(BALTIMORE, Md.) – A nationally broadcast PBS documentary aimed at ending vaccination misinformation highlights Notre Dame of Maryland University pharmacy experts and students with other leading healthcare advocates.
Dr. Anne Lin, dean of the NDMU School of Pharmacy and a national voice on healthcare access, joins retired Rear Admiral and former Assistant Surgeon General Pamela Schweitzer and Baltimore Commissioner of Health Letitia Dzirasa in the “Vaccination from the Misinformation Virus.” Two more NDMU pharmacy faculty – Drs. Matthew Shimoda, associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of clinical & administrative sciences, and Ashley Moody, an assistant professor of clinical & administrative services – also appear in the film, which is set to air on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. on Maryland Public Television.
Created by Emmy Award-winning producer and director Chris Schueler, the hourlong film provides accurate information about how vaccines work and save lives, along with heartfelt stories.
Yesterday, the School of Pharmacy hosted retired RADM Schweitzer, producer Schueler, and Joseph Chiu, retired medical officer for the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, for a panel discussion and documentary screening.
In the film, Dr. Lin explains the vital role of pharmacists to provide individuals in their communities with much needed health information and services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When physician offices closed during the pandemic, pharmacies didn’t close because where else are people going to go?” said Dr. Lin. “The closest person they can find that’s a healthcare provider when everything is shut down is a pharmacist. Everybody lives within five miles of a pharmacy. So, we’re accessible, and we’re knowledgeable.”
Dr. Lin is the founding dean of the NDMU School of Pharmacy, which regularly places graduates in highly competitive residency and pharmaceutical fellowships. Throughout her career, she has assumed leadership roles in academic pharmacy and continues to impact pharmacy practice at the state and local levels. Most recently, she served as the 2020-21 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and an elected member of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)'s Task Force on Structural Racism in Pharmacy.
First aired in New Mexico and Arizona in July, "Vaccination from the Misinformation Virus” is scheduled to broadcast in California, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, Washington, DC, and possibly other regions within the next few months. Several pharmacist organizations backed the film, including the AACP, APhA Foundation, National Community Pharmacists Association, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
