Lunch symp: A new paradigm: The growing role of pharmacists in public health

This symposium will cover the important role of pharmacists as vaccinators and the opportunities to further advance their ever-growing role in public health. Reflecting on the impact of the 2023 winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, this session will aim to build an understanding of the need for urgency and vigilance to protect at-risk populations against vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases for the coming Northern Hemisphere winter 2023/24. In examining the impact of cocirculation of RSV, influenza, COVID-19, and pneumococcal pneumonia, alongside suboptimal vaccine uptake rates across all recommended adult vaccines, the session will underscore the pressure that will be put on health systems and the important role that pharmacists play as vaccinators for adult respiratory diseases.

With experienced practitioners from around the world, the symposium will share advocacy best practices on how to support appropriate pharmacist scope of practice expansion and showcase the successes some countries have seen in expanding pharmacist rights. The important learnings will help to demonstrate that the public health need remains for pharmacists to continue to support vaccination, help to improve uptake rates and vaccine confidence, and help to provide a simplified patient pathway. The session will assert the case that the pharmacist role should be expanded, particularly with the potential for new vaccines on the horizon.