
Dr. Heidi J. Larson is an anthropologist and director of The Vaccine Confidence Project™; professor of anthropology, risk, and decision science, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; clinical professor, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington; guest professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium; and a former fellow at the Chatham House Centre on Global Health Security. Dr. Larson previously headed global immunization communication at UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), chaired Gavi’s Advocacy Task Force, and served on the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (WHO SAGE) Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy. The Vaccine Confidence Project™ is a WHO Centre of Excellence on addressing vaccine hesitancy. Dr. Larson’s research focuses on the analysis of social and political factors that can affect uptake of health interventions and influence policies. Her particular interest is on risk and rumor management from clinical trials to delivery and building public trust. She is principal investigator for a global study on acceptance of vaccination during pregnancy; an EU-funded project on the deployment, acceptance, and compliance of Ebola vaccines in Africa; and a global study on public sentiments and emotions around current and potential measures to contain and treat Covid-19. She is author of STUCK: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don’t Go Away (Oxford University Press, 2020).
Areas of Expertise
All Heidi J. Larson Content
Filter by
Dr. Heidi Larson, LSHTM: "Public health cannot rest on its laurels."
Podcast Episode by J. Stephen Morrison and Heidi J. Larson — January 23, 2025

Dr. Heidi Larson: "The nature of the security threat has changed"
Podcast Episode by Katherine E. Bliss and Heidi J. Larson — March 11, 2022

Why Vaccine Confidence Matters to National Security
Report by Katherine E. Bliss, J. Stephen Morrison, and Heidi J. Larson — May 7, 2021
Vaccine Confidence & National Security in the Covid-19 Crisis
Report by Katherine E. Bliss, Heidi J. Larson, and J. Stephen Morrison — May 5, 2021
Trusting a Covid-19 Vaccine: What’s Next?
Event — April 9, 2021