Language and racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and lactation
Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah, MPH, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences | McGill University
WHEN: Monday, January 20, 2025, from 4 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hybrid | SPGH, 2001 McGill College, Rm 1140 &
5252 boul. de Maisonneuve - 3rd floor, Kitchen |
Note: Vivian Ukah will be presenting In-Person at the SPGH
Abstract
COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of complications. Evidence supports COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness against severe COVID-19 illness and associated mortality in pregnancy. Breastfeeding by COVID-19 vaccinated mothers may provide some COVID-19 immunity to the baby through maternal antibodies transferred via breastmilk. However, lack of knowledge and unclear messaging about COVID-19 vaccine safety during lactation may impede vaccine uptake during lactation or may lead to breastfeeding cessation after vaccination. Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake during pregnancy have been reported but less is known about language disparities during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Understanding and addressing contributors to low COVID-19 vaccine uptake is essential to reduce disparities in COVID-19-related outcomes during pregnancy and lactation.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this talk, attendees will be able to:
- To understand patterns in disparities in Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy and lactation over time;
- To understand the association between language and racial groups and Covid-19 vaccination initiation during pregnancy;
- To understand the association between language and racial groups and Covid-19 vaccination initiation during lactation.
Speaker Bio
Dr. Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Division of Experimental Medicine, in the Department of Medicine, McGill University. Her research focuses on the short- and long-term outcomes of pregnancy complications, and development, and validation of prediction models in maternal and perinatal health and examining racial disparities in perinatal outcomes. Dr Ukah holds a master鈥檚 degree in public health (Health services research) from the University of Sheffield, England and a PhD in Reproductive and Developmental Sciences from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill University. Prior to joining McGill as a Professor, Dr Ukah worked as an Assistant Research Investigator in the Pregnancy & Child Research Centre, at Health Partners Institute, Minnesota, USA.