National Vaccine Plan Subcommittee

This subcommittee was formed to respond to a charge from the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Director of the National Vaccine Program, Admiral Brett Giroir. The subcommittee met from May 2019-September 2019, and provided deliverables in June and recommendations for the planning of an updated 3-5 year National Vaccine Plan in 2020 in September 2019.

Charge

Development of the National Vaccine Plan was mandated by Congress in 1986 as a mechanism for the Director of the National Vaccine Program to communicate priorities for the vaccine enterprise. This Act also established the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the purpose of which includes advising in the implementation of the National Vaccine Program, the objectives outlined in the NVP and the identification of priority areas of government and non-governmental cooperation that should be considered in implementing these activities. 
 
The first NVP was issued in 1994.  In 2010 the Plan was updated to provide a 10-year vision for the vaccine enterprise.  In 2016, with support from NVAC and numerous other stakeholder groups, the National Adult Immunization Plan (NAIP) was developed to facilitate coordinated action by federal and nonfederal partners to focus attention and efforts to improve coverage rates in adult vaccines across the board.  The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and NVAC conducted separate but parallel mid-course reviews to identify changes in the landscape and emerging opportunities for the immunization enterprise. 
 
To remain nimble and responsive to the evolving landscape of the immunization system, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will release an updated 3-5 year National Vaccine Plan in 2020.  This plan will emphasize the importance of vaccination across the lifespan, and adult vaccination will be incorporated in the updated plan.
 
As part of our planning activities in preparing the new NVP, I am charging NVAC with review of the goals and objectives of the current NVP, both the NVPO and the NVAC midcourse reviews of the NVP, and the NAIP.
 
In your review, I request that the Committee:
  1. Assess goal relevance and updated requirements-- both in terms of the topics each goal represents and the wording used to describe each goal and objective. The goals for each plan are as follows:
    • National Vaccine Plan (2010) Goals: Goal 1: Develop new and improved vaccines; Goal 2: Enhance the vaccine safety system; Goal 3: Support communications to enhance informed vaccine decision-making; Goal 4: Ensure a stable supply of, access to, and better use of recommended vaccines in the United States; Goal 5: Increase global prevention of death and disease through safe and effective vaccination
    • National Adult Immunization Plan (2016) Goals: Goal 1: Strengthen the adult immunization infrastructure; Goal 2: Improve access to adult vaccines; Goal 3: Increase community demand for adult immunizations; Goal 4: Foster innovation in adult vaccine development and vaccination-related technologies
  2. Combine the goals from the NVP and NAIP to generate a set of comprehensive prioritized goals reflective of immunization priorities across the lifespan.
  3. Propose new goals as determined necessary for inclusion in the NVP and an appropriate rationale for each proposed goal.
  4. Prioritize the three top objectives within each National Vaccine Plan goal area, or proposed goal area, poised to make the greatest impact on the U.S. immunization system in the next few years.
  5. Identify new stakeholders to engage during plan development that reflect the expertise and priorities of all stakeholders working to optimize the vaccination system in the United States.
  6. Develop a report encompassing these recommendations, to be voted on during the September 2019 NVAC meeting, of less than 10 pages.

Membership:

  • Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, Subcommittee Co-Chair, NVAC Voting Member
  • Geeta Swamy, MD, Subcommittee Co-Chair, NVAC Voting Member
  • Ann Aikin, MA, Subcommittee Advisor and Acting Designated Official, OIDP
  • Ilka Chavez, MPA, Subcommittee Advisor and Coordinator, OIDP
  • Larry Pickering, MD, NVAC Voting Member
  • H. Cody Meissner, MD, NVAC Voting Member
  • Ann Ginsberg, MD, PhD, NVAC Voting Member
  • Jim Blumenstock, NVAC Liaison Representative Member (ASTHO)
  • John Douglas, MD, NVAC Liaison Representative Member (NACCHO)
  • Kris Ehresmann, RN, MPH, NVAC Liaison Representative Member (AIM)
  • Justin Mills, MD, MPH, FAAP, NVAC Regular Government Member (AHRQ)
  • Barbara L. Mulach, PhD, NVAC Regular Government Member (NIH)
  • Abby Bownas, Technical Advisor (AVAC)
  • Bruce Gellin, MD, MPH, Technical Advisor (Sabin Vaccine Institute)
  • Amy Nevel, Technical Advisor (HHS)
  • Walter A. Orenstein, MD, Technical Advisor (Emory University)
  • Candice Starwood, Technical Advisor (CDC)
  • L.J. Tan, MS, PhD, Technical Advisor (IAC)
  • Melinda Wharton, MD, MPH, Technical Advisor (CDC)

Report

In September 2019, NVAC approved the subcommittee's recommendations and released the final report: 2020 National Vaccine Plan Development: Recommendations from the National Vaccination Advisory Committee.

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