Integration of modules on evidence-based vaccine communication strategies in disciplinary microbiology courses: two case studies

Vaccines remain a complex societal issue, and students studying microbiology and immunology should be prepared to talk about vaccines with diverse audience types in their future careers. Thus, it is important to train students in vaccine communication strategies. However, many existing vaccine communication trainings for undergraduate life sciences students do not rely on the latest research on effective science communication strategies. Thus, in this Tips and Tools article, we provide two example modules of how to integrate training in evidence-based science communication approaches, like strategic and inclusive science communication, into undergraduate microbiology/immunology courses in a time-efficient way. We provide data on student perceptions and skills in vaccine communication following these modules to suggest the plausibility and efficacy of integrating time-efficient modules on evidence-based vaccine communication into undergraduate microbiology courses.