Taking COVID-19 Vaccines from Bench to Bedside: Implementation Science for Equitable Rollout of Biomedical Products

Session Date: April 22, 2021

Session Description: COVID-19 vaccine introduction raises complex operational questions: where and by whom is it distributed? how to combat misinformation that deters vaccination? how to distribute it equitably? Implementation science (IS), a field of study that informs and tests strategies to promote use of effective interventions, has an important role to play in bridging the gap between "approved vaccine" and "vaccination." Building on 30 years of experience conducting IS to inform introduction and promote uptake of biomedical products—such as new contraceptive methods—Population Council researchers will describe how IS can inform and improve the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, drawing on lessons from contraceptive rollout in Kenya.