On behalf of the contributors of our community of “NDs for vaccines”, we want to acknowledge and express our great respect for Dr. Elias Kass, who was recently awarded the CDC’s “Childhood Immunization Champion” for Washington.
The CDC Childhood Immunization Champion Award, given jointly by the CDC Foundation and CDC, honors professionals who are doing an exemplary job or going above and beyond to promote childhood immunizations in their communities. Dr. Kass is the first licensed naturopathic doctor to be given this award. Here is a nice summary about Dr. Kass from the CDC website:
Dr. Elias Kass is a midwife and naturopathic pediatric primary care provider from Seattle, Washington. As a naturopath, he highly values vaccines for their ability to prevent disease by stimulating the body’s immune system. He promotes immunization to his patients, colleagues, the public, and community partners. Aside from influencing parents to vaccinate their children, he is also an immunization leader by promoting vaccine culture within the naturopathic medical community.
Dr. Kass promotes vaccine acceptance by patiently counseling parents on the recommended immunization schedule. Many of Dr. Kass’s patients are immunized because of his dedication to promoting immunizations, even when it takes a lot of time and trust building.
Dr. Elias Kass also uses his expertise to promote vaccines by educating the public on how they align with naturopathic principles. He does this as a contributor to the website NDs for Vaccines, a platform for pro-vaccine naturopaths to share information with each other and the public about immunization benefits. Dr. Kass is also part of the clinical team that manages The Vaccine Page on Facebook, a “resource for vaccine-hesitant parents and parents-to-be to get clear, evidence-based answers.”
Among naturopathic colleagues, Dr. Kass is a resource, leader, and innovator that ensures parents are well educated about infant vaccines before they have their babies. Dr. Kass will soon present to Washington’s Vaccine Advisory Committee and Vax Northwest’s research partnership about hesitancy and opportunities to promote immunization in midwife and naturopathic settings. He also mentors naturopathic colleagues and students through organizations such as Bastyr University and the Naturopathic Academy of Primary Care Physicians.
Dr. Kass has built bridges between the naturopathic community and other allied health professionals to encourage interdisciplinary cooperation and address vaccine hesitancy. His commitment to children’s health and promoting immunization across all sectors and disciplines is notable. His communication with parents, colleagues, and the general public are essential to getting more children vaccinated. This makes Dr. Kass Washington’s 2017 CDC Childhood Immunization Champion!
Congrats Elias!
Dr. Kass receives honors for being the CDC’s 2017 Washington Childhood Immunization Champion from DOH Assistant Secretary Janna Bardi
Setareh Tais, ND is a naturopathic doctor practicing family medicine with a focus on integrative family medicine and reproductive health in Fresno, CA. She received her doctorate of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in 2009 and completed an integrative family medicine residency program with additional training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility in 2012.
She is immediate past president of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association and a Delegate to the American Association of Naturopathic Physcians; as well as a former board member of the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians and founding board member of the Endocrinology Association of Naturopathic Physicians.
