On this episode of the Family Docs Podcast, we talk with Dr. Alex McDonald about vaccines – what family docs need to know now about vaccines, trends in vaccination rates, breaking and addressing vaccine myths, having vaccine conversations with patients, and how you can start getting involved in advocacy. 

Guests:

• Alex McDonald MD, FAAFP, CAQSM is a former professional triathlete, Family and Sports Medicine physician and Associate Program Director  of the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. McDonald is an AAFP and CAFP media spokesperson and social media ambassador with a passion for family physicians to raise their voice for their patients. Dr. McDonald regularly writes for the Physician’s Weekly and contributes to the Physician’s Weekly podcast. Dr. McDonald is a recipient of the 2025 AAFP Vaccine Science Fellowship and recently was awarded the California Immunization Coalition’s 2025 Ronald P. Bangasser, Immunization Leadership Award.

Resources:

• “Vaccine Misinformation, Pseudoscience, & the Frailty of Community Health” by Alex McDonald, MD, CAQSM, FAAFP - Dr. McDonald explores how vaccine misinformation and pseudoscience undermine public health and calls for a return to trust, truth, and evidence-based care. (https://www.physiciansweekly.com/post/vaccine-misinformation-pseudoscience-the-frailty-of-community-health)

• Family Medicine POP: Prism of Practice conference, September 5-7, 2025 (San Diego) - www.familydocs.org/pop

• CAFP’s All Member Advocacy Meeting (AMAM), March 14-16, 2026 (Sacramento) - www.familydocs.org/amam 

Information:

The Family Docs Podcast is hosted by Rob Assibey, MD, FAAFP and Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, FAAFP. 

The Family Docs podcast is developed, produced, and recorded by the California Academy of Family Physicians. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the California Academy of Family Physicians. More information at www.familydocs.org/podcast.

Visit the California Academy of Family Physicians online at www.familydocs.org.

Follow us on social media:

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/cafp_familydocs 

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cafp_familydocs 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/familydocs 

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-academy-of-family-physicians