University of Hawaiʻi Maui College professor, Rosemary Vierra, was among 15 faculty members from across the state who were awarded the Regentsʻ Medal for Excellence in Teaching. Vierra is also dental hygiene program coordinator and has taught in the program since 2008.
The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching is awarded as tribute to faculty members who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity and personal values that benefit students.
Eli Tsukayama
The study found that low-cost text messages can significantly increase vaccination rates, Tsukayama said.
“More specifically, we tested 19 different messages in a megastudy of 47,306 people to get vaccinated at an upcoming doctor’s appointment,” he said. “On average, the text messages increased vaccination rates by about 5%, and the top-performing message reminding patients 72 hours and 24 hours before their appointment and noting that a shot was reserved for them boosted vaccination rates by 11%.”
The study in
PNAS is timely and has the potential to save countless lives from the COVID-19 pandemic, Tsukayama noted.
“Developing and producing a vaccine is only part of the battle against COVID-19,” he said. “Encouraging people to choose to get vaccinated and follow through on that decision to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe is another major part of the battle.”