Vaccine Mistrust

Dr. Patricia Whitley-Williams, President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) discusses the persistent gaps and racial disparities in vaccination coverage. She talks about the new NFID survey findings and explains the urgent need to encourage individuals to get vaccinated against both flu and COVID-19.

Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD, is president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and is professor of pediatrics; chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases; and associate dean of inclusion and diversity at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. A native of Boston, she received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Simmons College in Boston and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati and fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston City Hospital/Boston University School of Medicine.She served on the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine as an assistant professor of pediatrics before joining the faculty of the Morehouse School of Medicine as an assistant professor of pediatrics and associate dean for clinical students. She was associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA from 1990 to 1993. In September of 1993, Dr. Whitley-Williams joined the faculty of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as associate professor of clinical pediatrics. She is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.She is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Medical Association (NMA). She serves on the NMA COVID-19 Task Force and as the NMA liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is the immediate past chair of the US Medical Licensure Examination Management Committee as well as a member of the National Board of Medical Examiners Governance Review Task Force and Nominating Committee. She participates in community outreach projects as an active member of the Central Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her research interests include HIV/AIDS in women and children as well as adult, childhood and adolescent immunization.