Kimberly Bonner, MPA,PhDc
Nominated From: University of Minnesota
Research Site: Uganda
Research Area: Epidemiology
Primary Mentor: Nicole Basta
Research Project
Drivers of vaccine acceptance among future healthcare professionals and vaccine access among adolescents and young adults in Uganda
Personal choices have immense consequences for population health. However, public health programs frequently lack information on the complex reasoning that underlies individual decision-making. In low-resource contexts, there is a paucity of information on the key considerations individuals weigh in decision-making about their healthcare, particularly for vaccination. Because vaccination serves a dual role of providing individual as well as population-level protection, a greater understanding of the factors that underlie vaccination choices can contribute to disease prevention in ways that benefit individuals and communities.
Research Significance
The drivers of a decision on vaccination are poorly understood and may vary by vaccination context and underlying beliefs regarding vaccination. By leveraging a discrete choice experiment (DCE) methodology, we can quantify the relative weight of these drivers of vaccination decisions. In the second study, we seek to identify barriers to HPV vaccination and preferred delivery modalities for the specific population of girls that are out-of-school in a rural area in Uganda.
Advice for Potential Candidates
I would recommend that you work on projects in the areas where you are most interested and seek to build strong mentoring relationships with researchers who are a few years ahead in their careers
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