Adult Immunization with a Focus on Pneumococcus, Meningococcus & COVID-19
Stephen Shafran, MD, FRCPC, FACP
Topics: COVID-19, Immunization, Meningococcus, Pneumococcus
Details
Objectives
- To review the current recommendations for routine immunization of adults in Canada.
- To understand the differences between plain polysaccharide and protein conjugated polysaccharide vaccines.
- To understand the current recommendations for pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines in adults and when such vaccines are publicly funded, and to recognize that lack of public funding does not mean that the vaccines should not be recommended.
- To review current data on the 2 recently approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
- To be aware of other COVID-19 vaccines using non mRNA platforms.
Faculty
Stephen Shafran MD, FRCPC, FACP
Medicine, University of Alberta
Stephen Shafran received his MD from the University of Toronto. He trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto and in Infectious Diseases at UBC.
After an initial academic appointment at the University of Saskatchewan from 1986-1989, he moved to the University of Alberta in 1989 and was promoted to Professor in 1998.
He has held the positions of Director of Undergraduate Education for the Department of Medicine, Director of the Infectious Diseases Training Program, and Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases (1998-2008, 2014-2015). He is currently the Director of the Hepatitis Support Program. He has served the Canadian Infectious Disease Society (precursor of AMMI Canada) in several capacities, including as President.
He has received teaching awards from both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta. He received an award from the American Society for Microbiology for the best abstract in the subject of antiviral therapy.
His research focuses on clinical trials of antiviral agents and vaccines in adults. He has over 160 publications and over 150 abstracts. His outpatient practice is focused primarily on HIV, HCV, and HBV infections. He also provides viral hepatitis and HIV care to inmates in two Federal prisons in northern Alberta and is a consultant to Correctional Services Canada.