Investigator Studies Program (MISP): Vaccination Confidence

Effective May 2023, the Merck Investigator Studies Program Review Committee (MISP-RC) for Vaccination Confidence will accept proposals within our current areas of interest (AOI) until September 25, 2023. This is a competitive review process that will be conducted by the Vaccination Confidence MISP Review Committee. Decisions will be made on the basis of scientific merit and strategic fit within the AOI. Please review the critical activities and abide by the timelines as outlined below. The program requests that investigators specify how they will support diversity in enrollment to include traditionally underrepresented minorities/ethnic groups.

The following areas are of interest to Investigator Studies Program Committee:

Focus Area 1: Resilient Immunization Programs

1. Research on the contributing factors and attributes of resilient immunization programs and how learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and other past challenges or crises can help programs be better prepared in the future
2. Research on the role of community-based vaccination programs that are delivered in settings other than the physician’s office and impacts on vaccine coverage rates and overall vaccination confidence.
3. Research on the impact of vaccination on overall public health indicators and economic well-being.
4. Research on criteria for immunization program readiness to introduce future vaccines.

Focus Area 2: Effective Interventions in Building Confidence in Vaccination and Improving Vaccination Equity

1. The impact of efforts to create a "culture of vaccination" within a given practice setting and/or research on where weak points within a setting (e.g., front desk staff) that are common sources for undermining other efforts (e.g., by provider) to instill confidence in vaccination.
2. Research on vaccine acceptance, hesitancy, refusal attitudes, and behaviors among HCPs, including physicians, nurses, and nurse assistants, dentists, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others. This can include research in vaccination confidence and techniques for improving it, as well as techniques to identify misinformation and/or strategies to remove HCP implicit bias, and how to measure the impact of these interventions.
3. Research on how to measure, track, and report trends in vaccination equity around the globe.

Focus Area 3: Using principles of implementation science to understand how, why, and among whom interventions can successfully increase confidence in vaccines and/or improve vaccine delivery

1. Research that examines the underlying factors driving the ability of evidence-based interventions to increase confidence in vaccination and/or improve vaccine delivery. Studies should focus on elucidating the mechanisms that are important for successfully implementing interventions and/or why interventions do or do not have their desired effect on increasing vaccine confidence or improving vaccine delivery.
2. Research on examples of good practice amongst urban populations and particularly amongst urban populations affected by poverty, which have been shown to address disparties and increase VCR and intention to vaccinate.
3. Development of novel measurement tools or implementation models that improve the understanding of the modifiable contextual factors (e.g., clinic operations, provider or patient misinformation or knowledge gaps, suboptimal communication strategies, etc.) affecting vaccine confidence.

Please complete a full protocol and detailed budget via Visiontracker, the Company's on-line study management system (in US) or your MSD country representative (outside US). The proposals will be collectively reviewed and selected by the Vaccination Confidence MISP Committee.

Critical Activities and Timelines:

Activity	Review Cycle
Full Protocol Submission with Detailed Budget   (First Review Cycle)	September 25, 2023
Target Final Comments to Investigator (First Review Cycle)	November 29, 2023

MISP Information
This site is intended for US investigators only. Investigators outside of the US interested in submitting research proposals to the Investigator Studies Program should contact their local MSD office.