Newswise — The Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy was formally launched today at the first of a series of public forums on vaccines held in partnership with The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Three leading Philadelphia institutions " the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics, The Wistar Institute Vaccine Center, and the Vaccine Education Center of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia -- have established the new Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy as a joint program to focus on bioethics, policy and advocacy around vaccine discovery, development and clinical use, and global public health.
More information about the Center can be found at http://www.centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org
Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D., Emanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics, and Director, Center for Bioethics, at the University of Pennsylvania, said, "There is an ethical imperative for vaccine policy to accelerate the development and delivery of needed vaccines, providing safe, affordable and effective access, and producing sustained immunity for all people at risk regardless of circumstance or geography. To this end, we are focusing the combined strengths of the founding institutions of Penn's Center for Bioethics, the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center, and CHOP's Vaccine Education Center " as well as many other partners around the world -- to make significant contributions to effective public health policy and action."
Wistar Institute president and CEO Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., commented, "The Wistar Institute's proud tradition of leadership in basic biomedical research has led to some of the most dramatically effective vaccines in history, including those for German measles, rabies, and rotavirus. The Wistar Institute Vaccine Center, which works to develop vaccines for the world's deadliest diseases and ensure vaccine access for all people, is the perfect partner for the new Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy."
Dr. Paul A. Offit, head of Infectious Diseases at CHOP and a founding member of the project, commented, "As a number of new vaccines are entering public health and clinical practice, it is more important than ever to have clear, accurate information about vaccines and their critical role in public health. The new Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy will make an important contribution to clear thinking about vaccine policy, safety and ethical issues, and by doing so, help parents, patients, clinicians and the public health professionals make informed choices and use vaccines more effectively."
David R. Curry, the Center's Executive Director, said, "The new Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy will engage the entire vaccine life cycle from a global perspective. But we face important challenges in public understanding about and confidence in vaccines in our own country. To help address this challenge, among our early programs is a series of public forums around vaccines. These forums are being held in partnership with the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, a leading national science museum dedicated to advancing science learning and understanding. We hope these forums will foster public dialog around vaccines and their critical role in public health. As important, we will address our rights " and our responsibilities as citizens " around immunization."
The first forum, held March 26 at The Franklin, addressed government mandates in the U.S. requiring certain childhood immunizations. Additional forums in 2008 and 2009 will address the new HPV vaccine for cervical cancer and related diseases, and preparation and vaccine allocation in a pandemic flu event. Curry has been a Visiting Scholar at Penn's Center for Bioethics since 2005, and was formerly Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for Unisys Corporation.
The new Center will operate from offices at Penn's Center for Bioethics and receive administrative support from The Wistar Institute and CHOP's Vaccine Education Center. Drs. Caplan, Kaufman and Offit will lead governance of the Center, with an advisory board that will be announced separately.
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