OVERVIEW

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the lives of nearly everyone throughout the world.  Johns Hopkins is working with many research teams to understand how the COVID-19 virus causes disease, how we might fight the virus, and how to develop better treatments and vaccines.

With dozens of COVID-19 vaccines now in clinical trials, it is important to share information about how vaccines are being developed and their safety. It’s also important for communities to feel confident about the COVID information they are receiving, in order to overcome hesitation about getting vaccinated for COVID.

This discussion of community trust in science, medicine and research comes at a crucial time, when the pandemic has seen over 400,000 lives lost in the U.S. alone. COVID-19 is also disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities, a jarring reality that has been amplified by current racial tensions and continuing inequities experienced by Black, Latinx and communities of color.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: BUILDING TRUST IN SCIENCE

This community conversation is a deliberative forum to provide a more robust way of including community-generated solutions and ideas on how to build trust and confidence in science, with special attention to strengthening confidence in COVID vaccines. Baltimore residents are welcome to attend this virtual conversation. During this forum, community stakeholders will have a chance to share their perspectives, learn about COVID as they engage with other residents, community leaders and clinical professionals working in the field.

ABOUT THE LEGACY SERIES

The goal of the series is to heed the lessons learned from our past and present by creating a forum to listen to community needs, concerns, ideas and solutions. The series aims to promote transparent communication with the communities we serve about the work that we do in clinical and translational research.

Our partner:s: Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity; Urban Health Institute, Baltimore CONNECT; Healthy Community Partnership; Medicine for the Greater Good; School of Nursing, University of Maryland PATIENT Program, Morgan State University.