Welcome to Community Immunity!

An short intro post...

I’m David Higgins—a practicing community pediatrician who still loves seeing patients every week, a researcher focused on improving vaccine communication and delivery, an academic faculty member passionate about teaching the next generation of health professionals, and a public health physician with experience at local, state, and national levels. I’m also a dad to two wild daughters. My work blends the hands-on realities of patient care with the expertise of a vaccine communication and delivery scientist.

After practicing full-time pediatrics in wonderful communities across Colorado and Montana, I returned to academia, frustrated by the growing resistance to vaccines—one of humanity’s greatest public health achievements. Since then, the challenges surrounding vaccine communication and delivery have only intensified, making this work more urgent than ever.

That’s why I started Community Immunity—a weekly newsletter offering insights, evidence, and analysis on vaccine communication, delivery, and policy in an ever-changing landscape. Together, we’ll tackle vaccine myths, cynicism, and the policies shaping public health, all through evidence-based insights, real-world perspectives, and engaging discussions.

This newsletter is free for everyone, and I want it to be a conversation, not just a broadcast. Your feedback, questions, and topic suggestions matter—let me know what’s on your mind! And if you find this valuable, please help spread the word.

I believe that partnership, empathy, and compassion go further than shouting matches. That doesn’t mean I won’t take a stand when something threatens public health—but when I do, you’ll know why. I won’t always get everything right, and when I rethink something, I’ll be the first to admit it.

If you’re as concerned as I am about the future of vaccination in the U.S. and evidence-based vaccine policy, stick around. Let’s navigate this together!