UAB International Visiting Scientists, Scholars and Observers
This policy is under current review
Due to the Disparity of immunization requirements among many foreign countries, all UAB international visiting scientists, scholars, and observers are required to be immunized as outlined by the UAB International Student & Scholar Service and UAB Employee Health program.
In lieu of being re-immunized, international scholars must present proof of receiving the required immunizations. If the scholar does not have such proof or has not been immunized, the scholar must be immunized against the specified diseases prior to attending, enrolling, or participating in UAB academic research, research observation, or clinical programs and activities. All International Scholars must be screened for tuberculosis (TB). Additionally, all international scholars and students from countries or territories with a TB incident rate greater than 20 cases per 100,000 population according to the latest available information from the World Health Organization must be tested prior to starting activities at UAB. This testing must be done in the United States and must be completed no more than three months before start of UAB activities. The type of testing will be determined by the UAB Employee Health Program.
The required immunizations are as follows:
- 2 documented MMR vaccinations or a mumps, measles and rubella titer demonstrating immunity (documentation should include reference ranges)
- 2 documented Varicella vaccinations, or documentation of having the disease, or titers demonstrating immunity (documentation should include reference ranges)
- 3 documented Hepatitis B vaccinations, or documentation of having started the series, or titers demonstrating immunity (documentation should include reference ranges)
- 2 documented Covid-19 vaccinations (and proof of booster if completed)*
- Tdap vaccination within the last 10 years
- Meningococcal vaccinations (if less than 22 years old)
*In May 2023, the federal government removed the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for hospitals and healthcare workers; in compliance with this, UAB no longer requires employees or visitors to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Vaccination is still safe and strongly recommended, and if you have received a COVID vaccine dose previously, we ask that you provide a copy of your vaccine information to add to your record.
All immunizations must be complete within 6 weeks of the international scholar’s arrival upon UAB’s campus. Immunizations must be paid for by the international scholar. TB chest x-rays must be done in the United States. If any titer results do not demonstrate immunity, international scholars will be required to receive the vaccination. Any international scholar that does not complete the required immunizations within the 6-week windows will have all facilities access revoked by UAB Physical Security via their OneCard and the discrepancy will be reported to the scholar’s Primary Investigator and the department. Immunization records must be sent to the UAB Employee Health program. Upon receipt of immunization records and completion of all requirements, the international scholar will receive a compliance email from the UAB Employee Health program.
Please complete the “Enrollment Form”, TB Screening Questionnaire, and provide proof of vaccination to UAB Employee Health by scanning and emailing to