Iowa Professor Explores Psychological Roots of Vaccine Confidence

Dr. Aaron Scherer studies how to better communicate about preventative health services.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 3:00pm

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A ghostly, translucent X-ray photograph revealing the internal structure of a syringe and vial of vaccine against a dark background, conceptually illustrating the medical researcher's efforts to understand the psychological factors behind vaccine confidence.A medical researcher's X-ray view into the inner workings of a vaccine, exploring how to better communicate the importance of preventative health services.Iowa City Today

Dr. Aaron Scherer, an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, is a medical decision-making researcher who uses insights from psychology to improve how preventative services like vaccines, cancer screening, and clinical lab tests are communicated to the public.

Why it matters

Scherer's work aims to address the psychological factors that influence vaccine hesitancy and other preventative health behaviors, which have become increasingly important public health issues in recent years.

The details

As a medical decision-making researcher, Scherer studies how to better frame and communicate information about preventative health services to improve public understanding and utilization. His work examines the psychological roots of vaccine confidence and hesitancy, as well as how to optimize messaging around other preventative care like cancer screenings and lab tests.

  • Scherer has been a professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine since 2015.

The players

Dr. Aaron Scherer

An Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine who studies how to improve communication about preventative health services.

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

A medical school located in Iowa City, Iowa where Dr. Scherer is a faculty member.

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What they’re saying

“We must better understand the psychological factors that influence preventative health behaviors if we want to improve public trust and engagement with important services like vaccines.”

— Dr. Aaron Scherer, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

The takeaway

Scherer's research aims to uncover the psychological roots of vaccine hesitancy and other preventative health behaviors, with the goal of developing more effective communication strategies to improve public trust and utilization of these critical services.