LEBANON – As the first round of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is given to frontline health care workers in New Hampshire and across the country, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) is proud to host a two-part virtual webinar focused on the technology, safety, and efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the state’s and DH-H’s distribution and allocation plans. Moderated by Laura Chiang, MD, vice chair for Education in the Department of Anesthesiology and the co-medical director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, these webinars will be open to the public and press.

“The creation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in nine months is an astounding achievement and a testament to the collaborative work between scientists and the medical community around the world. These vaccines offer promise in a very challenging time,” Chiang said. “However, the vaccines can only be truly effective if widely adopted. It’s essential, that the medical community and the public be presented with the science behind these vaccines from nationally and locally-renowned leaders. I am hopeful that a discussion that also includes the rigors of testing will encourage individuals to feel comfortable about being vaccinated. D-HH is proud to offer this educational opportunity to better inform our staff and the greater community.”

The first webinar will be held on Friday, December 18. The featured speaker will be Kathryn Stephenson, MD, MPH, director of the Clinical Trials Unit at the Harvard Center for Virology and Vaccine Research and an infectious disease physician, who will discuss the biologic basis of COVID-19 vaccine development, as well as the clinical trials process. She will also address concerns about the rigors of testing and the likelihood of sustained immunity in addition to concerns about complications.

The second webinar is on Monday, Dec. 21, and will feature DHMC infectious disease physician Elizabeth Talbot, MD, who also serves as the state of New Hampshire’s deputy epidemiologist, and Michael Calderwood, MD, MPH, associate chief quality officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Talbot will address topics including the state’s allocation and distribution plans, as well as the ethics involved with a current limited supply of the vaccine for distribution and Calderwood will speak to D-HH’s role in vaccinating employees, as well as community members. He will also address ongoing important public safety measures in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both webinars will run from 6:45 to 8am. To view the first webinar visit https://go.d-h.org/vaccinespart1. To view the second webinar, go to https://go.d-h.org/vaccinespart2. For those unable to watch the webinars live, they will be recorded and made available on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock YouTube channel. If you have questions but can’t watch the live presentation, please send them to public.affairs@hitchcock.org.

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