Dr. Heidi J. Larson, clinical professor at the Institute for Health Metrics Evaluation (IHME), faculty member at the Department of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington, and professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine was named to the BBC 100 Women List 2021, released on December 7. The list features influential women around the world who are “hitting reset” and recognizes Dr. Larson’s work surrounding global vaccine hesitancy and building public trust against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. One such project is IHME’s data visualization tool for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by US ZIP code and county.
Dr. Larson is the founding director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, which was launched in 2010 to understand gaps in acceptance of vaccines around the world. In July 2020, she authored the book “Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don’t Go Away.” Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times and The New Yorker.
Professor Larson’s research focuses on risk and rumor management and the analysis of social and political factors affecting health interventions. She is the principal investigator of a worldwide study on vaccine acceptance during pregnancy, an EU-funded project focusing on an Ebola vaccine trial in Sierra Leone, and a global study on public sentiments and emotions around current and potential measures to contain and treat COVID-19.
Now in its ninth year, the BBC’s 100 Women list also includes philanthropist Melinda French Gates, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and 50 brave women from Afghanistan. Please join us in congratulating Professor Larson on this honor.