Led by Dr. Jaime Sidani and Beth Hoffman
Sidani, Hoffman, and Wolynn come up with 5 simple guidelines!
“While at first it felt a little defeating that the event was co-opted to spread anti-vaccination messages, we learned some really constructive lessons,” said lead author Beth Hoffman, M.P.H., a doctoral student at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health. “I expect our guidelines will prove valuable now as health professionals work to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, as well as in the development of future health communication campaigns to promote vaccines.”
Battling the Infodemic: COVID-19 Mis- and Disinformation
Dr. Jamie Sidani and Ms. Beth Hoffman discuss how anti-vaccination disinformation is spread via social media. Distrust of vaccines is nothing new, but dispersal of mis- and disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing problems and is presenting new dangers. With their COVID-19 Hesitancy Research, Sidani and Hoffman are working to find the most effective way to address and prevent vaccine hesitancy.
Covid Vaccine Misinformation Target of Pitt Study
An interview with Trib Live!
“We wanted to see what are some of the reasons why we’re seeing some of the trends we’re seeing,” said Beth Hoffman, a Ph.D. student in Pitt’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, and one of the lead researchers. “And also, what are some of the ways we can make sure people are getting the correct information?”
PittWire: Research Aims to Understand, Curb Misinformation on COVID-19 Vaccines
Dr. Sidani on Pitt Disinformation Lab Team
The PDL Team provides early warnings of influential dis-, mis- and mal-information, evolves anticipatory, long-term resilience within and across networks to fire-proof against the influence of future disinformation campaigns, develops programs to empower platform moderators and users to collectively identify and resolve vulnerabilities, and coordinates impactful strategies and policies to actively combat disinformation that meet the needs of communities on the ground.
Sidani and Hoffman interviewed by KDKA about Study Aims To Curb Vaccine Misinformation
A grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation is helping Pitt researchers investigate the how and why misinformation spreads about vaccines.