January 17, 2018
University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy celebrates turning 10
January 8, 2018 marked the School of Pharmacy's 10th anniversary
On January 7, 2008, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy ran its first class. The School had 90 students, six faculty members, and only a handful of staff.
A decade later, Waterloo Pharmacy has over 60 faculty and staff, 476 pharmacy students, 120 PharmD bridging students, 38 graduate students, and 766 alumni. The intersection of King and Victoria in downtown Kitchener is now referred to as the “Innovation District,” home to not only the University of Waterloo’s Health Sciences Campus, but also many tech and education organizations like Google, Communitech, and UW’s Velocity Garage.
On January 8, 2018, faculty, staff, and students gathered at the School of Pharmacy to acknowledge the growth and success of the last ten years. The launch kicked off the School’s 10th anniversary and is the first of many events planned for 2018. Speakers from the University and the School shared remarks on the past, present, and future of Waterloo Pharmacy.
“When I look at what we see here now, I’m amazed at how things have developed,” said George Dixon, vice-president academic & provost at the University of Waterloo.
Dixon was the dean of science when planning began for the Health Sciences Campus. He and the subsequent dean of science Terry McMahon were integral in the development of the project. Dixon recounted the challenging process of opening the first new pharmacy school in Canada in 20 years.
“This was not the innovation district at that time. This was waste industrial land,” said Dixon.
The University was approached by Kitchener mayor Carl Zehr about the prospect of moving some component of the University to downtown Kitchener. Zehr indicated that the city could provide both land and financial resources to support the project.
“I think the only reason that we were able to do this as a university was because we had a reputation within the province for innovative action and for getting things done," said Dixon.
UW’s current Dean of Science Bob Lemieux also reflected on the innovative spirit of Canada’s only co-operative education pharmacy school. Lemieux was followed by Professor Shawn Wettig and Director of Admissions, Professional Relations, and Undergraduate Affairs Ken Potvin who have both worked at the School since it opened.
“At the beginning, we had just 90 pioneering pharmacy students who bravely took a chance on us,” said Hallman Director of the School David Edwards. “We’ve come a long way since then and we’ve built a reputation for innovation in pharmacy education and research.”
“We’ve chosen a theme of ‘bold start, bright future’ to represent our anniversary. It reflects the unique approach we took to pharmacy education when we began and the great things that await us as we continue to be a leader in pharmacy education and medication-related research.”
