A second-year student completing a Bachelor of Philosophy at The University of Western Australia is the lead author of a research letter on vaccine mandates published in a top US medical journal.

Breanna Fernandes, with the support of her supervisor UWA’s Associate Professor Katie Attwell and three top US scholars, had US State-Level Legal Interventions Related to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates published in JAMA.

Ms Fernandes said she had enjoyed the opportunity to work with Associate Professor Attwell, a top researcher in vaccination policy and leader of VaxPolLab, as part of her Bachelor of Philosophy course.

“I decided to study a Bachelor of Philosophy because of the many opportunities that are available to those who study with the degree including exchange opportunities, research and networking opportunities,” Ms Fernandes said.

“The flexibility of the degree also appealed to me as I was not 100 per cent sure what I wanted to major in when I first started university.”

Image: Second-year Bachelor of Philosophy student Breanna Fernandes.

Ms Fernandes built a database of legislative interventions to help Associate Professor Attwell and US ethicist and philosopher Mark Navin, who are writing a book on California’s childhood vaccination policies. 

The research assessed state-level interventions to promote or impede COVID-19 vaccine mandates since the beginning of the pandemic.

Data was gathered between August 9, 2021 and September 5, 2021, about legal interventions since January 2020 and the findings were then used in the letter. 

“My research with Katie focuses on legal interventions made by health policymakers surrounding vaccination across the US, specifically within the COVID-19 context, which is obviously quite a topical concern at the moment,” Ms Fernandes said.

The Perth local, who grew up in Manning, said she was in disbelief that her research had been published anywhere, let alone in a leading journal such as JAMA.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Katie and even attempt to publish anything,” she said.

After she completes her Honours through the Bachelor of Philosophy, Ms Fernandes plans to study the Juris Doctor at UWA, with the aim of working within the law and policy field.