Kempe Wins National Pediatric Research Award

Kempe, a professor of pediatrics at the School of Medicine and director of the Children’s Outcomes Research (COR) Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, has promoted efforts to improve child health policies in health disparities among underserved populations, state Children’s Health Insurance Program funding, and immunization delivery, policies and practices.

This year she led a national survey of primary care physicians who deliver vaccinations to children. The study found that a majority of physicians think parents’ level of concern about vaccines has greatly or moderately increased in the past five years and that they are spending a significant amount of time at well-child visits discussing vaccine safety with them.

Kempe called for better education of families prior to the doctor’s office visit, including use of media and social marketing to counter misinformation. The study was published in April in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.