Kari Campeau (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of English

University of Colorado Denver

Description of Work: 

Much of my research in RHM has focused on vaccine rhetorics and vaccination decision-making. For this year’s symposium, I’ll be workshopping a part of my current research project, an interview-based study on the experiences and motivations of participants in a Phase III COVID-19 vaccine trial. This study centers clinical research participation as a new context for studying vaccine discourses, behaviors, and beliefs. My initial findings show that (1) people are eager to participate in medical and scientific processes, (2) participation and widespread public interest in COVID-19 vaccine trials are indeed producing new discourses about vaccines, medicine, trust, and responsibility, and (3) participation plays a key role in these new discourses. Initial interviews have shown trial participants are not only volunteering their bodies for the advancement of medical knowledge but are crafting their stories to share with broad, digital publics, often through social media. Therefore, this study also examines these writings of trial participants as emergent and important vaccine and science communication.

Contact: Kari.campeau@ucdenver.edu | https://clas.ucdenver.edu/english/kari-campeau