First Innovation in Vaccine Services Award

Ajit Johal, co-founder of immunize.io, is the recipient of the inaugural Innovation in Vaccine Services Award from the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy. His entry was chosen from more than 20 for its impactful approach to helping improve immunization rates across the world.

In 2018, Johal and his colleague, Mark Zhou, collaborated to establish a not-for-profit organization, Immunize.io, dedicated to improving immunization rates locally, nationally and globally. They started with pharmacist-led clinics to provide workplace vaccinations and eventually branched out to schools and communities nationally—along with supporting vaccination campaigns in developing countries.

The award, sponsored by GSK, includes a $2,000 cash prize, which Immunize.io will use to support a vaccine “science competition” for school-aged children in developing regions to improve health literacy and vaccine uptake among future generations. 

Watch this video to hear Ajit Johal tell you more about their efforts as part of the annual awards ceremony of the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association on October 8. CFP’s Executive Director, Linda Prytula, and Ramon Goomber, CFP Board member, presented the awards. 

You can also read more about their winning program in our annual Changing Face of Pharmacy Report coming out in November in print and online.

The Innovation in Vaccine Services Award recognizes leadership and innovation in protecting Canadians from vaccine-preventable diseases. Find more information on this new awards program.