Professional Development Week (PDW) is an annual student conference hosted by a different pharmacy school each year. The conference connects students to leaders in the profession for a week of networking, education, and competition.
This year’s conference was hosted by University of Montreal in Quebec. With support from the Student Success Fund, 29 Waterloo Pharmacy students attended the event in January and had the opportunity to advance their careers and knowledge.
“PDW is a valuable experience for networking and professional development. It's interesting to learn about pharmacy practice in other provinces and this unity among students leads to initiatives that advance the profession,” says Mikaela Ney, one of the students who attended.
An exciting component of PDW is the competitions that pit pharmacy students from across Canada against each other, showcasing skills in writing, compounding, and more.
Waterloo Pharmacy student Svetlana Litchmanova won first place in the national Advice for Life Competition for her presentation on compounding pharmacies. Student George Daskalakis won the Guy Genest Passion for Pharmacy Award which recognizes his leadership in involving fellow students in advocating for the profession.
PDW is a fantastic place to meet students from all over Canada, to make connections, and to listen to innovative presentations,” says Svetlana (far right). “As someone who has a lot of interest in the technology and pharmacy field, it was very eye-opening to see the advancements that are occurring in our profession.
"Being able to attend PDW for the second time has helped me further appreciate what students can achieve if they are just given some resources to do so. I am already looking forward to the next PDW in Saskatoon and I am positive that these learning experiences and memories will be with me for life. Thank you to all the donors who invested in us and allowed us to further develop our pharmacy experiences."
The connections made at PDW carry on long after the conference is over, and often result in unique, collaborative projects. One example is the Voices of CAPSI initiative. Inspired by mental health awareness campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk, members from the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) worked together at the conference to launch this wellness project for pharmacy students. The goal is to encourage pharmacy students to share mental health stories with others and decrease stigma around such conversations. Pharmacy students are invited to submit their stories at the Voices of CAPSI website.
The conference also featured presentations from speakers from across Canada. This year, Waterloo Pharmacy faculty member Sherilyn Houle was a presenter, sharing her expertise on the role pharmacists can play in providing health travel advice.