The Immunization Safety Office Scientific Agenda

In response to a 2005 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation [1] and to guide the Immunization Safety Office's (ISO's) scientific direction, ISO developed a five-year Scientific Agenda [PDF - 76 pages] to guide its vaccine safety science in three areas:

• Research
• Surveillance (monitoring)
• Guidance for healthcare providers

Since the inception and development of the Scientific Agenda beginning in 2005, some activities have been implemented and completed and others are in progress. ISO will continue to use the Scientific Agenda to guide its activities as appropriate in advancing the state of knowledge, research and surveillance of vaccine safety.

Development of the ISO Scientific Agenda

CDC and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) Vaccine Safety Working Group were committed to hearing from the public and others with special interest in vaccines (stakeholders) about their views on and priorities for vaccine safety research. Input on the ISO Scientific Agenda [PDF - 76 pages] came from members of the general public, citizens groups, parents, physicians, public health practitioners, vaccine manufacturers, academicians, and policy makers.

Timeline

• An initial draft of the Agenda was completed in 2008. At the request of CDC, the NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group conducted a rigorous review of the draft Agenda, a process that included public and stakeholder engagement. 
• In June 2009, NVAC sent CDC its recommendations to the draft 2008 Agenda.  Each NVAC recommendation was reviewed and considered by CDC before finalizing the Scientific Agenda.
• The ISO Scientific Agenda was reviewed and approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in February 2011.

Review archived material and reports from ISO Scientific Agenda meetings.

Review publications on CDC’s website related to vaccine safety surveillance and research.

• Vaccine Safety Basics
• Addressing Common Concerns
• Why It’s Important to Monitor Vaccine Safety
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
• Vaccine Safety Resource Library

Reference

1. Institute of Medicine. Vaccine Safety Research, Data Access, and Public Trust. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2005.

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