OTTAWA -- Earlier this month, ScienceUpFirst, Children’s Healthcare Canada, and the Sandbox Project have come together to declare Thursday, Jan. 27 as National Kids and Vaccines Day. This day will bring together industry, influencers and experts from across disciplines to help encourage vaccine for children and promote vaccine confidence.
National Kids and Vaccines Day Programs and Resources; ScienceUpFirst has indicated that they will host a free national Kids and Vaccines Town Hall event at 5 p.m. PST, 8 p.m. EST and 9 p.m. AST. This live event will answer questions from kids, caregivers and educators about vaccines and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The panel of experts include:
- Dr. Katharine Smart, Pediatrician and President of the Canadian Medical Association
- Dr. Nisha Thampi, Pediatrician and Infectious Disease Specialist at CHEO
- Dr. Manish Saderangani, Sauder Family Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of British Columbia
- Dr. Christine Chambers, Psychologist and Scientific Director of both the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health and Solutions for Kids in Pain
- The event will be hosted by Erica Ehm, entrepreneur and founder of the Yummy Mummy Club
As well, Children's Healthcare Canada is hosting a free pop-up educational session, to speak directly to healthcare professionals. This day-long conference is a collaboration between Children's Healthcare Canada and Solutions for Kids in Pain, co-hosted by Stollery Children's Hospital & Alberta Health Services. This event will provide healthcare professionals with the skills, tools, and information necessary to confidently promote and provide vaccinations to children and their families.
Event participants include
- Dr. Samina Ali , Pediatric Emergency Physician and Children's Pain Researcher,
- Dr. Elise Kammerer, Knowledge Broker for Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP)
- Dr. Anna Taddio, Pediatrician and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
- Fatima Tokhmafshan, Geneticist and Director of Community Outreach at the CoVaRR-Network
- Dr. Arnaud Gagneur, Professor, Physician, and Researcher at Sherbrooke University
- Dr. Cora Constantinescu, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Alberta Children's Hospital
The Sandbox Project and the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health (YCRH) have also put together a database of resources for kids and parents to help them understand the importance and safety of vaccines, and to make them feel more confident when walking into their appointments.
They invite all organizations and influential Canadians to participate in the day's events, to participate in promoting the programs and resources currently being planned using the #KidsVaccinesDay hashtag. Visit their website for assets and information.