Shot@Life is a grassroots advocacy campaign under the United Nations Foundation that champions, supports, and invests in global childhood immunization programs like UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In 2023, Shot@Life secured over $760 million in funding for Shot@Life’s partners around the globe.

Last month, Cornell Public Health students, alumni, and staff attended the Shot@Life Spring Summit in Washington DC to advocate for funding for global childhood vaccines. Second-year student Neeti Patel, Alumni Aaron Connolly and Parshad Mehta, and staff member Katie Lesser spent three days in the nation’s capital learning from industry experts and partners about global immunization progress and innovation.

Following a full day of sessions, the group took to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional offices representing New York, Massachusetts, and Missouri to reiterate Shot@Life’s commitment to vaccine-preventable disease programs, and to secure continued U.S. Government support for the 2025 fiscal year.

“I had an amazing time at the Summit,” says Patel. “It was so refreshing and empowering to be surrounded by so many other Champions from all walks of life and all disciplines. Having champions from different states allows us to bring all our perspectives to the table and push for a well-rounded campaign for vaccines and global public health!”

The Shot@Life Summit provides students the opportunity to put their public health education into practice, allowing them to grow more confident in engaging stakeholders and elected officials on important public health topics.

“This was my second Summit, and I definitely felt more confident about advocating,” says Connolly. “I was representing Massachusetts, and when my group decided to take a picture in front of the Capitol building, we ran into my own Senator, Elizabeth Warren, where we had an impromptu meeting and gave her the elevator pitch about the cause.”

Some of the Summit highlights included a Keynote address from Dr. Peter Hotez, discussing his work combatting vaccine mis/disinformation, sessions about polio eradication efforts, the HPV vaccination distribution landscape, and informational panels about what to expect on the Hill and how the appropriations process works.

“Like Aaron, this was my second year attending the Summit,” says Mehta. “After graduating, I moved to Rochester, so I am in a different district than last year, and I had the chance to lead the meeting with the staff of my representative’s office.”

“We also had a wonderful conversations with the staff of both Senators Schumer and Gillibrand,” reflects Mehta. “It was wonderful to hear the speakers on the first day and meet with friends I made at last year’s Summit!”

At the Summit, Lesser was presented with an award from Shot@Life recognizing her efforts in involving and mentoring students in the campaign.

“Honestly, this award was a complete surprise. I have been a Shot@Life Champion for six years now, and I love being able to involve students and present them with opportunities to practice real public health work in a capacity they may not have considered,” says Lesser.

“The information and experience that students receive doing grassroots advocacy is invaluable in helping them become well-rounded and confident public health professionals,” she adds. “I’m proud of all the students involved, and grateful to Shot@Life for recognizing my passion for vaccine advocacy!”

Patel, Connolly, and Mehta reflected on how their public health education helped prepare them for meetings on Capitol Hill.

“Cornell, and our group here in New York, truly gave me the knowledge and support to go on the Hill and discuss the importance of childhood vaccines,” says Patel. “I felt extremely prepared to not only talk to representatives, but to raise awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and global public health as a whole.”

“I enjoyed doing this a second year and applying the skills I learned in my public health policy class to my advocacy work,” notes Connolly. “What I learned in class allowed me to dive deeper into the current global health landscape.”

“Being at Cornell helped me engage with health problems from a systems perspective,” says Mehta. “This made me realize that a lack of preventive measures with a minimal overall cost end up disrupting the health of the community and costing hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Following the Summit, Champions take what they learn to further their advocacy during Shot@Life’s yearly spring activation, Advocate2Vaccinate. During this two-month long campaign, Champions are encouraged to hold in-district meetings with their congressmembers, write letters to the editor, and engage on social media with elected officials.

“The continued advocacy throughout the year helps keep Shot@Life and its mission in the minds of elected officials during the appropriations season. The work we do is integral to providing funding and access to childhood vaccines globally,” explains Lesser.

Written by Katie Lesser