Off the Chart: A Business of Medicine Podcast · Medical Economics

What we get wrong about vaccine hesitancy, with David Higgins, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.

·31 min·15 clips

Medical Economics senior editor Richard Pairton interviews Dr. David Higgins, a pediatrician and author who writes about vaccine science and misinformation. The conversation starts with trust in medicine in the United States. Higgins says physicians are still the most trusted source for vaccine information. He then explains why worries about lost trust are sometimes overstated. The episode looks at how misinformation really spreads online. Higgins describes vaccine hesitancy as a long-standing part of vaccine history rather than a brand-new problem. He notes that vaccines have often been victims of their own success. As diseases fade from view, fear of the vaccine can grow and memory of the illness can soften. The discussion also touches on the Wakefield and MMR-autism history and how its effects still hang around. Higgins treats that history as part of a broader pattern, not a one-off event. The show keeps returning to the practical question of uptake. Vaccines can be scientifically strong and still fall short if they sit unused. Higgins uses that point to frame confidence and access as central to vaccine impact. He stresses that vaccines alone do not save lives; vaccination does. The interview then moves toward communication in the exam room. Higgins offers strategies physicians can use when families raise concerns. The emphasis stays on clear explanation instead of confrontation. The episode is built around what doctors need to understand, say, and do next. It connects misinformation, trust, and behavior as one working problem for medicine. That makes the conversation especially relevant for clinicians who answer vaccine questions every day.

As heard by us

A practical discussion of vaccine trust, misinformation, and how physicians can respond.

Dr. David Higgins, a pediatrician and author who writes about vaccine science and misinformation, leads a practical discussion of vaccine trust.

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Want a sharper way to talk about vaccine concerns without sounding rehearsed?

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