Vaccine Science Fellow Works to Build Patient Trust

Q&A With 2023 Vaccine Science Fellow Llewelyn Mensah, M.D., M.P.H.&T.M.

Aug. 21, 2023, Michael Devitt — When Llewellyn Mensah, M.D., M.P.H.&T.M., was announced as a  2023 AAFP Vaccine Science Fellow in May, addressing vaccine hesitancy was one of the reasons he gave for applying for the fellowship.

“The enthusiasm for vaccination in my community has been anemic as the COVID-19 pandemic has waned, and I would like to be part of the effort to regain the trust of the public,” Mensah told the AAFP. 

Now an attending physician with Kintegra Health, a federally qualified health center in Gastonia, N.C., Mensah expanded on his work, including these highlights, in this video interview with AAFP News:

• On his experiences in the fellowship so far: “I am sort of ahead of the curve. I used to be more of a consumer in terms of the information (and) getting things through the news. Now it feels like I know about stuff before I used to get to know about them — the new RSV vaccine that just got approval, plus the monoclonal antibody … That’s been nice, being able to be on the cutting edge.”
• On his self-study research project: “We decided to go back and update an article in AFP on the pretravel consultation. It has a lot of good information still, but a lot has changed over the years, so we’re working on getting other family physicians caught up.”
• On techniques for discussing immunizations with vaccine-hesitant patients: “Most patients who have been hesitant, it’s a trust issue, and it’s always in patients who I might not have a very long relationship with. These days there’s a lot of turnover … so we’re not having that long-term, steady relationship that was a lot more common in the past. What I’ve found in cases like that is just to be the best physician that you can be, and just let patients know that you are truly for them and someone they can trust. Sometimes it takes more than one visit because it takes time to build that relationship, but eventually, once they find out that you are a good doctor and are looking out for them, (recommending vaccines) becomes a very easy thing.”

Mensah is one of two family physicians selected for the 2023 AAFP Vaccine Science Fellowship, which runs through April 2024. The other fellow, Neha Chande, M.D., M.H.S., is a health science assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Look for an interview with Chande on AAFP.org in the near future, and more information on vaccines as the Academy continues its observance of National Immunization Awareness Month.

The AAFP Vaccine Science Fellowship is funded by an unrestricted grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.