Your vaccine questions deserve real answers | Kizzmekia Corbett | Your Body on Tech

Vaccine hesitancy stems from a historical lack of trust and ineffective communication between the scientific community and the public. Viral immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett, the scientific lead for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, argues that scientists must move beyond publishing data in insular journals to actively engage with public concerns. By adopting the term "vaccine inquisitiveness," she advocates for an empathetic approach that treats skepticism as a valid request for information rather than an anti-science stance. Corbett highlights that while rapid vaccine development is a triumph of modern science, the failure to address public questions in real-time has fueled long-term refusal. Preparing for inevitable future pandemics requires scientists to bridge the gap between complex research and community understanding, ensuring that transparent, accessible communication remains as central to public health as the vaccines themselves.