This course is designed for those providing primary care, including immunization services, to pediatric patients. Due to an increasingly complex vaccination schedule and increasing rates of parental deferral of and/or outright refusal to vaccinate children, children and their peers are often left unprotected from illnesses that should not pose a threat to them. The course discusses the science behind vaccination as well as gives suggestions for maximizing opportunities to vaccinate. It also encourages collaborating with parents to keep their children healthy by explaining vaccination risks and benefits to enable them to make informed decisions about vaccination. Vaccine side effects and contraindications to commonly used vaccines are also discussed.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1.5 hours to complete.

COST: $30.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Discuss the science behind pediatric immunization practices
2. Summarize parental concerns regarding pediatric vaccinations
3. Develop a strategy to overcome parental anxieties regarding vaccination through provision of information and collaboration

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Clarify the current schedule for pediatric vaccination as recommended by the CDC
2. Recommend primary disease prevention through vaccination
3. Work with parents and caregivers to optimize pediatric vaccination rates

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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MARC GRELLA, MD Course Director

Marc J. Grella, MD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and a member of the Pediatric Group Practice at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is a graduate of Amherst College, Class of 1989, and New York Medical College, Class of 1993. He completed his pediatric residency at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Grella has published in the area of pediatric infectious disease. His interests include newborn and adolescent care and AD(H)D. All of Dr. Grella’s clinical time is spent in direct patient care, both inpatient and outpatient. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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HARVEY P. KATZ, MD Reviewer

Harvey P. Katz, M.D., is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Dr. Katz is the Director the HMS Primary Care Division. Dr. Katz is a pediatrician with a subspecialty in pediatric endocrinology. Residency training was at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and endocrine fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Katz has a long-standing interest in teaching and patient-clinician communication. He is author of Telephone Medicine: Triage and Training for Primary Care (FA Davis, 2001) and co-author of the online continuing education course, The Role of the Telephone in Clinical Medicine: Reducing Liability and Improving Care (www.rmfce.com). Dr. Katz is also deputy director of Pri-Med, Current Clinical Issues in Primary Care, the Harvard CME course in primary care, which is conducted in Boston and six other venues across the country. 200,000 Primary Care Clinicians have enrolled since its inception in Boston in 1995. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

RICHARD MIZNER, MD Reviewer

Dr. Mizner has been a pediatrician at MGH Pediatric Group practice since 1995. He did his residency in Pediatrics from 1992-1995 after completing his medical school education at Johns Hopkins University from 1988-1992. He practices general pediatrics with an interest in newborn medicine. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

HOLLY ROTHERMEL, M.D. Reviewer

Dr. Rothermel is pediatrician at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. She practices primary care at the Pediatric Group Practice, and is also the Clinical Director of Pediatric Rheumatology. Dr. Rothermel studied History at Yale University, and History of Science at Cambridge University. She received her medical training at Stanford Medical School, and did her pediatric training at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. She completed her fellowship in Pediatric Rheumatology at New England Medical Center. In addition to her position at MassGeneral Hospital, Dr. Rothermel is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 1.5 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 1.5 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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