Supporting Health Equity: EpiVax Highlights Partnerships and New Research from Clínica Esperanza and GAIA Vaccine Foundation

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax, a leader in biotechnology known for its advanced immunoinformatics tools, proudly announces its continued support for two nonprofits, Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic and GAIA Vaccine Foundation. EpiVax supports these organizations through donations, office initiatives, and volunteerism.

Clínica Esperanza: Bridging Gaps in Local Healthcare Located two blocks from EpiVax headquarters in Providence, Clínica Esperanza provides free, linguistically appropriate healthcare to Rhode Island's uninsured population, serving over 30,000 patients since 2010. Eighty percent of its patients are Spanish speaking, with care delivered by a multilingual team of staff and volunteers.

The clinic's efforts to combat health disparities were highlighted in a recent project, Bridging the Gap (BTG), developed by volunteers. Their report, Continuity of Care and Lifestyle Intervention Programs for Spanish-Speaking Immigrants Without Health Insurance at a Free Clinic in Rhode Island, was published in CDC's Preventing Chronic Disease journal and is being considered for a CDC student research award. Participants saw significant improvements in diabetes and heart disease markers, demonstrating the program's impact.

GAIA Vaccine Foundation: Global Impact on Infectious Disease Prevention
The GAIA Vaccine Foundation addresses infectious diseases disproportionately affecting underserved populations in West Africa, improving access to preventive interventions like vaccines and therapeutics. GAIA partners with physicians to implement novel educational outreach and vaccination initiatives in Mali, improving the health of women and their families.

GAIA's recent publication, Our Daughters—Ourselves: Evaluating the Impact of Paired Cervical Cancer Screening of Mothers with HPV Vaccination for Daughters to Improve HPV Vaccine Coverage in Bamako, Mali, highlights an innovative approach to cervical cancer prevention. The study demonstrated a 10.7% increase in HPV vaccination rates among out-of-school girls by pairing maternal cervical cancer screenings with their daughters' HPV vaccinations. This approach raised awareness and will expand to more communities as a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign begins in Mali.

Supporting Shared Missions
Annie De Groot, MD, co-founder, former CEO, and current CSO of EpiVax, takes pride in EpiVax employees' willingness to volunteer with Clínica Esperanza and the company's contributions to both organizations. "This engagement exemplifies EpiVax's commitment to improving human health everywhere," said Dr. De Groot.

About EpiVax:
EpiVax is a leader in immunogenicity assessment and sequence optimization for biologic therapeutics and vaccines. EpiVax partners with a global roster of companies and agencies to accelerate immunogenicity assessment, immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design.

Press Contact:
Sarah Moniz
Director, Business Development
[email protected]

SOURCE EpiVax, Inc.