April 11th, 2023
Vaccines Cause Adults - HSPAG joins Baker Institute effort at the Texas Capitol to advocate for vaccine access and equity
Matthew Avalos, HSPAG President
As students that tirelessly spend hours upon days upon months and years toiling away in our labs, books, and classrooms, finding the opportunity to apply our scientific knowledge for direct policy advocacy in a way that feels tangible is hard to come by. By collaborating with the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and The Immunization Project, I and many other students found such an opportunity to do some direct action at the Texas Legislature. Those of us who took the time to visit the Capitol building in Austin did so with the hope that our many years of study and experience in biology would confer some level of credibility and trust in our position on the importance of vaccines for the health of Texans. I myself am a graduate student who researches neurodegenerative diseases, and while not training to be a doctor or an immunologist, I have a great deal of familiarity with the system of how research is done in the health sciences. Knowing the research, the analytical methods, and the literature at large and how that generates a scientific consensus around the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is something that I wanted conveyed to Texas lawmakers, and that’s why I wanted to be part of this effort.
Entrance to the Capitol building in Austin, TX.
Vaccines are a critical component to individual and public health. Injections of weakened, killed, or cut up pathogens are recognized by specialized immune cells that monitor and react to the vaccine. This leads to our bodies being able to retain a memory of the pathogen that we need to protect ourselves from so that in the event of a real infection the adaptive immunity conferred by the vaccine can protect us from devastating illness. We know this based on the history of vaccination, be it against polio, diphtheria, measles, and most recently SARS-COV-2. In the not so distant past, these diseases wreaked havoc, infecting millions of people every year with severe outcomes such as permanent disability and death being quite common.
Despite these well documented facts, the state of vaccine distribution and administration in Texas is facing enormous challenges in terms of logistics and politics. Rural and low-income regions of Texas face major hurdles in terms of general access to healthcare, which in turn reduces the likelihood of people in these categories in getting vaccinated. Black and Hispanic Texans are also less likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine in large part to the inadequate immunization registry in Texas, an opt-in system that is not known to everyone and is more costly compared to most states in getting people enrolled. And misconceptions about how vaccines work and how safe they are created an additional impediment to herd immunity in many communities, leading to outbreaks of previously contained pathogens and putting the lives of those who for personal health reasons are unable to receive vaccines at risk.
The trip itself was via bus, which I’m proud to say our scipol group HSPAG played a major role in. HSPAG was instrumental in applying for the funding from the National Science Policy Network and coordinating with the Baker Institute in figuring out viable travel methods that would serve a group of our size. When the day to travel came, us students from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and other institutions gathered at 6am on the footsteps of the Baker Institute building at Rice and departed for a three-hour ride to the Capitol building where we were ushered to the high up viewing areas of the Texas House of Representatives during their legislative session. We were thrilled to be recognized by Representative Ann Johnson of District 134, who then thanked us for being part of this effort to promote vaccines, science, and public health to her colleagues.
The Texas House of Representatives during a legislative session.
Photograph of the Vaccines Cause Adults group with Texas state rep Ann Johnson of District 134.
Shortly thereafter, we left the Texas House area and had lunch and a briefing regarding our plan to split up into different groups so that we could speak with the Reps and Senators of which we were constituents. We received the educational packets containing fliers detailing scientifically backed conclusions about the efficacy of vaccines, areas of concern about the current state of the vaccine system in Texas, as well as a flier detain a coffee meet-and-greet event later in the day for the folks in the various offices to come down to and talk vaccines with us.
This was the first time that most of us in the group of students had visited a legislator’s office at any level. My group had to navigate a somewhat byzantine Capitol building using an unintuitive room-naming system and our little printout maps to locate our assigned offices. We eventually found the office of Representative Shawn Thierry of House District 146 as our first stop and were delighted by the attentiveness and politeness of the staffers in her office. One by one I and the other students I was joined with spent about a minute talking about why we cared about vaccines and public health before eventually handing off our packet of educational materials for Rep. Thierry. Our next stop was the office of Senator Borris Miles representing Senate District 13, which was located far from us and beyond the Senate chamber where there was another session taking place. We needed to be guided there by one of our trip organizers, but once we had arrived at Senator Miles’ office I sheepishly knocked on the glass door while the office staff waved their hands for me to open the door and come right inside. We were greeted instantly by the staffers inside and were quickly asked about the blue shirts we were wearing that said, “Vaccines Cause Adults.” They took a liking to that and we chatted briefly and were assured before our group got a chance to get our spiel out that Senator Miles cares about this issue and that he is firmly on the side of science and the scientific consensus on vaccines.
A series of posters created by the Vaccines Cause Adults event organizers at the Baker Institute. These posters were used as part of a coffee meet-and-greet event that legislators and their staffers were invited to so that they can talk with us about vaccine facts and policy areas pertaining to vaccine logistics and administration.
While it’s hard to say how impactful any of us were at an individual level, one recurring theme we encountered in our talks with staffers and our event organizers was how much it matters that our legislators are aware of us and hear from us. Since groups that are opposed to vaccines other science-backed health proposals often have much more free time and financial backing than those of us who usually spend our time in the lab or in the classroom, our voices can get drowned out by noise and nonsense. Therefore, persistence is key when it comes to ensuring that science and expertise are making their way to the eyes and ears of policymakers. Legislators need to hear from constituents that care about how policy is impacting their constituents, and they need for their constituents who understand particular issues to speak up.
But more than anything else, my biggest takeaway form this experience is that it can’t be understated how much work went into preparing for this advocacy opportunity, be it from the folks over at Baker Institute who organized this trip to all the policy researchers who put together the dissemination materials for the legislators’ offices. Behind this advocacy for vaccines and for science, there’s the years of research in the lab and doctors working with patients that made the scientific data available. Then there’s the policy research involving people who look at the laws and the healthcare systems in place, analyzing the extent to which they achieve their purported health aims and serve the broader public. And then there’s us in our capacity as students, as advocates, and as constituents, using the knowledge and experience that we’ve gained from years of study to gain the credibility needed for our lawmakers to take in interest in what we believe Texas vaccine policy should try to achieve. Strong advocacy is a team effort based on sound research and the persistence of those of us who care about getting public policy to reflect good science.
April 22, 2022
Community-Scientist Partnerships: An Local Example of Policy Changes that Resulted in Community-Based Coastal Conservation Efforts
Bailey Martin-Giacalone, HSPAG President
The Gulf Coast is home to a diverse array of wildlife and wetland habitats. In particular, blue crabs and stone crabs bring many people to the Texas Coast for recreational crabbing. On average, 6.3 million pounds of blue crabs are caught annually, according to Galveston Bay biologist Glen Sutton. While abundant crabbing can result in a fun activity or perhaps a tasty dinner, it also results in numerous crab traps, one of the primary means for catching crabs, left along the coast. These traps are often abandoned and can have a harmful impact on both wildlife and other recreational activities.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states that in addition to being a source of litter, abandoned traps provide a dangerous environment for other organisms that are enticed by crab bait and then get stuck in these traps, a phenomenon known as “ghost fishing.” This can kill aquatic life and severly damage or disrupt marine habitats. Further, abandoned crab traps often lie in boat paths and can cause significant damage to boat structure and equipment upon collision. To address this issue, an annual Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program was authorized in 2001 by Senate Bill 1410 during the 77th legislative session and gave volunteer citizens the ability to help remove crab traps from the Texas coast during a 10-day period in late February of each year. Prior to Senate Bill 1410, game wardens (Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement), were the only people who were authorized to remove these crab traps, which were abandoned by fishermen during the crab trap season. This policy change has led to greater conservation efforts aimed at caring for the Texas coast. For example, the Texas Parks and Wildlife estimates that between 2002 and 2015, 11,000 organisms were saved due to these efforts. In addition, there are many other coastal states who have enacted similar programs.
The Galveston Bay Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and caring for Galveston Bay, hosts an annual Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program and reported that for the 2022 event, 83 traps were collected by over 40 volunteers. This is the lowest number of crab traps identified and collected since the program began in 2002 (see the figure below, data provided by TPWD Coastal Outreach Director upon request). Though there may be other factors that resulted in the smaller number of abandoned traps that were removed, Volunteer Engagement Manager Emily Ford stated in an email to volunteers that the reduction in traps means that the program is working. In total, 14,626 traps have been removed from the Galveston coast since the program’s initiation. The Crab Trap Removal Program is a successful example of science policy in action that also brings community members together to take responsibility for caring for the earth. Volunteers are also participating in data collection (trap counts, location, and other animals caught) to inform Texas Parks and Wildlife about the underlying causes of trap abandonment and enhance community strategies to reduce trap abandonment.
January 25, 2022
Poornima Tamma, HSPAG member, discusses the recent changes in CDC guidelines for COVID-19 isolation.
On December 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortened the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic or recovering COVID patients to five days, down from the ten day policy started at the beginning of the pandemic. In their new guidelines, they point to studies that have shown that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs in the first couple of days of infection. Furthermore, the new Omicron variant seems to cause a milder infection, so people might recover within 5 days.
This announcement was not without controversy. Dr. Gerald Harmon, the president of the American Medical Association, explained his concern - about one third of people remain infectious five days after a positive COVID-19 test. Other medical professionals agreed with him, arguing that the shortened quarantine is dangerous, given that the CDC does not require a negative test for ending isolation. Not to mention, the new Omicron variant is highly contagious and seems to be spreading across the country like wildfire.
It’s been clear that a ten day quarantine was just too long for most people to follow. Last summer, when case numbers were rising because of the Delta variant, testing rates actually declined in many counties around the United States because people didn’t want to risk not working for so many days. Several New York City public schools announced that schools would close if two or more students tested positive. In response, parents suggested keeping sick children at home but not getting them tested for COVID-19 so that the schools could remain open.
It seems the CDC is stuck in an unenviable position. They have to balance empirical data with inconvenient realities to create effective policies. The risk of healthcare workers spreading COVID by coming out of quarantine too quickly is perhaps outweighed by the very real possibility of a shortage of nurses or doctors. If more people get tested and stay at home because they only have to miss half as much work, then maybe the spread of COVID-19 will slow down. I wonder if the data will show that the public is more willing to get tested with this change in policy.
October 29, 2021
Science Policy Group HTX President, Bailey Martin-Giacalone, contributed to the National Science Policy Network’s October SciPolBites series. Check out the blog post below, which highlights a humane-scaled approach to spatial justice. See other posts in the series at this link.
The tricks of Halloween have often eclipsed the treats for poor/low-income communities and people of color. Over the past several years, #NotYourCostume Twitter threads and blog posts have highlighted racist and insensitive Halloween costumes. While addressing individual-level behavior is encouraging, trick-or-treating is also a reminder of the structural racism that has led to the racial and economic segregation across America’s neighborhoods.
As highlighted by Dr. Julian Agyeman in a 2020 article and during a workshop hosted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, urban planning has intentionally racialized infrastructure, which he calls the “spatial toolkit for white supremacy.” The effects of zoning, redlining, and racially restrictive cordons and deeds, which legally excluded nonwhite people from being able to obtain a loan, purchase property, or reside in certain places, underlie neighborhood segregation today.
Dr. Agyeman provided several examples of racialized urban design including how complex intersections with high intensity traffic were disproportionately and purposefully created in communities of color, many of which were created under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. As New York University Professor and the President of the American Civil Liberties Union, Deborah Archer, discussed in a recent paper, this act resulted in highways, railroads, and major streets that intentionally displaced communities of Black residents from thriving spaces, demolished Black homes and business districts, and became a physical structure to separate white and Black neighborhoods. Today, Black people in these communities continue to suffer from racialized poverty, disproportionate health problems, and lower life expectancy, as reviewed by Drs. David Williams and Chiquita Collins in Public Health Reports.
This Halloween, make a commitment to what Dr. Agyeman calls a “humane-scaled” approach to urban planning where we urge policy makers and community leaders to design spaces for human dignity and empathy. One way you can do this is to call your elected officials and advocate for racial impact equity studies, which would require state departments of transportation to review the ways in which racial and ethnic groups will be affected by proposed redevelopment projects (see the Federal Highway Administration’s investigation of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project). It is especially critical to advocate for spatial justice now, as cities are reinvesting in the racist 1950’s infrastructure that is no longer adequate to meet demands or requires major upkeep.