Support the student experience
From conferences and professional development experiences to student life activities and experiential learning opportunities, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy Student Success Fund supports the cost of these initiatives that enhance the educational and professional development of pharmacy students.
We believe that supporting the whole student within and outside the classroom is important. Your contribution will help encourage and support pharmacy students as they explore and discover their passions.
Student Success Fund in action
Supporting student life
Hear from our students
The Student Success Fund is so important to students like me as it allows us to organize and participate in various activities and events. The fund supports us as students to grow both personally and professionally. These opportunities enhance our pharmacy journeys and allow us to build everlasting connections.
The True North conference in June 2019 brought over 2,500 attendees together to discuss how technology can be a force for good. Hosted by Communitech, neighbour to the School of Pharmacy, the two-day event featured talks from technology leaders and workshops. Themes included building bridges as technology creators, learning and re-learning in the digital age, and technology’s many possible implications for health.
The intersection of health and technology is a much-discussed topic in the world of pharmacy where tech is increasingly playing a key role in business workflows and patient services. To contribute to the conversation about tech in the pharmacy space, five students from the School of Pharmacy attended True North this year. Their attendance was supported by the Future of Pharmacy Fund, a scholarship program that connects students with opportunities to explore unique career development activities.
“At True North I built meaningful connections with current leaders in the technology industry, as well as with up-and-coming entrepreneurs looking to build on their ground-breaking ideas,” said Ryan Pelletier, a third-year pharmacy student. “We spoke at length regarding the gap that currently exists between the health care sector and technology industry and how we could collaborate to improve our current situation.”
The conference proved especially eye-opening for first-year pharmacy student attendees.
“Not only has this event really ignited my passion and excitement for the future of pharmacy and how it could develop beyond what we have now, but it also exposed me to ways that I can help the profession in general to embrace new technologies rather than be anxious or worried about it,” said Michelle Liang of the Rx2022 class.
The careers of the speakers at True North varied widely and that diversity of experiences and perspectives was inspiring to the pharmacy students. It got them thinking: what more could they do to bring conversations about health care and technology back to the School of Pharmacy? That question sparked an idea of founding a new student club.
“My colleagues and I who had the privilege of attending the conference are very pleased to announce the inauguration of our new club called Technology in Pharmacy Network,” said second-year student Svetlana Litchmanova. “Through this club, faculty support, and the connections we made at True North 2019 we hope to expand the interest of technology in the field of pharmacy for our classmates and future students. Our main vision through the Technology in Pharmacy Network is to be able to bring the ever-changing world of technology into the pharmacy profession and to be able to educate the students as well as provide them opportunities within this field of practice.”
Thank you to the supporters of the Student Success Fund who made the students’ attendance at this event possible.
Conversations about female representation and leadership in STEM fields are increasingly common. Health care fields, including pharmacy, are no exception to these concerns, and to respond the Canadian Pharmacists’ Association hosted a summit for Women in Pharmacy Leadership, a workshop and networking event that brought together women from all areas of the Canadian pharmacy world. With support from the Future of Pharmacy Fund, Waterloo Pharmacy sent five students to attend. Alumni and faculty of the School also participated.
“While the pharmacy field is predominantly women, the majority of upper management and stakeholders in major corporations, organizations and institutions are men,” says Prof. Preet Sian of Waterloo Pharmacy who attended the event because she believes women should have a stronger voice in the profession. “Why is this? Is it due to workplace challenges or societal pressures? By networking and developing additional skills, we can help female pharmacists rise further up the pharmacy ladder.”
The event began with a half-day of discussion and workshops and closed with an evening reception for networking and relationship-building. The workshops in particular offered attendees the change to drill down on topics and discuss barriers and challenges of being a woman in the pharmacy field.
“I attended the ‘Are you board ready?’ workshop to further develop my leadership skills,” explains Urooj Advani, Rx2019 student attendee. “As a student we participate in a variety of leadership environments, but it was especially helpful to hear from Deborah Roasati, an experienced board member of many organizations, who shared advice on how to manage specific types of issues and navigate the complexities of holding a decision-making position. As someone who is interested in actionable items – how do we tackle an issue, what are possible solutions? – I found this to be an informative and engaging workshop.”
Events like the CPhA Summit do more than instruct and educate: they present an opportunity for young professionals to connect with strong role models in their field and serve to inspire action in students and alumni.
At the end of the summit I felt motivated and confident that I have the potential to go out in the world and become a great leader. I came out of the event with goals of challenging myself to conquer my inner fears and become more involved as a woman in pharmacy.