When David Hicks, DO, MPH, deputy health officer for Jefferson County in Alabama, was asked in an interview a month before the release of the first COVID-19 vaccine if he would get it, he said he didn't yet have the information to make an informed decision. Informed by bioethicists and their own experiences, public health officials have learned that simply telling people they must get vaccinated isn't enough. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center is leveraging longstanding relationships that have been reinforced throughout the pandemic with its participation in the Alabama Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities initiative.