Expanding the Pharmacist's Role in Travel Medicine: Engagement, Education, and Impact

Program Description

International travel exposes millions of people each year to infectious diseases and health risks that may differ significantly from those in their home communities. Yet, many travelers do not receive timely pre-travel consultations, leaving critical opportunities for vaccine-preventable disease mitigation, patient education, and risk reduction unaddressed. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are uniquely positioned to close gaps in travel health by offering accessible, evidence-based vaccination and counseling services.

This program will review the global epidemiology and burden of key vaccine-preventable travel diseases, and discuss how pharmacy-based services can improve outcomes for patients and travelers. Participants will examine examples of frameworks for implementing and expanding a pharmacy-based travel medicine service, considering collaborative practice agreements, stocking vaccines and medications, optimizing workflow and documentation, leveraging support staff, addressing barriers and challenges, and marketing the service, to confidently provide this program within their practice setting.

Target audience: Community pharmacists and retail pharmacists
Type of activity: Application
Release date: June 30, 2026
Expiration date: June 30, 2027
Learner level: Foundational
Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Explain the current global travel health landscape, including prevalent travel-related diseases, associated risks, and available epidemiological tools used to assess disease burden and guide preventive care
• Identify key roles and responsibilities of pharmacists in educating and engaging patients about disease risks and travel vaccine recommendations
• Document essential components for implementing a pharmacist-led travel medicine program

Accreditation

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number: 0290-0000-26-208-H06-P. The activity is available for CE credit through June 30, 2027.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, view the activity in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Faculty

The following contributors have relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose: 

Jeff Goad, PharmD, MPH – Consultant: Bavarian Nordic, Moderna, Valneva; Speakers Bureau: Merck

Richard Dang, PharmD, APh, FCPhA – Educators Network: GSK

Tana Kaefer, PharmD – Consultant: Moderna; Speakers Bureau: Merck, GSK

The following contributors have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Adam C. Welch, PharmD, MBA, FAPhA; Emily Tyler; Brianna Winters; and Chloe Taccetta.

Any relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

At least one anonymous peer reviewer was used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewer has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer

Continuing professional education activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved by the labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

For questions about this internet CPE activity, please contact:
ceinfo@pharmacytimes.com

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