MISSION STATEMENT
To chronicle and educate the public on the historical contribution of vaccines and antibodies to human health and to explain the role of immunization in health care.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Eight out of 10 Internet users look for healthcare information on the Web. Sixteen percent of them are looking for information on vaccines and immunizations. No scientifically vetted site exists solely to present information on the history and technology of immunization.
PROJECT
The project is a new multimedia, interactive Web site. The Virtual Museum of Vaccines will provide the public with a reliable online source of information on the history and technology of immunization and honor pioneering scientists in the field. The Virtual Museum is designed to appeal to multiple audiences. Three specific groups are being targeted: educators and students, parents, and healthcare professionals. The Virtual Museum will combine a traditional Internet format with more innovative Web 2.0 components. Content will be determined and vetted by an advisory panel of internationally recognized medical, historical, and epidemiological experts.
EXPECTED RESULTS
We expect that the Virtual Museum of Vaccines will increase students', parents', and healthcare professionals' knowledge and understanding of the ways in which vaccines work, how they have been developed, and the role they have played in human health over the last few hundred years. We also expect to provide educators and healthcare professionals with materials to assist them in their work endeavors.
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS' INVESTMENT
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is developing the site as one of its community education programs and as a complementary source of information to their community healthcare site. The College invests its reputation as a fair, reliable, and relentlessly neutral source of healthcare information.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is a cultural and educational institution, founded as a medical society in 1787 by the city's leading physicians, including Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Dr. John Morgan, the founder of the nation's first medical school. The College serves the professional health community and the general public through a mission that is dedicated to advancing the cause of health, while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. It has an honorary Fellowship of over 1,500 physicians, health-related professionals, and distinguished members of the community. The College is home to one of the foremost historical medical libraries in the world and to the renowned Mütter Museum, an anatomy and pathology museum. Public health outreach programs such as PhillyHealthInfo.org address the College's goal to enable individuals, families, and communities to take greater responsibility for their health. Each program of the College utilizes its assets and supports objectives that fulfill the goals of education and community service.
MORE INFORMATION
Why a Virtual Museum of Vaccines?
Increased controversy about vaccine safety together with the increased use of the Internet as a source of health information has resulted in a substantial need for accurate information on the Web regarding immunization. Eight in ten adults now go online for health information, and in 2006 16% of them had questions about vaccinations.1 A number of excellent sites present current medical recommendations regarding vaccinations and recommended timetables of administration (e.g., www.cdc.gov). However, few sites comprehensively document the history and technology of immunization and provide a scientific and historical context for the current recommendations.

The Question of the decade*
One of the most highly respected popular books on the subject, by Robert Sears states that, "Should you vaccinate your child?" is "the question of the decade."2 Nevertheless, he does not attempt to discuss the history of infectious diseases and the development of vaccines in his book for fear of "information overload." This Virtual Museum will provide this information.

Adult vaccination rates
Increasingly, health officials have concerns that vaccination levels for adults in the United States are disturbingly low.3 As many as 70,000 adult Americans die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases, but only 2.1% of adults are immunized against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. Increased education is required to raise awareness of the need for adult vaccination.

Increased public interest and awareness
Public interest in the history of vaccines has risen recently due to well-publicized controversies. The result is increasingly numerous new books being published on the subject.4 This trend suggests a need for additional information on the Internet about vaccines and their history. This site will recognize the serious concerns of many parents and others about vaccination and provide a forum for moderated discussion of the topic. Recent concerns about apparent reduced vaccination rates in children in some areas emphasize the continued need for accurate information.

A public health initiative The College of Physicians of Philadelphia proposes to satisfy this need for high-quality information by creating this Virtual Museum. This site aims to become the primary online source for reliable scientific information on the history and technology of immunization. All content will be determined and vetted by an internationally recognized group of medical, historical and epidemiological experts.

Goals
The goals of this project are outlined below. For more information about any aspect of the project, enter your request and e-mail on the contact page.

Goal 1. To enhance public understanding of the value of immunization for both adults and children
  • To promote interest in vaccinations
  • To educate the public about how vaccinations work
  • To inform the public regarding possible side-effects of vaccines and vaccination
Goal 2. To educate the public about the history of vaccines
  • To promote interest in the history of vaccines
  • To educate the public about the history of vaccines
  • To honor pioneering scientists in the field
Goal 3. Inform the public and healthcare professionals about vaccine technology and development.
  • To promote interest in vaccine research and development
  • To promote interest in past, current, and future vaccine technologies
  • To educate the public and healthcare professionals about vaccine technologies
Goal 4. To provide educational resources for schools and colleges
  • To promote an interest in vaccine teaching materials among teachers
  • To provide online and downloadable materials about the history of vaccines and vaccine technology for educators
  • To provide information regarding public controversies about vaccines
Goal 5. To provide resources for healthcare professionals and their patients
  • To promote an interest in educational materials for patients among healthcare professionals
  • To provide material for healthcare professionals to give to patients


1 Fox, Susannah. Online Health Search 2006. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Oct 29, 2006 2 Sears RW (2007). The Vaccine Book. Little Brown & Co. 3 Landro L (2008). Get Your Shots: Adults Need Vaccines, Too. Wall Street Journal July 9 2008
4 For example, Allen A (2008). Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver.
   Link K (2005), The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations.
   Heller J (2008) The Vaccine Narrative. Vanderbilt University Press
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, founded in 1787, is the oldest professional medical organization in the country. Twenty-four physicians of eighteenth-century Philadelphia gathered "to advance the science of medicine and to thereby lessen human misery." Today, over 1,500 Fellows (elected members) continue to convene at the College and work toward better serving the public.

Throughout its 200-year history, the College has provided a place for medical professionals and the general public to learn about medicine as both a science and as an art.

This historic spirit continues in our current mission: advancing the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. The College strives to
  • Enable individuals, families, and communities to take greater responsibility for their health.
  • Improve the health of the public through service to health professionals.
  • Enhance appreciation of the heritage of medicine.
  • Provide information for the development of health policy.


The College is home to the Mütter Museum and the Historical Medical Library. Our outreach programs include PhillyHealthInfo.org, an online health information, resource, and educational program serving the Delaware Valley, and the C. Everett Koop Education Center. The public is invited to attend the many lectures, workshops, and conferences the College offers. Our programs reflect our reverence for the past, our commitment to the present, and our vision for the future of medicine and health.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
19 South 22nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103


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