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, and Guest Professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Dr. Larson previously headed Global Immunisation Communication at UNICEF and served on the WHO SAGE Working Group on vaccine hesitancy. Professor Larson's research focuses on the analysis of social and political factors that can affect uptake of health interventions and influence policies. Her particular interest is on risk and rumour management from clinical trials to delivery – and building public trust. She is Principal Investigator for a global study on acceptance of vaccination during pregnancy; an EU-funded project on the deployment, acceptance and compliance of Ebola vaccines in Africa; and a global study on Public Sentiments and Emotions Around Current and Potential Measures to Contain and Treat COVID-19. She is author of STUCK: How Vaccine Rumors Start – and Why They Don't Go Away (Oxford University Press, 2020).