The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) invites you to participate in a pioneering collaboration with Sanofi that will shape the future of pharmacist-led travel vaccination worldwide. This is your opportunity to ensure that pharmacists globally have the knowledge, confidence and support they need to protect travelers from rabies and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Why This Matters—Why Now
We are at a pivotal moment in pharmacy practice.
Pharmacists are increasingly recognized worldwide as essential providers of travel vaccination advice and in some countries for travel vaccine administration.
The landscape of travel vaccination is rapidly evolving: pharmacists in North America, Australia and some EU countries can already administer travel vaccines including rabies. In other countries, active discussions to expand pharmacist vaccination scope are ongoing, and the momentum is building.
This is the time to act. As this role expands globally, we must ensure pharmacists are prepared, supported and equipped with the right knowledge and resources.
Consider these critical realities:
- Rabies is 100% fatal but 100% preventable – proper vaccination advice and administration can literally save lives
- Pharmacists are often the most accessible healthcare providers in communities, positioned to fill critical gaps in travel health services
- The pharmacist role varies dramatically across countries and practice settings – we need to understand these diverse realities to provide relevant support
Your voice matters now more than ever while educational materials, training programs and support initiatives are being developed. This is your chance to shape the resources YOU will use in practice.
What We’re Doing
ISTM and Sanofi are collaborating to understand pharmacists’ current knowledge, needs and challenges related to rabies and travel vaccination.
We’re organizing 3-4 virtual focus groups in April/May 2026, bringing together pharmacists from different regions and practice settings. While Sanofi supports this initiative, ISTM maintains independence in designing and conducting these focus groups.
We recognize that the pharmacist role in travel and rabies vaccination is not uniform worldwide. Whether you’re already administering travel vaccines, preparing for scope expansion in your country, or interested in this evolving area of practice, your perspective is invaluable.
These focus groups will provide a confidential, safe environment where you can:
- Share real-world experiences, challenges and insights
- Connect with pharmacist colleagues facing similar opportunities and barriers
- Contribute to understanding what helps and what hinders pharmacists in this role
- Directly inform the development of future educational materials and training programs
What We Aim to Achieve
Through your participation, we will:
- Assess current knowledge levels on rabies disease and prevention across different practice contexts
- Identify barriers and facilitators that influence pharmacists’ ability to provide rabies vaccination advice and administration
- Understand diverse realities across different countries, regulatory environments and practice settings
- Develop targeted educational materials and training that address YOUR identified needs—not generic content, but resources that reflect real-world practice challenges
- Identify the distribution channels for educational materials
- Support pharmacists in confidently and safely expanding their role in travel health
- Contribute to improved public health outcomes and patient access to life-saving vaccines
Why Your Participation Matters
This is your opportunity to shape the resources and support YOU need.
Your frontline experience is invaluable—you know the real barriers and opportunities that textbooks and guidelines don’t capture. Whether you’re already providing advice and even administering travel vaccines or preparing for future scope expansion, your perspective will help ensure that:
- Training materials reflect actual practice challenges, not just theoretical knowledge
- Educational resources address the questions patients really ask
- Support systems account for diverse regulatory and practice environments
- Knowledge gaps are identified and closed
You’ll also be part of a global community advancing the pharmacist role in travel medicine—connecting with colleagues who share your commitment to expanding access to essential health services.
What to Expect
- Virtual focus group sessions via ISTM’s Zoom platform—participate from anywhere
- Expert moderation by ISTM pharmacist leaders with travel medicine expertise
- Confidential, safe environment to share experiences and challenges openly
- Protected identity—no names or identifying information will be made public
- Recorded sessions for analysis purposes only, with strict confidentiality protections
- Meaningful dialogue with colleagues from different regions and practice settings
Who Should Participate
We welcome community pharmacists from all backgrounds and experience levels:
- Pharmacists currently advising on travel vaccines, with a focus on rabies
- Pharmacists currently administering rabies vaccine to travelers
- Pharmacists interested in expanding into travel health services
- Pharmacists in countries where scope is expanding or under discussion
- All experience levels—from those just starting their travel health journey to seasoned practitioners
Join Us in Shaping the Future
Be a voice for pharmacists globally.
Your participation in April/May 2026 will help ensure that as the pharmacist role in travel vaccination expands worldwide, practitioners are equipped, confident, and supported in protecting travelers from rabies and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Together, we can build a future where every pharmacist has access to the knowledge and resources needed to provide life-saving travel health services—and where every traveler has access to the protection they need.
Your experience. Your insights. Your impact.