Research Project (2024–26): Preparatory steps related to provider education to increase uptake of HIV PrEP among women in Canada
Dr. Sheliza Halani is an infectious diseases specialist who has been actively engaged in HIV care throughout her training and in her practice, working with various community organizations and partners looking after people living with HIV. Dr. Halani obtained her Bachelor’s of Applied Science Electrical Engineering – Biomedical Option at the University of British Columbia, Doctor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and completed a Master’s of Medical Education at the University of Dundee in 2025. She is the Mark Wainberg Fellow.
Under the supervision of Drs. Darrell Tan and Mona Loutfy, Dr. Halani conducted a CTN+ postdoctoral fellowship project on ‘Preparatory steps related to provider education to increase uptake of HIV PrEP among women in Canada.’
In 2022, there were 1,833 new diagnoses of HIV in Canada, and 597 new diagnoses of HIV in women per 100,000 population. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains an underutilized strategy for HIV prevention among women. During her fellowship, Dr. Halani focused on understanding the educational needs of providers, including barriers, and facilitators, to counseling on and prescribing PrEP to women. Her projects were: 1) a scoping review on educational interventions, curricula, and needs for providers to engage in HIV prevention care for women and 2) performing and analyzing qualitative interviews with multidisciplinary care providers to assess barriers and facilitators to prescribing PrEP to women. She recently received the CTN+ Seed Funding to conduct a final project, which she is co-leading now, on developing an educational resource for providers on PrEP for women.
The abstract for Dr. Halani’s scoping review was accepted as part of the abstract book for the 15th International Workshop on Women & HIV 2025, and presented as a poster presentation at CAHR 2025. The findings of the qualitative study were presented as an oral abstract at the 16th International Workshop on Women & HIV 2026 and at CAHR 2026. Dr. Halani’s work will be shared at other infectious diseases and HIV rounds at Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto.
Dr. Halani has received numerous awards and honours, including the IDWeek Trainee Abstract Travel Award, University of Toronto MD Program 2021–2022, 2022–2023, and 2024-2025 Teaching Excellence Awards, the F. M. Hill Mentoring Award for 2021–2022, Women’s College Hospital’s Chief Medical Resident Award, and 2025-2026 Fitzgerald Academy Teaching Award: Case-Based Learning (Unity Health Toronto).
