Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ

Event

Language and Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy and Lactation

Monday, January 20, 2025 16:00to17:00

JOINT EBOH/CORE SEMINAR SERIES

Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah, MPH, PhD

Assistant Professor
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences | Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ

WHEN: Monday, January 20, 2025, from 4 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hybrid | SPGH, 2001 Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ College, Rm 1140 &
5252 boul. de Maisonneuve - 3rd floor, Kitchen |
Note: Vivian Ukah will be presenting In-Person at the SPGH

Abstract

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of complications. Evidence supports COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness against severe COVID-19 illness and associated mortality in pregnancy. Breastfeeding by COVID-19 vaccinated mothers may provide some COVID-19 immunity to the baby through maternal antibodies transferred via breastmilk. However, lack of knowledge and unclear messaging about COVID-19 vaccine safety during lactation may impede vaccine uptake during lactation or may lead to breastfeeding cessation after vaccination. Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake during pregnancy have been reported but less is known about language disparities during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Understanding and addressing contributors to low COVID-19 vaccine uptake is essential to reduce disparities in COVID-19-related outcomes during pregnancy and lactation.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this talk, attendees will be able to:

  • To understand patterns in disparities in Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy and lactation over time;
  • To understand the association between language and racial groups and Covid-19 vaccination initiation during pregnancy;
  • To understand the association between language and racial groups and Covid-19 vaccination initiation during lactation.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Division of Experimental Medicine, in the Department of Medicine, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ. Her research focuses on the short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy complications, and development, and validation of prediction models in maternal and perinatal health and examining racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. Dr Ukah holds a master’s degree in public health (Health services research) from the University of Sheffield, England and a PhD in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ. Prior to joining Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ as a Professor, Dr Ukah worked as an Assistant Research Investigator in the Pregnancy & Child Research Centre, at Health Partners Institute, Minnesota, USA.

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