Immunizations

My journey into advocacy began in 1984 with the South African Health Workers Congress, a multidisciplinary team of healthcare workers united by common values, committed to fighting for equitable healthcare access and democracy.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m just a pharmacist,” or “I’m just a technician”? When we define ourselves by limitations, we fail to see the options that could move us forward. It’s almost as if staying stuck feels safer than exploring the unknown.

The accredited, not-for-profit pharmacy serves the university community while providing a hands-on learning environment for pharmacy students.

One critical leadership lesson I’ve learned is this: if you want others to confidently follow, you must show them how your vision connects to their success. By addressing concerns, painting a vivid picture of the benefits, and actively listening, I helped my team see the value—and ultimately, say yes. As a result, the profession of pharmacy is better off, and importantly, so is patient care.

Beata Halassy administered strains of virus prepared in her own laboratory to treat a recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer.

In my career I’ve been able to witness value creation firsthand. A powerful example of it came when we, in the pharmacy where I was working, were scaling our immunization program and discovered a significant gap in our training. Reports indicated that our CPR training—a vital skill for pharmacists—was highly inconsistent.

New studies suggest there could be a relationship, presenting the possibility the shingles vaccine could help combat dementia. But evidence to date is far from conclusive.