During the 2016 Spring Break, students of the Oakwood University shot@life club (Victoria Ellington-Perrier, Jada Reedus, Elyse Greene, Karis Arnold, Samuel Parkins, Jeffterline Dorvil, Amara Hendricks, Chelese Moore) and their club sponsor, Onesimus Otieno, Ph.D., attended the Shot@life 2016 Summit in Washington D.C.
Shot@life is an organization that advocates for global childhood vaccines. The campaign focuses on four major vaccine-preventable illnesses (measles, pneumonia, rotavirus and polio) by brainstorming on innovative ways to raise awareness, especially among lawmakers and businesses that drive global policy on vaccine development, funding, and access.
In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The US Department of State, The US Agency of International Development (USAID), The United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Shot@life has a direct impact on global access to vaccines especially through the cold-chain, a process ensuring that vaccines are kept at a reliably cool temperature to keep them viable.
During the summit, participants met legislators on Capitol Hill, including Representatives Mo Brooks (AL-5), Bradley Byrne (AL-1), Martha Roby (AL -2), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Bennie Thompson (MS-2) and Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. The OU Shot@life team eloquently discussed global vaccine funding issues, noting that the 1.5 million annual deaths of children under the age of 5 can be prevented. Every dollar spent on vaccination has a 16-fold return in health benefits.
A highlight of the tour was a visit with U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, '70. The OU Shot@life club has represented Oakwood University and ADRA International at the summit for three years now and continues to have on-campus activities through the school year.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Thursday, March 10th 2016 at 12:50PM
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