You are invited to the Medical History Interest Group's presentation of Dr. Jeffrey Baker's "The Measles Resurgence:  A Case Study in the History of Vaccine Hesitancy.

We will have a meet-and-greet with Dr. Baker at 12pm before the lecture. The first 25 attendees will be offered a complimentary lunch.

You may also attend the event virtually at this link. Please be aware that while streaming is available to all, only those with an ECU email address are able to access the live Q&A via Panopto. However, I will be taking questions from this email (frazierm24@ecu.edu) during the live session.

Presentation Description: In the 1960s, the Centers for Disease Control announced its intent to eradicate measles from the United States. Fifty years later, the disease has made a dramatic return, with more cases in 2025 than any other over the past thirty years.  What went wrong?  Perhaps more than any other infectious disease, measles has played a central role in both childhood vaccine policy and vaccine skepticism.  This talk will revisit this history, with an eye not only on policy, but on the practical task of speaking to vaccine-hesitant parents in the clinic. 

About the Speaker: Jeffrey P. Baker, M.D., Ph.D., directs the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine in Duke University School of Medicine. A professor of pediatrics and history, he has published numerous historical articles related to pediatrics, vaccine controversies, autism, and the dynamics of academic health centers and their communities. Dr. Baker has taught history to undergraduates, residents, and medical students. He was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award in 2025, the Joseph A. Feagin Leadership in Medicine award in 2022, and the School of Medicine Excellence in Professionalism Award in 2019. The Medical History Interest Group had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Baker in 2019 with his talk titled “The Transformations of Autism.” A recording of this talk can be found here.  

This presentation is part of the Ruth and John Moskop History of Medicine Lecture Series.

Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the ADA Coordinator at least 48 hours prior to the event at (252) 737-1018 (voice/TTY) / ada-coordinator@ecu.edu