During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines have been at the heart of the conversation. However, we don’t pay nearly enough attention to the impact on routine immunisation as we do to a vaccine against the coronavirus. In an exclusive interview, Dr Frans van den Boom – the director for Europe of the Human Vaccines Project – talks to Kerean Watts of Hyderus Teoranta and Baird’s CMC about the effects of the pandemic on routine immunisation. A veteran of the public health community with more than thirty years of experience, Dr van den Boom and Mr Watts discuss the effects of the pandemic on vaccine uptake; vaccine hesitancy; and what the situation looks like going forward, among other issues. Watch their interview here.
Frans van den Boom, PhD, MBA, has more than thirty years of leadership and management experience in professional international, multilingual and cross-cultural organisation, ranging from start-ups to mature organisations. He has unique experience in working with state and non-state actors in high, mid and low-income countries and working at the interfaces of political outreach, public policy development, resource mobilisation, public health and health (services) research , planning and evaluation, and communication. Long-term experience in research, analysis and evaluation, project and program management; leading grant making organisations and resource mobilisation efforts.
Dr van den Boom has served as the Vice President, Country and Regional Programs and Executive Director Europe of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) for ten years, responsible for vaccine preparedness and community mobilisation programs, the social and behavioural sciences program, and resource mobilisation (financial commitments from Europe totalled approximately €150m). He also served as Executive Director Policy, Planning and Evaluation at Qatar Foundation R&D (four years), and Executive Director of the Dutch Top sector Life Sciences and Health (two years). He joined the Human Vaccines Project in July 2018 as Executive Director Europe.
For the insight of health leaders into other issues linked to COVID-19, watch ‘PandemiCast’. Find the episodes here.