Publications
Teachers as Implementation Champions for Adult HPV Vaccination: A Workplace Model for Multidose Adherence and Social Diffusion
Adult catch-up HPV vaccination remains underused globally despite expanding eligibility and evidence supporting prevention beyond adolescence. Key implementation barriers include:
- limited awareness of adult eligibility
- access constraints
- poor adherence to multidose schedules.
The After School HPV Program evaluated a pharmacist-led workplace vaccination model designed to improve uptake and multidose completion while leveraging teachers as trusted community champions for HPV prevention.
Community Pharmacy Delivery Following Expansion of British Columbia’s HPV Program: Early Insights Across the Lifespan
In July 2025, British Columbia expanded publicly funded HPV vaccination to include:
- adults aged 20–27 years
- people aged 20–45 living with HIV
- women receiving treatment through colposcopy.
Community pharmacies are well positioned to support HPV vaccine delivery, yet early program impacts in pharmacy practice have not been described.
This study examined changes in HPV vaccination delivery following program expansion and explored strategies to strengthen uptake across publicly funded and private-pay cohorts.
Case Study: Workplace Shingles Immunization Program
Since 2018, Immunize.io and the Richmond School District (RSD38) have partnered to demonstrate how bringing vaccination directly to the workplace can overcome barriers of:
- Awareness
- Access
- Cost
- Follow-up
The program combined targeted education, convenient onsite clinics, employer reimbursement, digital scheduling, and proactive reminders to improve shingles vaccination uptake and series completion.
Among eligible employees, 32% received recombinant zoster vaccine—more than four times the rate observed in the community pharmacy comparison cohort—and 91% completed their second dose within the recommended 2–6 month interval.
This case study provides a practical blueprint for employers and immunization providers seeking to use the workplace as an accessible platform for adult preventive health.
Vaccine Prescribing Patterns at Pharmacy Based Travel Clinic in Vancouver BC
This retrospective study presented at the 19th Biennial conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM19) analyzed vaccine prescribing patterns at a pharmacist-led travel clinic in Vancouver over 38 months.
Highlights:
- Among 1,130 patients, Hepatitis A, Tetanus/Diphtheria, and MMR were the top prescribed vaccines.
- Completion rates for multi-dose series, including Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis, were 100%.
- Common travel destinations included Mexico, Southeast Asia, and East Africa.
The findings show pharmacist prescribing aligns with Canadian immunization needs and demonstrates high adherence to pre-travel protocols. This model supports expanding pharmacist scope in global travel medicine, addressing access gaps with appropriate workflows, education, and training.
BC Pharmacy Immunization Roundtable: March 2025
Based on participant feedback, the following top three priorities were determined. They will inform the next steps to support motivated BC pharmacies in expanding their immunization services.
Reinforce the urgency of influenza vaccination, emphasizing the significant impact observed due to lower vaccination rates this season
Support early-season mass vaccination clinics to increase coverage rapidly.
Enhance point-of-care documentation and patient resources to promote vaccination opportunities and sustain pharmacist-patient relationships.
Pharmacists in BC remain motivated and engaged to support vaccination uptake for their patients. Addressing these key priorities will streamline vaccination services, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen pharmacists’ roles in public health initiatives.
The After School HPV Program: 2024 Year in Review
- The recommended indication of the HPV-9 vaccination has expanded rapidly since the vaccine was approved for licensure in 2006.
- Vaccination gaps for adults in BC are females born before 1996 and males born before 2005, as they did not have the opportunity to receive vaccination as part of the school-based program
- In July 2023, the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF) included the HPV-9 vaccination as part of the benefits plan, providing 80-100% financial coverage of the immunization
- The “After School HPV Program” is a pharmacist-led initiative consisting of standing workplace vaccination clinics in school gyms and mobile clinics at schools to administer HPV vaccines to adult teachers who did not receive the vaccine in childhood
- Pharmacists assessed, prescribed, and administered vaccines
Pharmacist Initiated Vaccination for RSV
- The following case study in British Columbia illustrates the impact of expanded pharmacists’ scope on driving the uptake of recently approved recommended unfunded vaccines for eligible patient populations
- Proactive discussions with patients before vaccine approval
- Administration of doses to eligible patients as soon as they become available
- Support innovative vaccine delivery models in the workplace
- The importance of the pharmacists’ ability to independently assess and administer all recommended vaccines
2023 Highlights
- Implementation of workplace adult vaccination programs for HPV, Shingles, Pneumococcal Disease, and RSV
- Expansion of the VCE network to over 500 pharmacists across Canada
- Successful launch of our Vaccine Center of Excellence Online learning program in 2023
- Completion of a National Pharmacy Student Education Program presented at IDWeek23 in Boston, USA and World Vaccine Congress Europe in Barcelona, Spain
- Donation to global immunization efforts, supporting cold-chain infrastructure for Nigeria’s inaugural HPV vaccination campaign for adolescent girls in Oct 2023
2023 VCE Pharmacy Student Education Program
- In Canadian pharmacy practice, student pharmacists play a pivotal role in community immunization campaigns
- We hosted a live educational program to pharmacy students in 7 faculties of pharmacies across Canada
- Expert speakers working in each province were brought in to share their expertise and best practices with students in their respective provinces
- Results from the program were presented at IDWeek23 in Boston, USA and World Vaccine Congress Europe in Barcelona, Spain
- In 2024, we will continue to support students interested in becoming vaccine experts by launching a student scholarship program aimed at providing students with ongoing mentorship and opportunities to attend important conferences related to vaccinations and infectious diseases
Interdisciplinary Healthcare Provider and Patient Advocate Working Group Meeting Summary
- The goal of this working group was to bring together patients and healthcare professionals from infectious disease, transplant, primary care, and pharmacy to reflect on the COVID-19 experience for high-risk patient groups
- Discussion around impact of COVID-19 on immunocompromised patients
- Application of implementation science to protect high-risk patient groups from communicable respiratory diseases
- Exploration of patient journey and all the key stakeholders involved in facilitating access to care
- Participants came together to identify pain points in patient journey and brainstorm examples of solutions that could potentially improve the patient journey and facilitate access to care
