Professor of epidemiology, UC Berkeley Public Health.

Arthur Reingold, MD

2025 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference

, Arthur L. Reingold, MD, professor of epidemiology at UC Berkeley Public Health and expert in the prevention and control of infectious diseases, spoke with HCPLive on addressing public concerns over immunizations and combatting misinformation on the topic.

This interview segment was a part of a larger 

. His talk at ATS was titled ‘The Global Immunization Divide: Overcoming Barriers to Universal Vaccine Coverage,’ and in this interview, he addressed questions regarding public health concerns related to vaccines for lung health.

The Role of Clinicians in Combatting Misinformation on Vaccines, with Arthur Reingold, MD

“First of all, I think clinicians generally don't need those of us in public health and epidemiology to tell them what to do,” Reingold explained. “They know the kind of patients they're dealing with and the needs of those patients. I'm sure that often in the midst of a busy, chaotic clinical schedule, academically or otherwise, that it's a rush to see patients and deal with their acute needs. But I think we need to reinforce the opportunities for prevention and to make sure that vaccines are being not only offered to but maximally-utilized, particularly in high risk populations.”

Reingold was asked about his views on the role pulmonologists and respiratory societies like ATS play in bridging the immunization gap, especially in vulnerable populations. He was also asked about actionable steps to take among health care providers.

“You know, most individuals, if they have a relationship with a healthcare provider, put more trust in that provider than they do in some expert on TV,” Reingold said. “So often there is a long standing doctor patient relationship or provider patient relationship, so there is more trust there than someone from CDC at this point, or NIH, or academia making a recommendation.”

Reingold highlighted his own view that that the doctor-patient relationship is significantly important to build on.

“At the same time, I think we know that misinformation is ubiquitous and it's indestructible,” Reingold said. “It's hard to distinguish from accurate information on the Web. So it's a tall order to battle misinformation and to succeed. While we certainly have many people who claim they do their own research, or they may be listening to our new Secretary of Health and Human Services who has not been a strong supporter of vaccination, I think that's fair to say. To the extent that providers can can get the ear of their patients and convince them of the wisdom of prevention and vaccination. I think that's a critically important role.”

For more about Reingold’s views and presentation information, view his full interview segment above. To learn more about data presented at ATS, view our 

The quotes used in this interview summary were edited for clarity.

Reingold’s disclosures include having served as a consultant for AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline.

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In this interview at ATS 2025, Arthur Reingold, MD, highlights the role of pulmonologists and other health care providers in combatting vaccine misinformation.

Arthur L. Reingold, MD, professor of epidemiology at UC Berkeley Public Health, interviewed with the 

, touching on a significant topic: barriers to vaccination coverage and COVID-19’s impact on public perceptions.

Reingold, who is known for his research on infectious disease prevention at both the national level and in low-income countries, was asked about his view on the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped or exacerbated global disparities in vaccine access and uptake.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Vaccination Coverage Around the World, with Arthur Reingold, MD

“We in California certainly tried to point to those disparities that are there by socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and urban versus rural, and the like, and tried to make sure that our state, as well as other western states that we're working with such as Washington, Oregon, and Nevada, took these disparities into account,” Reingold said. “We did everything possible to minimize them with regard to access to the COVID vaccine, I think we did a reasonable job in that respect.”

However, Reingold noted that the vaccines that exist do not provide durable, long-term protection, especially against variants as they evolve. This, he added, raises the issue of a need for boosters, just as are required with flu.

“At the moment, the coverage with boosters has markedly declined,” Reingold explained. “Some people have concerns about how well the vaccine protects. They point to its ‘failure’ or its minimal effect on transmission. Of course, there's the habitual question of long-term safety, quote-unquote, which I think is really somewhat of a red herring. To be honest, we don't have long-term safety data for any drug or vaccine in the way that people seem to think we need to have. So if that's your standard, it sounds very scientific and rational, but in reality is simply not practical.”

Reingold was also asked about the role pulmonologists and other health care providers play in ensuring immunization is more widely practiced in today’s climate.

“I do understand the challenges that are there for clinicians,” Reingold said. “But you know, trying to convince either their adult patients or the parents of their pediatric patients to be vaccinated is really important, however challenging those discussions can be…Many pulmonologists have among their patients some of the highest risk individuals when it comes to pneumococcal infections, influenza, COVID-19, and the like, so to the extent that they're managing the immunizations of those patients, I think they have an extraordinarily important role to play.”

For more information about Reingold’s views and presentation information, view his full interview segment posted above. To find out more from ATS, view our 

Reingold’s disclosures include having served as a consultant for AstraZeneca.

In this ATS 2025 interview, Arthur Reingold, MD, was asked about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunization rates as well as pulmonologists’ role.

, Arthur L. Reingold, MD, professor of epidemiology at UC Berkeley Public Health, spoke about the biggest takeaways from his presentation ‘The Global Immunization Divide: Overcoming Barriers to Universal Vaccine Coverage.’

Reingold is known for his research into the prevention and control of infectious diseases at both the national level and in low-income countries across the world. He spoke with the 

 team about what he sees as the current state of affairs in vaccination barriers.

Barriers to Immunizations Among Children in the US and Worldwide, with Arthur Reingold, MD

“We've made great progress in preventing illness and death from diseases like measles, whooping cough, and pneumococcal disease,” Reingold said. “But first of all, we know that there are still a lot of kids we don't reach in, particularly in low-income settings, for a variety of reasons. Secondly, there's been much less attention paid to adult immunization, something that we certainly promote in wealthy countries, but hasn't gotten a lot of attention in low and middle income countries…Then on top of all that, we certainly have the clear effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on, frankly, day-to-day immunization.”

Reingold highlighted several points from his ATS presentation, noting that the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic among many in the US have resulted in diminished immunization coverage. He also highlighted barriers observed in low and middle-income countries.

“We have, in low and middle-income countries, just a lack of wherewithal and, frankly, with current threats to ongoing support of [Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance] and ‘global health’, the support that is there seems likely to decline in 2025 and beyond, which will certainly make it all the harder to sustain any progress we've made and to make more progress,” Reingold said. “So funding, it appears, is going to shrink. The immediate future does not look bright for expanding financial support for these activities in low and middle-income countries; in wealthier countries, there also may be reduced funding.”

The reduction in funding Reingold discussed may be felt in wealthier countries such as the US. He highlighted reductions in vaccinations in many states within the US in recent years.

“So if you take the United States, the reality is that our 50 states and our half a dozen territories are responsible, in many ways, for getting kids immunized in partnership with clinicians, but half of those immunizations are covered by or paid for by a federal program called Vaccines for Children,” Reingold said. “If those funds decline, it's hard to see how individual states and territories will make up that difference. So I'm very worried about the funding of basic immunization programs for kids in the United States. Secondly, the work that's been done to achieve high levels of childhood immunization through school entry requirements and the like seems to be going in the wrong direction, and so many states are softening the constraints they put on children entering school. Providing a laxer standard and making it easier to get a religious or philosophical exemption.”

To find out more about Reingold’s views and presentation information, view his full interview segment above. For more from ATS, view our 

The quotes contained in this interview were edited for the purposes of clarity.

In this interview at ATS 2025, Reingold highlighted his presentation on the global immunization divide and overcoming barriers to universal vaccine coverage.

Arthur Reingold, MD

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