In this seminar we present qualitative research data about COVID-19 vaccine opinions among several priority populations: people who inject drugs, people living with HIV, gay and bisexual men, and Aboriginal people. The research data is drawn from a range of studies currently conducted at the UNSW Sydney Centre for Social Research in Health and The Kirby Institute. The seminar will touch on opinions of COVID-19 vaccines for each group, the social processes that drive and inhibit vaccination, and the practical factors that act as facilitators and barriers to vaccination. We conclude by making recommendations for promotional messaging to maximise vaccine uptake among priority populations.
Speakers
Joanne Bryant is an Associate Professor at the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health. She is project lead for this work and leads a series of other ARC-funded research projects focussed on sexual health, viral hepatitis and AOD use among young people. She is a social scientist trained in sociology and epidemiology.
Loren Brener is an Associate Professor at the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health. Her research focuses on increasing quality health outcomes for people living with blood-borne viruses such as HIV and viral hepatitis and the impact of this on health outcomes and quality of care. Her research is grounded in social psychology and aims to advance theoretical understanding as well as practical outcomes for marginalised and vulnerable groups.
Jake Rance joined the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health following nearly a decade working in harm reduction services in Sydney’s Kings Cross. Jake has a disciplinary background in philosophy, politics and cultural studies. He graduated from The University of Sydney in 1991 with a BA (Hons) Class 1 in Social Anthropology and completed his PhD from Utrecht University, The Netherlands, in 2018.
Dean Murphy is a Research Fellow at The Kirby Institute and the Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital. His work focuses on biomedical HIV prevention technologies, stigma, HIV diagnosis, experiences of sexual health and well-being, and the meanings of drug consumption. His book, Gay Men Pursuing Parenthood Through Surrogacy: Reconfiguring Kinship, was published in 2015.
Simon Graham is a National Health and Medical Research Council fellow based at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne. He is interested in community interventions that prevent poor health outcomes. He has a Master of Applied Epidemiology (a field Epidemiology training program) and for his PhD he led a sexually transmitted infection and hepatitis intervention with Aboriginal Health Services in New South Wales.
Daniel Storer is a PhD student and researcher at The Kirby Institute, focussing on the impacts of COVID on Australian gay and bisexual men. In addition he works as a researcher on the Flux Study and has worked as a policy analyst at the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisation where he worked on policy issues affecting marginalised communities. Daniel has a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney.
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