Healthcare: Childhood Vaccines

In my public‑health and medical volunteer work around the world, I’ve cared for children with infectious diseases I had previously only read about in textbooks. Seeing these illnesses firsthand was both eye‑opening and humbling. It deepened my clinical knowledge in ways no classroom ever could, but it also underscored something even more important: just how essential vaccines are to protecting children and their communities.

My experiences working and volunteering in countries like Panama, Haiti, South Africa, and Ecuador shaped my desire to practice pediatric medicine. They showed me what happens when preventable diseases take hold and how powerful public‑health tools—especially vaccines—can be in keeping families safe.

Here in Vermont, I’m grateful to practice in a state where our public‑health infrastructure makes decisions based on science, data, and the best available technology to protect and inform the public. We saw this clearly during the COVID‑19 pandemic, when Vermont’s public‑health leaders worked tirelessly to secure vaccine access for our communities. And they didn’t falter in the fall of 2025 when they secured COVID-19 vaccines, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles at the national level. 

Allowing diseases like polio or measles to resurface simply isn’t an option. Beyond the risk to children and families, the strain on our healthcare system would be enormous—driving up insurance costs, overwhelming emergency rooms, and stretching an already burdened system even further. Meanwhile, the safety metrics for American vaccines are rigorous; vaccines are held to the highest scientific standard and tested well before being trialed among a small number and then expanded to a larger number. On the very rare occasion a vaccine is deemed unsafe, it is immediately pulled and the evidence is scoured for learning points. 

Vaccines have been one of the most effective public‑health tools for more than a thousand years, dating back to early smallpox inoculation practices around 1000 A.D. We have used this scientific tool to protect the masses and promote our human survival for so long and with great success. Alongside breastfeeding, clean water, and safe food, vaccines form one of the core pillars that have allowed humankind not just to survive, but to thrive.