Jamilia Sherls, on where health systems should turn for vaccine guidance | HSES 2026

With federal, state and professional bodies sending mixed signals on vaccines, health systems should look to professional medical organizations for immunization schedules and build on the trust patients place in their providers, according to Jamilia Sherls, DNP, MPH, RN, CPN, CDP, director of the Office of Immunization at the Washington State Department of Health. Sherls spoke with Managed Healthcare Executive at the 2026 Health System Executive Summit.

If the current U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule is not evidence-based, “and currently right now it’s not,” Sherls said, the next logical step is to look to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and other professional medical bodies. Their schedules are usually closely aligned, she said, and health systems can adopt them and ask their providers to use them in caring for patients.

Health systems in states that participate in the West Coast Health Alliance or other regional alliances should also make sure their recommendations align with the spirit of that guidance, Sherls said, noting that those alliances look carefully at the schedules and recommendations from the same professional bodies.

On talking with patients amid the confusion, Sherls said the most important thing providers and health systems can do is listen. Surveys and studies have shown that providers and health systems tend to be patients’ most trusted source of health information, she said, and providers can build on that trust by acknowledging how much information is circulating, hearing patients’ concerns and answering their questions. Tailoring messages to personal values can make it easier for patients to picture themselves making a decision about vaccines. Practices should also have culturally appropriate resources that lay out the facts about vaccines, translated into the languages commonly spoken in their communities.

Not every conversation ends in vaccination, she said, and it may take several visits before a patient feels comfortable. “But each conversation does help, and it’s going to be really important for healthcare providers to try to invest in having those genuine conversations with their patients,” Sherls said.

In this video, Sherls discusses where health systems can turn for evidence-based vaccine guidance and how providers can maintain patients’ trust.