Alison Buttenheim, Daniel Polsky Appointed to National Committee on the Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines

Two CHIBE members have been appointed to an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the National Academy of Medicine to provide a framework for the equitable allocation of vaccines for the novel coronavirus.

CHIBE Associate Director Alison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, and CHIBE-affiliated faculty member Daniel Polsky, PhD, MPP, are two of the 17 members of the committee.

This committee will work together to develop guidance for policymakers in the domestic and global health communities when a COVID-19 vaccine has been created.

Some of the questions the committee members will consider, according to the NASEM website, include:

• “What criteria should be used in setting priorities for equitable allocation of vaccine?
• How should the criteria be applied in determining the first tier of vaccine recipients? As more vaccine becomes available, what populations should be added successively to the priority list of recipients?
• If multiple vaccine candidates are available, how should we ensure equity?
• How can countries ensure equity in allocation of COVID-19 vaccines?
• For the US, how can communities of color be assured access to vaccination?”

“Equitable access to a future vaccine is such a critical issue,” Dr. Buttenheim said. “I am deeply honored to join the NASEM committee at this moment in the pandemic, and hope I can contribute expertise and a unique voice to our work.”

“It is always a great honor to serve on a NASEM committee,” Dr. Polsky said. “But this work is of such urgency during this unprecedented crisis. It is a time when you want to help in any way possible which makes this a special privilege to have this opportunity to work with this extraordinary group.”