8:10 AM
KeynoteReflections on Vaccine Legacy and Public Trust
Peter L. Salk, MD
The historical legacy of polio vaccination and its relevance to trust-centered outreach today.
20th Annual ACIC Conference
A milestone conference connecting vaccine legacy with the public-health, clinical, school, policy, and communication challenges shaping immunization now.
Twenty years of coalition building, marked in the same year as the 70th anniversary of the 1955 polio-vaccine announcement.
Keynote spotlight
Peter L. Salk, MD
President & Director · Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation
Seventy years after the 1955 announcement that the polio vaccine was safe, effective, and potent, Peter L. Salk opened the conference by connecting that history to the challenge of maintaining public trust today.
His keynote, Reflections on Vaccine Legacy and Public Trust, gave the anniversary year a clear frame: remember what vaccination changed, understand why confidence has become harder to sustain, and carry those lessons into the next generation of public-health work.
Conference recap
A milestone year grounded in what public trust requires now.
From the keynote, the program moved into emerging pathogens, statewide collaboration, vaccine ethics, school-health barriers, behavioral science, cross-sector trust, system-level confidence strategies, and misinformation.
Attendees represented health systems, public health, schools, pharmacies, community organizations, and students, reflecting how broadly vaccine coordination now extends across the region.
Program
National expertise, local practice, and the settings where vaccine decisions are made every day.
Welcome and opening remarks: Jenny Bender, MPH, BSN, RN, CIC
Peter L. Salk, MD
The historical legacy of polio vaccination and its relevance to trust-centered outreach today.
Emerging infectious-disease threats, surveillance, and practical local readiness.
Tom McCleaf, PhD
Statewide coordination, policy implementation, and collaboration across Pennsylvania.
Ethical reasoning around vaccine development, distribution, mandates, and public-health decisions.
Kara Miles, BSN, RN, NCNSN
School-based access barriers, family engagement, vaccine schedules, and informed decision-making.
Behavioral-science principles that can strengthen communication and support uptake.
Raymond Pontzer, MD, moderator · Richard Zimmerman, MD · Marian Michaels, MD · Donald Middleton, MD · John Alcorn, PhD
Cross-sector perspectives on trust, access, public-health practice, and equitable vaccination coverage.
System-level policies and quality-improvement approaches that support confidence and coordination.
Todd Wolynn, MD & Chad Hermann
Trusted messengers, narrative defense, and consistent relationship building in the face of misinformation.
Conference video
Watch highlights from the day, then use the resources below for the agenda, presentation slides, photographs, and media coverage.
Conference resources
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