community by CDU professor Cynthia Davis during the height of the AIDS epidemic, brought lifesaving vaccines directly to underserved neighborhoods during COVID-19, often overcoming fear one person at a time. “We met people where they lived. Sometimes literally outside liquor stores,” he recalled. “One man who wanted us gone ended up bringing his whole family to get vaccinated weeks later. If we’re patient and meet people where they are physically, spiritually, mentally, they will choose to do the right thing.”
The conversation turned to the challenges of operating in a post-pandemic landscape where misinformation spreads faster than evidence.
Dr. Davis warned, “We have to recognize the difference between authority and expertise. People in authority are giving advice without expertise. Whatever you do, you have to be able to stand by it, explain it, and defend it.”
Dr. Abraham echoed the need for collaboration: “It took Moderna, Pfizer, and the government working together to get us through the pandemic. That’s the secret sauce for the future.”
Dr. Prothrow-Stith closed the discussion by returning to one core issue: public literacy. “We are not doing enough to help the public be literate about their own bodies,” she said.
As the evening drew to a close, one message was clear: rebuilding trust in science begins with listening, honesty, and sustained engagement. By creating spaces for dialogue and collaboration, CDU continues to honor its role as a community-anchored institution committed to ensuring that every patient has access to the truth and to care.
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