Heidi J. Larson

Heidi J. Larson, PhD, is Professor of Anthropology, Risk and Decision Science and is the Founding Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is also Clinical Professor of Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
 
Prof. Larson’s research focuses on the analysis of social and political factors that can affect confidence in and acceptance of health interventions. Her particular interest is on risk and rumour in health, particularly around vaccines and immunization. Professor Larson previously headed Global Immunization Strategy and Communication for UNICEF and chaired the GAVI Advocacy Task Force. She served on the FDA Medical Countermeasure (MCM) Emergency Communication Expert Working Group, and is Principle Investigator of the EU/IMI -funded (EBODAC) project on the deployment, acceptance and compliance of Ebola vaccines in Africa and J&J Global Study on public sentiments around the Covid-19 pandemic response.
 
She is author of STUCK: How Vaccine Rumors Start – and Why They Don’t Go Away (Oxford U Press, 2020)