Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccines
Please Choose a Presenter
» Jon Abramson, M.D.
» Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.
» Walter A. Orenstein, M.D.
» William Schaffner, M.D.
» Sean Tunis, M.D., MSc
Jon Abramson, M.D.
Chair, Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics
Chair and Professor, Department of Pediatrics,
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Jon Abramson, MD, is the current chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics. He is also the Weston M. Kelsey chair and professor of the Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Abramson served as the residency program director at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center for three years and became vice chairman of the Department of Pediatrics in 1991. He has also been the physician-in-chief of Brenner Children's Hospital since 1996.
In addition to his appointment at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Dr. Abramson served as the president of the Society for Pediatric Research.
Dr. Abramson received his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where he also completed a residency in pediatrics. He completed his fellowship in pediatrics infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Abramson received his bachelor of science from Boston University.
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Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.
Vice Admiral and U.S. Surgeon General,
U.S. Public Health Service
Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona was sworn in as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States Public
Health Service on August 6, 2002.
Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Carmona dropped out of high school and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. While enlisted he received his Army General Equivalency Diploma, joined the Army's Special Forces, ultimately becoming a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, and began his career in medicine.
After leaving active duty, Dr. Carmona attended Bronx Community College of the City University of New York, where he earned his associate of arts degree. He later attended and graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, with a bachelor of science degree (1977) and medical degree (1979). At the University of California Medical School, Dr. Carmona was awarded the prestigious gold-headed cane as the top graduate. He also earned a master's of public health degree from the University of Arizona (1998).
Dr. Carmona has worked in various positions in the medical field including paramedic, physician's assistant, and registered nurse. Dr. Carmona completed a surgical residency at the University of California, San Francisco, and a National Institutes of Health-sponsored fellowship in trauma, burns, and critical care. Dr. Carmona is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is also certified in correctional health care and in quality assurance.
Prior to being named Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona was the chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, a professor of surgery, public health, and family and community medicine at the University of Arizona; and the Pima County Sheriff's Department surgeon and deputy sheriff.
Dr. Carmona has also held progressive positions of responsibility as chief medical officer, hospital chief executive officer, public health officer, and finally chief executive officer of the Pima county health care system. He also has served as a medical director of police and fire departments and is a qualified peace officer with expertise in special operations and emergency preparedness, including weapons of mass destruction.
Dr. Carmona has published extensively and received numerous awards, decorations, and local and national recognition for his achievements. A strong supporter of community service, he has served on community and national boards and provided leadership to many diverse organizations.
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Walter A. Orenstein, M.D.
Director of the National Immunization Program,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Walter A. Orenstein, MD, is the director of the National Immunization Program (NIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He served in the Division of Immunization at the CDC for more than 15 years, and as director of the division from 1988 until May 1993, when he was named director of the newly formed National Immunization Program.
Dr. Orenstein's work has focused on infectious diseases and immunization. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal and the United States Public Health Service Commendation Medal.
He is active in the field of vaccines and serves as an adjunct professor at the Emory School of Public Health in Atlanta. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 published studies, reviews and book chapters for medical books, trade publications and literature. He is the co-editor of the Third Edition of Vaccines and was past chairman of the publications committee for the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the council of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. In addition, Dr. Orenstein currently serves on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee and the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Dr. Orenstein received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he specialized in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He received his bachelor of science from the City College of New York.
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William Schaffner, M.D.
Professor and Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine,
Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases,
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
William Schaffner, MD, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. He has served as Hospital Epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Hospital for nearly 30 years and is an active member of 20 professional societies.
Dr. Schaffner's work has focused on all aspects of infectious diseases, including epidemiology, infection control and immunizations. In 1996 he was awarded the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology Lecturer Award "in recognition of extraordinary career contributions to infection control and healthcare epidemiology."
Dr. Schaffner is active in the field of infectious disease research and has authored or co-authored more than 230 published studies, reviews and book chapters on infectious diseases. He currently serves on the editorial board of a number of scientific journals, including Hospital Infection Control, European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Patient Care.
Dr. Schaffner received his medical degree from Cornell University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar (Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany) and received his undergraduate degree from Yale University.
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Sean Tunis, M.D., MSc
Chief Clinical Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),
Deputy Director, Office of Clinical Standards and Quality
Sean Tunis, MD, MSc., is the chief clinical officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and deputy director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality (OCSQ), which makes evidence-based national coverage policies; sets quality standards for Medicare and Medicaid providers; leads CMS's quality measurement and improvement activities; and manages Medicare's Peer Review Program.
As chief clinical officer, Dr. Tunis works on overall agency clinical policy and purchasing initiatives. He was previously the director of the Coverage and Analysis Group within OCSQ. Prior to joining CMS, Dr. Tunis served as a senior research scientist with The Lewin Group, where he led the design and conduct of prospective comparative effectiveness studies. Dr. Tunis also served as the director of the health program at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Additionally, he served as a health policy advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, where he participated in policy development regarding pharmaceutical and device regulation.
Dr. Tunis holds an adjunct faculty position in the department of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and he practices as an emergency room physician in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Tunis received his medical degree from Stanford University, where he also received a master in health services research. Dr. Tunis completed a residency in emergency medicine and internal medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Maryland. Dr. Tunis has a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.