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Lehman Nursing Professor Discusses Vaccine Hesitancy in The Bronx
Photo: CDC Public Health Image Library
October 22, 2026
Assistant Professor of Nursing Sheila Hankin, who co-directs Lehman’s family nurse practitioner program, contributed her expertise to a Riverdale Press article revealing vaccination gaps among children in Greater Riverdale. Local childhood vaccination rates among two-year-olds for measles, mumps and rubella—as well as other diseases—are more than 20% lower than rates across the Bronx. Hankin and other experts cited renewed concerns about measles vaccines, sparking vaccine hesitancy in a relatively affluent zip code where disparities in health and access to healthcare are rare.
“Where we see health disparities, where we see vaccine hesitancy or nonconfidence is in areas where those social determinants of health are prominent, and 10471 is just not one of those areas,” she said.
Hankin suggested that cultural attitudes, social influences and misinformation could contribute to the disparity, although she could not identify a specific explanation for the area’s rates.
Read more in The Riverdale Press.