Surround yourself with people who would mention your name in a room full of opportunities.
-modified from anonymous
It has been the honor of a lifetime to be one of 30,000 participants in the Moderna mRNA 1273 trial at one of the 90 sites. Dr. Edje had her unblinding visit on 1/6/21. That is when she found out that she had received the trial vaccine instead of placebo. It was an unexpectedly emotional visit in large part because as a leader of 688 residents and fellows at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Dr. Edje would have waited until all of the learners who wanted the vaccine had received theirs. The relief was not that she was immunized but that she was able to be a tiny bit of the solution to the horrific COVID pandemic and to honor those who left us way too soon.
It has been a focus of Dr. Edje’s to use multiple connected media platforms to amplify the message that #VaccinesSaveLives. Those have involved appearances including @TMZLive, CNBC The News With Shepard Smith, MSNBC with Ayman Mohyeldin, Black News Network, Newsy, NPR WVXU 101.5, Channel 8 WCPO, Shelby Ivey Christie, Unscripted Podcast, Otoma Youtube, BET.
in The Lancet https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S2589-5370(21)00025-0
Moderna Trial Participant
Other COVID-specific advocacy
10/1/2020: UCHealth Article - Leading By Example, COVID-19 has affected nearly every aspect of UC associate dean and physician Dr. Louito Edje’s professional life.
https://www.uchealth.com/en/media-room/covid-19/leading-by-example
10/13/2020: AMA Article: Q&A: Why this Black doctor volunteered for coronavirus vaccine trial…Sara Berg
12/9/2020: CNBC Interview…Bertha Coombs
https://twitter.com/thenewsoncnbc/status/1337199315526316037?s=09
12/11/2020: CNBC Article…Bertha Coombs
12/10/2020: Interview on COVID by Black News Channel (BNC) with Laverne McGeev – the only U.S.-based culturally-specific news network that reflects the Black community’s diverse viewpoints
12/10/2020: The Buzz Radio…Lincoln Ware Show, with interactive Q &A
12/11/2020: UCHealth Article…Cedric Ricks
12/12/2020: Cincinnati Medical Association representative on Closing the Health Gap panel: COVID-19 Vaccine: Should you take it? with interactive Q &A
YouTube link to COVID-19 Community Resource Town Hall Meeting on COVID-19 Vaccines
featuring Dr. Lou Edje, Dr. Camille Jones, Dr. Michael Thomas and Nurse Practitioner, Felicia Beckham.
COVID-19 Vaccine: Should you take it? — Virtual Town Hall
The Center for Closing the Health Gap presents the next event in our Virtual Town Hall Series on COVID-19 and our Black Community — an important discussion a...
youtu.be
12/14/2020: TMZ Live Interview…Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere
Dr. Edje’s segment starts at 5 minutes
https://tmz.app.box.com/s/bwxq2ufgoj79zghk5f5zmdvhp8310bgb
12/15/2020: Newsy…Cat Sandoval
12/15/2020: Spectrum News… By Camri Nelson |Columbus
12/16/2020 Louisville, Ky. (WAVE) By Maira Ansari
12/17/2020: MSNBC Live with Ayman Mohyeldin COVID update
12/18/02020: Dr. Lou Edje, CMA Member, has a mission to educate the community about the COVID-19 Vaccine.
12/22/2020: UCHealth VIDEO – Vaccine, A Call To Action
12/23/2020: Unscripted Podcast (medical-student run) Guest Host w/ Robbie Daulton (M4 Medical Student) Fireside Chat on Advocacy
1/5/2021: Channel 9 WCPO Television Interview on COVID Vaccine Hesitancy in Black and Latinx Communities
1/6/2021: “Medical Monday” The segment is a pre-produced radio interview, a premium placement that runs every Monday between 8a-830a on Cumulus-owned radio stations here in Cincinnati. The segment highlights UC Health physicians and their work via an on air (:60) second prerecorded interview.
1/11/21: Fox News Radio, COVID update
1/14/21: The Buzz 101.5 Lincoln Ware Show The future of Coronavirus, impact in the African American Community and Vaccinations, with interactive Q &A (local Black talk radio)
1/16/21: Closing the Health Gap Town Hall COVID https://www.COVID19CommunityResources.com
@CloseHealthGap on FaceBook Live
1/16/21: Catalytic Partnership: Lifelong Engagement in Advocacy and Organized Medicine, University of Cincinnati Second Look Weekend Keynote
1/20/2021: Cincinnati Museum Center program STEM Girls – Discussion of COVID vaccines with girls in stem, with interactive Q &A
1/21/21 WCPO: reposted https://www.wcpo.com/news/coronavirus/uc-doctor-shares-her-story-to-help-convince-black-community-to-get-vaccinated (accessed online 5/14/21)
1/27/2021: Healthcare Heroes Girl Scout, spoke with regional Girl Scouts on Women Changing the World and the Science of COVD Vaccines, with interactive Q &A
1/30/21: Closing the Health Gap COVID Vaccine Updat: Second-dose symptoms, vaccine rollout (Phase 1B +70), new variants (B.1.117, B1.351, P.1, L452R) , Facebook Live , with interactive Q &A
2/3/21: Merritt Hawkin’s AMN Leadership Solutions Recruiting Webinar
2/4/21: Children’s National Sickle Program Townhall on Vaccine Hesitancy, speaking to parents of children with sickle cell disease, 300 parents attended, with interactive Q &A
2/4/21: MSNBC COVID Update, 3-4p segment with Ayman Moyheldin
2/6/21: Ohio State Medical Student Section Annual Meeting Keynote, Catalytic Partnerships and Advocacy
2/16/21: The COVID Vaccine and Vaccine Hesitancy” High Woke Podcast in Atlanta, GA to reach one of the large Black, young professional populations in the United States with resident-physician Dr. Derek Kwakye)
2/17/21: American Academy of Pediatrics Podcast recorded on COVID vaccines and vaccine hesitancy with panelists Robert Frank, MD & Chris Peltier, MD
2/19/21: Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee Webinar on COVID-19, live broadcast for local businesses in Cincinnati on COVID in the workplace
2/19/21: Eastern Star Church: Critical Conversations on Vaccines, live, recorded discussion of COVID vaccines with congregation of Christians. This is a large Black congregant church founded in 1920
2/22/21: MSNBC Analysis post White House COVID Briefing Ayman Mohyeldin
2/24/21: Center for Disease Control & Biden Harris Administration: National Vaccine Forum Panelist Building Bridges between Public Health and Health Care Systems to Ensure Equitable Vaccination, Broadcast to over 13,000 attendees, 6,700 organizations, all states, 197 tribes, all states and Washington D.C.
2/26/21: Channel 12 Action News: COVID Vaccine PSA
3/9/21: Commitment to Make a Difference Conference Keynote Speaker Catalytic Partnerships in Health Equity; A Vaccine Focus Ohio State Medical Association, with interactive Q &A
3/10/21: MSNBC COVID Update on Ayman Mohyeldin 3-4p segment
3/15/21: Spectrum News featured for presenting in Science of COVID Course for University of Cincinnati College of Medcine students
3/23/21: COVID 19 Vaccine: Should You Take It? Panel presentation, followed by interactive Q &A
3/25/21: WLWT Television 11p News segment on COVID and Kids, interviewed on Pfizer’s enrollment of 12-15 year old trial enrollees
3/27/21: Spectrum News COVID Update
3/27/21: COVID Vaccines and Black Women – panelist for Center For Closing the Health Gap Facebook Live presentation followed by interactive Q & A session
4/1/21: University of Cincinnati Athletic Department Viruses, Vaccines & Vaccine Hesitancy,
4/7/21: Vaccine Hesitancy Chicago Sky Basketball Team with the American College of Surgeons Webinar
4/9/21: University of Cincinnati Athletics Department live & recorded COVID Vaccine: Common Concerns, Myths and False Information with interactive Q &A, for over 900 athletes (broadcast for all athletes, broadcast as far as Russia where some athletes were at the time)
4/13/21: Taft Lecture Series: Keynote Speaker for Health Equity Webinar, Viruses Variant and Vaccine Hesitancy, with interactive Q &A
4/15/21: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Keynote speaker 90th Great Lakes Regional Conference COVID Townhall, over 350 attendees, with interactive Q &A
4/17/21: Closing the Health Gap Community Panel A Country in Crisis – Race in America & The Vaccine Part 2, COVID 19 Update and Discussion, with interactive Q &A
4/20/21: PBS/CET Pre-recorded Public Service Announcement on Importance of Vaccines
5/2/21: One of 65 local Black physician who published a letter to the Black community of greater Cincinnati to encourage them to consider becoming vaccinated and speaking to their primary care physicians to address vaccine confidence, Cincinnati Enquirer “ Black physicians, and leaders from business, government and non-profit circles have joined Dr. Edje in signing the community letter encouraging residents to take the vaccine.” http://closingthehealthgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Black-Physicians-Campaign-press-release-4-2021.pdf
5/4/21: Viruses, Variants, Vaccine Hesitancy Webinar live and recorded broadcast for 3M™’s global workforce of 96,000 employees in 70 countries, with interactive Q &A
5/6/21: EquaSion’s A Mighty Streaming Eliminating program in conjunction with The Center for Closing the Health Gap - Racial Inequities in our Healthcare System: Presentation, Discussion and Call to Action Webinar, Keynote: Disproportionate Impact, recorded live for an interfaith organization of 1,500 members, with interactive Q &A
5/7/21: Panel discussion with Senator Sherrod Brown Ohio, on innovative ways to increase vaccine confidence after Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine pause was lifted as well as vaccine access in marginalized communities
5/12/21: Chiefs’ Choice Internal Medicine Grand Rounds Speaker: Kotter’s Catalyst: A Year in Reflection, University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Once a year, the Chief residents pick one speaker on the topic of their choice, they chose to hear about the advocacy work I had been doing as a Moderna Trial participant and vaccine advocate.
5/14/21: National Medical Association Region IV (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) Annual Meeting Panelist: Viruses, Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy, with interactive Q &A
5/18/21: Ayman Mohyeldin – 3-4p EST segment on new CDC masking guidelines
5/26/21: WCPO with Larry Seward
6/2/21: WVXU NPR, Vaccine Hesitancy
6/4/21: Ayman Mohyeldin - What gets us to herd immunity? FDA approval (32 percent of unvaccinated say they will get vaccinate if FDA approved the COVID vaccines, Incentives 10-15% of unvaccinated would do so if incentivized, Primary care physicians are key to getting us over the line.
7/2/21: In FocUS Virus, Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy with Lacey Roberts Cincinnati City Cable
7/9/21: University of Cincinnati COVID-19 Documentary film participant, CCM
7/10/21: Drive Up COVID-19 Vaccine Shot Party Hosted by Old School Lando and Tropikana. Sponsored by Hamilton County Public Health, Urban One, Interact for Health, City of Cincinnati Health Department, The Wiz 101.1, Bi3, Center for Closing the Health Gap
7/15/21: Viruses, Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy for The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative, LLC Part 1 Spoke to women in MN, OH, PA, WA
7/16/21: Viruses, Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy for The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative, LLC Part 2 Spoke to women in MN, OH, PA, WA
7/17/21: Image Bearers Panel discussion on Viruses, Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy with Drs. Calvin Johnson and Shami Feinglass, Live YouTube broadcast to 622 subscribers https://youtu.be/KYORcvyaIoA
8/17/21: WLWT TV Delta Variant and Back to school
8/24/21 WCPO TV Delta Variant and Back to school
8/26/21: Episcopal Retirement Services recorded presentation on Delta Variant and Vaccine hesitancy
Close the Health Gap on Delta Variant and Vaccine Hesitancy
8/26/21: Hartwell Open House discussing back to school and COVID with parents and children
9/15/21: Vaccine Hesitancy Presentation followed by Q & A for UC Health Parking/Access/Service Response Team
9/21/21: University of Cincinnati Medical Center Emergency Department Ground=breaking Ceremony poetic reflection on COVID’s effects on survivors
(“Dear Time,”)
9/22/21: COVID Update Curtis Fuller WLWT TV interview
9/23/21: Close the Health Gap FacebookLive COVID’s Impact on our Youth
9/27/21: Vaccine Persuasion: How to persuade Your Vaccine Hesitant Friends to vaccinate, Free Inquiry Group of Greater Cincinnati, Virtual presentation with Q & A
9/28/21: interview with Damian McNamara for WebMD/Medscape article https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/959970#vp_1
10/12/21: Combating COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Black and Latinx Communities Vaccine Training for American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter, Featured presenter, Live/recorded
11/11/21: We Must Save Our Kids, as panelist with Principal investigators for Pfizer and Moderna Trials (Drs. Fitchenbaum & Dr. French) & members of Cincinnati Medical Association (Drs. Graham & Walker) Facebook Live/recorded
11/23/21: Vaccine Health: How to Communicate with Families in Diverse and Underserved Communities.” American Academy of Pediatrics Training, Ohio Chapter, Featured presenter, Live/recorded
11/30/21: WLWT Channel 5 Answering questions on Omicron variant and vaccine efficacy with Helena Battipaglia
12/10/21: Hallibration Panel on Vaccine Hesitancy at New Vision United Methodist Church
1/19/22: Vaccines and Boosters panel Closing the Health Gap, live, virtual, recorded