Dr. Mikki Smith Bouquet was born and raised in Baton Rouge and spent the entirety of her educational career in Louisiana. She earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master's of Science from Louisiana State University A&M and her medical doctorate from LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. She attended her pediatric residency at Our Lady of the Lake (OLOL) in Baton Rouge where she served as Pediatric Chief Resident in her final year. Dr. Bouquet is now an attending physician at the Pediatric Academic Clinic which is the OLOL pediatric residency outpatient clinic where she did her training. Some of her passions include newborn care, fluoride education, medical student & resident teaching, vaccine advocacy and community outreach. Dr. Bouquet is a Board-Certified Physician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP). In addition to her educational background, Dr. Bouquet is involved with several medical organizations and communities such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the LA Medical Society and Louisiana Families for Vaccines (LFV).

Dr. Hannah Duggan is a pediatrician and mother of two elementary school girls living in New Orleans. During the pandemic she was working in the emergency department at night and teaching her daughter to read during the day. In 2021 she reduced her hours in the emergency department and started working at Priority Health Care, a community health center committed to serving underserved patients on the West Bank of New Orleans. In addition to having a full service pediatric clinic at Priority, she organizes and participates in school and community-based vaccine clinics. She is passionate about keeping kids healthy and protected in the school environment and everywhere else they choose to be.

Stacy Stevens Hall has over 40 years of experience as a registered nurse in Louisiana. She served in the Louisiana Office of Public Health Bureau of Infectious Diseases for 27 years, retiring in 2021. While directing the Immunization Program, she prioritized partnerships for Louisiana to increase the HPV up-to-date vaccination rate for 13-17 year-olds from 34.9% in 2015 to 63.9% in 2021, as measured by the National Immunization Survey.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Luke's House was established in New Orleans as a free clinic to address clinical and behavioral health needs in the community. Stacy has volunteered as a nurse since 2006, served on the Board and been the Board Chair of Luke's House Clinic. Stacy remains actively involved with the national Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), representing AIM on several Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices workgroups. In March 2020, Stacy co-founded the Navigators to enhance the collaboration between pharmacy and public health for the COVID-19 vaccination response. She remains active with this multidisciplinary group as they work to promote health equity and increase vaccination rates nationally. Stacy met with Congressional representatives in 2021 and 2022, advocating for the Vaccines for Children program to expand from age 18 to age 26.

Since retirement, Stacy has been an instructor with the Louisiana State University National Center for Biomedical Research & Training, teaching courses designed for first responders to build critical skills necessary for response to bioterrorism incidents. She lives in the New Orleans area, is married with successful adult children and four beautiful grandchildren who are up-to-date with their vaccinations.

Dr. Jennifer Herricks earned a PhD in Microbiology & Molecular Genetics from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in global health policy with a focus on infectious diseases at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

During her postdoctoral work Jennifer saw how well-organized, well-funded anti-vaccine activists can shift public policies that directly affect public health. Since then she has been passionate about protecting public health through vaccine advocacy, and empowering families and policymakers to make informed decisions with accurate information.

In 2022, Jennifer founded Louisiana Families for Vaccines, a grassroots network of local advocates that works closely with a diverse set of community partners to combat vaccine misinformation, educate about the value of policy based in science, and support legislation that champions public health.

Jennifer joined SAFE Communities Coalition as Director of Advocacy in 2024 and works with other Families for Vaccines state chapters across the country to develop effective strategies that elevate the voices of the pro-vaccine majority and push back against anti-vaccine policies that threaten public health.

Kaitlyn Joshua was born and raised in Baton Rouge, and continues to reside there with her husband and two children.

Kaitlyn spent her entire academic career in Baton Rouge, going through East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools before moving on to Southern University, where she graduated in 2016 with a degree in biology and a minor in Spanish. On her path to becoming a medical physician, she stumbled upon several different social justice organizations that sparked her interest and led her to follow her passion, ultimately leading to her work as a faith organizer with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Before joining Power, Kaitlyn served as the statewide organizer for Step Up Louisiana.

As a Louisiana native, Kaitlyn is passionate about making this state a better place to live for everyone. She believes that through activism and organizing we can build a more equitable community, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. For her, that is the real work of the Lord. Disrupting systemic oppression starts with making sure everyone has equitable access to healthcare, an opportunity to make a living wage, attend great schools, and ensure that their vote is counted.

Mark W. Kline, M.D. is Senior Vice-President, Chief Medical Officer and Physician-in-Chief at the Children’s Hospital New Orleans, as well as a Professor of Pediatrics at both the Tulane University School of Medicine and the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. Kline has a long and distinguished career in academic medicine. For more than a decade (2009-2020), he was the Ralph D. Feigin Endowed Chair and J.S. Abercrombie Professor and Chairman of the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief of Texas Children’s Hospital.

An internationally respected leader in pediatric HIV/AIDS and global child health, Dr. Kline has been the recipient of more than $150 million in research and training grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has authored more than 250 scientific articles and textbook chapters and has presented over 350 national and international lectures. Dr. Kline is editor-in-chief of Rudolph’s Pediatrics, one of the world’s most widely recognized and read medical textbooks.

Dr. Kline is the founder and long-time President (2000-2020) of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI), a program that builds health care infrastructure, trains health professionals and provides medical care and treatment to children and families across sub-Saharan Africa and in Romania. BIPAI currently provides HIV/AIDS care and treatment to more than 350,000 of the world’s poorest and least fortunate children and families, more than any other organization worldwide.

Dr. Kline received a B.A. degree (summa cum laude) in biology from Trinity University in 1979. He received his M.D. degree (with honors) from Baylor College of Medicine in 1981, where he also completed pediatric residency training, chief residency and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases. He is Board certified in both pediatrics and infectious diseases.

Dr. Kline’s many honors and awards include the Dag Hammarksjold Award from the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (1998), the Association of American Medical Colleges Humanism in Medicine Award (2002), the Annual Award in HIV/AIDS of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention (2006), the Distinguished Faculty Award of Baylor College of Medicine (2007), the Medical Award of Excellence from Ronald McDonald House Charities (2007), the Distinguished Alumnus Award of Trinity University (2008), the Millie and Richard Brock Award of the New York Academy of Medicine (2009), the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service (2010), the E.H. Christopherson Award of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2010), the HIV Clinical Education Award of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2010), the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Program’s Annual Humanitarian Award (2013) and the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Global Child Health from the Program for Global Pediatric Research and the Pediatric Academic Societies (2014). Dr. Kline was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to expand access of poor children and families worldwide to lifesaving medical care and treatment.

As a licensed clinical social worker, homeschool mom, and physician spouse, Crystal Rommen brings a diverse background to her position as director of Louisiana Families for Vaccines. She graduated with her MSW from the University of Washington in Seattle with a concentration in Community Centered Integrative Practice. She has worked in direct client practice for the past 13 years, expanding her role to include community organizing and advocacy. Her work spans inpatient, outpatient, and community levels of care for individuals and groups throughout the lifespan. She is passionate about the intersection of public health education and social justice advocacy to empower individuals and communities to improve social determinants of health.