Longmont Resident Recognized by the Center for Disease Control

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Longmont resident, Lindsay Diamond, has been honored with a national Champion Award from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for her contribution in improving public health through her work in promoting childhood immunization.

Diamond is the Director of Communications for the BioFrontiers Institute, a research institute of CU Boulder, a post she has held since 2016. She obtained her Ph.D. in molecular biology at the University of Florida and then spent a number of years with a tech startup in Boulder before deciding to continue her post-doctoral studies at CU. Her hobby and passion for the science of immunization developed into the formation of the nonprofit, Community Immunity, in 2016, together with co-founder Karli Carston, Ph.D., who is also a mother and on the research faculty at CU Boulder.

The thrust of Community Immunity is to work with parents to address their concerns about and help them with understanding the importance of immunization. While Boulder Community Hospital provides a Newborn Care Class for new mothers, many new parents regret not having more information about immunization and other post-natal issues prior to birth. Dealing with a brand new person in the family can be stressful and time-consuming enough without dealing with the gap that often occurs between OB/GYN and Pediatric care.

In addition to assisting parents with information, Community Immunity has to compete with the comparatively recent anti-vaccination movement, started by British Doctor Andrew Wakefield in 1998, and carried on by often celebrity supporters.

Although the link between vaccination and autism has been scientifically rejected, there are still enough adherents to this view to affect the rate of immunization in certain areas, even within Boulder County.

The foothills school districts have a substantially lower immunization rate than Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley districts, with the latter having the higher rate of immunization.

Community Immunity continues its work with parents and schools to ensure that every child is safe from often dangerous diseases.

The Community Immunity website presents information where you can learn about getting flu shots (adults and children), current immunization recommendations, and even about the worrying resurgence of “chicken pox parties”. Lindsay also delivered a well-received TedX talk in Boulder in 2015.