Uninsured children in Little Havana and Little Haiti will receive critical screening and immunization services, thanks to a state grant awarded to the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics. Mavara Mirza, M.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, helped secure the $150,000 annual grant, which is renewable for up to three years.

In addition to helping build awareness among parents and guardians, the Mobilizing Vaccine Initiative will seek to enhance the Hepatitis A vaccination rate among underserved minority children.

The immunization program, funded by the Florida Department of Health, will also provide medical student teaching while seeking more buy-in from the community for vaccinations. Mirza recently spoke on the subject at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco.