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Vaccine Equity Advisory Committee

Members of the Vaccine Equity Advisory Committee have been identified to add value to Families USA’s Building a New Normal through Vaccine Equity Initiative based on their unique expertise related to this work and their ability to achieve collective impact toward a more equitable health system. The goals of the Advisory Committee are to ensure the overarching strategy and policy/advocacy recommendations connected to this initiative:

  • Are grounded in perspectives, expertise, and lived experiences of communities of color (including people with intersecting identities such as disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity);
  • Reflect best practices in public health/immunization efforts in underserved communities; and
  • Incorporate best practices in grassroots/community-driven policy change.

Committee Members:

  • Alberto A. González, MPP, Senior Project Manager, Health Policy, UnidosUS
  • Andrea Thoumi, MPP, MSc, Health Equity Policy Fellow, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
  • Averi Pakulis, VP, Early Childhood and Public Health Policy, First Focus on Children
  • Cecelia Thomas, JD, Senior Government Relations Manager, Trust for America’s Health
  • Chris Kocher, Executive Director, COVID Survivors for Change
  • Claire Hannan, MPH, Executive Director, Association of Immunization Managers (AIM)
  • Denise Octavia Smith, MBA, CHW, Executive Director, National Association of Community Health Workers
  • D. Ojeda, Policy Advocate, National Center for Transgender Equality
  • Lily Shen, Managing Director of COVID-19 Response, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
  • Lydia A. Isaac, PhD MSc, Vice President, Health Equity and Policy, National Urban League
  • Meredith Raimondi, Director of Congressional Relations, National Council of Urban Indian Health
  • Sandra Wilkniss, Senior Program Director, National Academy For State Health Policy (NASHP)
  • Silvia Yee, Senior Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
  • Summer Lollie, National COVID Outreach Campaign Manager, Young Invincibles
  • Trudy Rebert, Federal Policy Counsel, National Domestic Workers Alliance
  • Dr. Uzma Syed, Infectious Diseases Physician, Core member of Faiths4Vaccines, Fellow of IDSA, Member of Inclusion, Diversity, Access & Equity Task Force of IDSA, CEO of Align Us Inc., AMHP, IMANA