How to Improve the Messaging Around Health and Vaccines with Dr. Adjoa Smalls Mantey

Cut Through the Noise with Dave Turano

In 2020, COVID-19 threw the world into turmoil. For many of us, this was the first time that we had to take immediate – and drastic – action to protect our health and the health of others. We had to follow a new set of emergency policies and protocols, put in place at a time when many experts and authorities were only making the best decisions they could with the limited information they had. In a political climate that was already tense, having to separate from one another only made us more divided. Some masked, some didn’t. Some believed that the best protection for children was to keep them away from school; others feared the long-term consequences of closing schools. Some isolated; others continued to gather. Then came the vaccines. So did the social pressure, the misinformation, the lack of trust – and the mandates. If the pandemic was already political, COVID shots and the messaging around them escalated the tension. And even with the CDC changing their guidelines and many cities doing away with mandates, people are still at odds with one another over vaccines, boosters, and the policies around COVID. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Adjoa Smalls Mantey. As a viral immunology researcher and trained psychiatrist, Adjoa understands why educating people about vaccines is just as important as making them. We discuss vaccine hesitancy, COVID policies, and how we can be more intentional about how we share information about illness and immunizations. In addition to her work as a psychiatrist, Adjoa is also the co-author of Anjali the Brave, a book that teaches children about vaccines. Find her book at or at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers where eBooks are sold. You can also find Adjoa on Instagram @doctoradjoa and @anjalithebrave. Like this episode? Share it around and be sure to write us a review.