Dr. Rachel Winer is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research interests are in the epidemiology and prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and HPV-related cancers. Current projects focus on the epidemiology and natural history of HPV infections, the impact of HPV vaccines in young men who have sex with men, strategies for increasing HPV vaccine coverage in underserved populations, and novel strategies for increasing uptake and effectiveness of cervical cancer screening.
Questions & Answers
The key elements of the program include:
-Mothers and adolescent daughters attending an event together
-Mothers receiving a brief educational presentation on HPV vaccination
-Education delivered by a health educator or health practitioner
Dinner and/or social activities for mothers and daughters can be tailored to the interests of the target community. Daughters participate in an alternate activity while their mothers are receiving the HPV vaccination presentation – the alternate activity can also be tailored to the interests of the target community.
Although the program was developed specifically for use with members of the Hopi Tribe, the intervention could be modified and used with other Native populations.
The health educator or health care practitioner who delivers the educational presentation should be knowledgeable enough about HPV vaccines to field questions from mothers, and should be a champion of HPV vaccination.
On a practical level, events should be well-coordinated with planned timelines for dinner and other activities in order to hold the attention of the participants.
Practitioners may consider surveying mothers before and after the presentation to gauge impact on HPV vaccine knowledge. If feasible, HPV vaccine uptake in daughters could be compared between mothers in a community who do versus do not participate in the program.
My current research focuses on strategies for increasing HPV vaccine uptake in different populations, including U.S. immigrant and refugee populations. I also conduct research to evaluate HPV vaccine impact in men who have sex with men, and research to evaluate strategies for increasing cervical cancer screening in hard-to-reach women.