WesternU’s Black History Month Signature Event focuses on equitable vaccine access and education
Western University of Health Sciences Office of Humanism’s Black History Month Signature Event focused on a clinical pharmacist’s research into social determinants of health driving inequities in health care outcomes, and her solutions that have made a tangible impact in the Inland Empire.
UC San Diego Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, presented “From Structural Barriers to Structural Solutions: A Roadmap for SDoH-Driven Interventions in Clinical Practice” Feb. 18, 2026, on the WesternU California campus. Her research focuses on antimicrobial resistance and stewardship with an emphasis on identifying racial, social and structural disparities in infectious disease outcomes in order to inform targeted interventions for vulnerable communities.
“Approximately 3.6 million of the hospitalizations in the U.S. are caused by preventable illnesses, and minoritized populations are disproportionately at increased risk for contracting a health care-associated infection caused by a resistant pathogen,” Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir said.
Despite the increased risks, minoritized individuals are less likely to be vaccinated against preventable illnesses such as influenza, pneumococcal disease and COVID-19, and consequently we have seen these disparities significantly widen since the pandemic began, she added. Vaccine health literacy and access barriers have been described as a significant limitation to vaccine uptake in these populations.
In response to this information, she asked herself, “What can I do in my role as a clinical infectious diseases pharmacist to overcome what we see in this way? I can increase vaccine literacy. I can provide education. I can give folks that agency to make a decision for themselves. I can provide access to vaccines.”
Abdul-Mutakabbir and her collaborators developed a three-tiered approach for creating equitable vaccine access. Tier 1 is engaging Black faith leaders. Tier 2 is providing vaccine education from a Black pharmacist. Tier 3 is creating low-barrier community vaccination clinics held in the Black community.
Faith leaders help with program planning, allocate proper space for the program, and publicize the event. Abdul-Mutakabbir and her team visit four to five churches in the Inland Empire from September to December each year. She provides a 45-minute education session intentionally focused on translating the pathophysiology of preventable diseases and clinical trials information.
“I translate the information in a way that does not diminish the scientific integrity,” Abdul-Mutakabbir said. “I believe that we all can be stakeholders with scientific information if it is explained appropriately.”
Directly following the education session, a local, independent pharmacy provides the vaccines that were discussed.
“If I’m reinforcing and encouraging (vaccine) literacy, I want for people to have that opportunity to access the vaccine should that be something that they want,” Abdul-Mutakabbir said.
In addition, they also provide other services such as mental health screenings, CPR training, and blood donations. Abdul-Mutakabbir’s UC San Diego students provide blood glucose and blood pressure screenings.
“This allows them to engage with the community and think about how they can see themselves providing these things once they leave the program,” she said. “But it also allows for the community to get used to our young generation of clinicians.”
Please click on the video to learn more about Dr. Abdul-Mutakabbir’s work and to watch WesternU’s Black History Month Signature Event in its entirety.
