CPHA Canvax

Shannon MacDonald

Dr. Shannon MacDonald

Shannon MacDonald is an Assistant Professor of Nursing and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, as well as an adjunct in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary. Her program of research focuses on vaccine uptake and safety, with an emphasis on supporting immunization best practice and policies. She has a particular interest in addressing system-level barriers and supports to achieving high immunization coverage, especially in vulnerable populations. Her recent and current projects focus on measurement of vaccine coverage and determinants of uptake in First Nations children, children in care of the government, and children with immunocompromising conditions; the effectiveness of interventions to improve immunization appointment attendance, including use of text message reminders; assessment of vaccine safety; measurement of sex-based differences in adverse events following influenza vaccine; and health economic analysis of diverse influenza vaccine providers. Dr. MacDonald’s clinical background is in pediatric nursing with research training in epidemiology, public health, and nursing, including a post-doctoral fellowship in the Alberta Ministry of Health. Her ongoing research collaborations with policy-advisors and clinicians feed her passion for answering real world policy and practice questions that impact child health.