Sherilyn
Houle
Canada
Area of Research
Dr. Houle is a pharmacy practice researcher interested in studying the roles, uptake, and outcomes of pharmacy practice to full scope with expertise in vaccination and travel medicine. Current areas of research include:
- Proactive vaccination assessment by community pharmacists and other primary care providers
- The impact of pharmacy-based vaccination services on vaccine accessibility and vaccination rates, and subsequent health system and societal outcomes
- Scope optimization for all pharmacy professionals in the delivery of community-based vaccination services
- Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue
- The availability and effectiveness of pre-travel consultations provided by pharmacists
Dr. Houle holds a Pharmacy degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the University of Alberta. Her practice experience as a pharmacist spans hospital, home care, and community pharmacy settings, as well as a primary care team-based international travel and immunization clinic. She also holds a Certificate in Travel Health from the International Society of Travel Medicine.
Research Challenge
Vaccination is recognized as one of the most impactful public health interventions of all time for its impact in preventing life-threatening and life-altering diseases; however, evolution in how vaccination services are delivered is required that considers current public preferences, competing priorities, and accessibility barriers.
Community pharmacies are highly accessible healthcare settings, with broad geographic availability and extended operating hours. Pharmacies have been recognized as safe and effective providers of vaccination services with high patient satisfaction rates among people who have been vaccinated at pharmacies. However, factors such as primary care provider shortages, vaccine hesitancy and fatigue, and complex scope of practice regulations and publicly funded immunization schedules, among others, contributes to suboptimal vaccination rates that can leave individuals and communities at risk of complications from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Proposed Solution
Dr. Houle's research aims to optimize vaccine service availability, support all health professionals to practice to their full scope related to vaccination, and disseminate knowledge to best equip health professionals and patients to make informed decisions around vaccination. This includes the development of a clinical decision aid to support life-course vaccination assessments (VaxCheck), measuring the impact of various community-based interventions on vaccination rates and the identification of vaccination deserts where service availability may be limited, and supporting health professionals in having conversations about vaccination with patients that are individualized to each person's unique needs, values, and preferences.
Impact To Date
Dr. Houle has authored over 120 peer-reviewed research papers to date and has received research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the International Society of Travel Medicine, and the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy, among others.
She is a three time co-author recipient of the Canadian Pharmacist Journal's Best Paper Award (2019, 2023, 2025) and was the 2023 recipient of the Exceptional Achievement in Research and Academia Award from the Ontario Pharmacists Association. She is a Fellow of the International Society of Travel Medicine and has served on numerous expert committees including as a scientific board member of Travel Health Xpert, pharmacist member of the Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee, and Chair of the Pharmacist Professional Group at the International Society of Travel Medicine. She is also Chief Scientific Officer of VaxCare Innovations, a not-for-profit organization.
Publications
Keywords: vaccination, travel medicine, pharmacy practice, VaxCheck