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Welcome to the 2021 Senior Legacy Symposium!
Mistrust of healthcare professionals has been increasingly noticeable in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with vaccine hesitancy. This hesitancy is present across varied demographics, but data regarding lower vaccination rates for Blacks/African Americans is particularly concerning given the increased likelihood for severe COVID complications in this group. While vaccine hesitancy within this community may be related to a history of medical abuse in cases such as the Tuskegee syphilis study as well as present day biases in medical care, intentional efforts to spread misinformation regarding COVID-19 likely exacerbated preexisting sources of medical mistrust. These problems can be further compounded by systemic concerns, such as reduced access to healthcare providers and vaccination opportunities. To combat these issues, our team has developed a multi-faceted approach to dismantle misinformation, promote vaccine accessibility, and encourage the development of trusting relationships between healthcare professionals and the communities they serve.
AV Presentation_ On the Road to Recovery_ Addressing Low Vaccination Rates in Saint Louis’ African American Community - John Stegeman.mp4
John Stegeman
John Stegeman
John Stegeman is a senior neuroscience major at Saint Louis University. Growing up with a large family in Springfield, IL, John was interested in the medical field even at a young age. He continued this foray into medicine during his college career, becoming an emergency medical scribe at Mercy Hospital during his sophomore year. John has also been active in the research community on SLU's campus, working as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Kirchhoff in the Brain and Cognition lab. John plans to take a gap year following his graduation from SLU and continue working as a medical scribe before applying to medical school.
Katy Ransom
Katy Ransom
Katy Ransom is a Kanas City native who is pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Marketing. She currently works in retail part time at TJ Maxx. In the fall of 2021, she will hopefully be working full time in a marketing or sales position in Saint Louis, MO.
Analisa Martorano
Analisa Martorano
Analisa Martorano is originally from Chicago, and she is currently pursuing her Bachelor's of Social Work with an additional major in Psychology. She currently works as a nanny and works at an elementary school in St. Louis. In the fall of 2021, she will, hopefully, be attending graduate school at SLU and earning her Master's of Social Work.
The group would like to thank their faculty sponsor Dr. Lisa Willoughby for their support of this project.
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