Professor Dr. Nardine Nakhla, clinical lecturer at the Waterloo School of Pharmacy, has been inspiring students for the last 15 years.
Students and fellow colleagues recognize Nakhla’s passion and commitment to teaching, service and research, and know her to go above and beyond for her students.
Described as engaging, supportive and inspirational, Professor Nakhla is the 2023 recipient of the University of Waterloo’s highly prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award.
“Dr. Nakhla created a safe and open learning environment from the start,” says a former student. “She actively improves the lives of her students by finding opportunities to help and support them as they pursue their dreams and ambitions.”
The journey to teaching
Nakhla always knew she’d be a pharmacist but her love for teaching naturally developed over the years.
Dr. Nardine Nakhla
Nakhla was immersed in the profession of pharmacy from a young age. Her mother, grandfather and uncle were all pharmacists. However, it was her father, an engineering professor, who exposed her to the world of teaching.
“My father introduced me to the idea that academic leaders can be the impetus for change in a profession,” says Nakhla.
Reflecting upon her journey, Nakhla further comments that the callings of pharmacy and teaching were just as much a choice for her and a calling to fulfill her purpose.
Her desire was not only to make a meaningful impact on the education of aspiring pharmacists but also to honour her family’s profound legacy of altruism.
Embracing the convergence of pharmacy practice and academia, Nakhla found the perfect avenue to propel the profession forward through teaching.
“Blending these two realms allowed me to harmonize my personal aspirations with the continuation of my family’s noble mission of serving others, while simultaneously driving the profession towards new horizons,” says Nakhla.
Nurturing a new generation of pharmacists
Nakhla currently teaches Professional Practice I and II (PHARM 129 and PHARM 130) at the School, the very first of a series of professional practice courses students take when they enter their pharmacy journey. These courses lay the foundation for pharmacy practice, teaching students about regulations and foundational concepts, such as the pharmacists’ patient care process, self-care, and minor ailment management.
Through her dual role as an educator and practitioner, Nakhla revels in the profound ability to influence countless patient lives and the ability to amplify her impact far beyond her own reach. Having nurtured the growth of more than 3,500 students and pharmacists across Canada, she has bestowed upon them the invaluable tools necessary for clinical excellence.
Dr. Nardine Nakhla with Waterloo Pharmacy students at a conference
I hope I can continue to empower individuals to become catalysts of transformative change within the realm of healthcare.
In addition, Nakhla teaches the Advanced Patient Self Care Elective (PHARM 362) where students dive deeper into advanced concepts and learn how to care for patients that have more complex needs or ailments.
Nakhla created and further developed all three courses and continues to deliver and adjust them every year for the betterment of the students.
She consults and instructs in other courses, creates cases and assessments and supervises PHARM 401, an independent study elective. She has also developed and delivered PHARM 472, Community Practice in a Changing Environment.
Nakhla passionately expresses a profound belief in the power of interactive learning, favouring it over the traditional didactic approach, while enforcing her commitment to dynamic educational experiences.
Innovative teaching
“Dr. Nakhla is dedicated to excellence in teaching and is unafraid to incorporate innovative teaching methods into her courses – all for the benefit of students,” says Hallman Director Andrea Edginton.
Her approach equips students with the tools necessary to apple their acquired knowledge to the continually changing healthcare in Canada.
By providing students with the freedom to express their creativity, a powerful and enriching learning environment is cultivated.
Driven by the ever-evolving nature of her students’ expectations, Nakhla finds herself constantly pushed by the students to transcend conventional boundaries as an educator.
“This continuous challenge serves as a poignant reminder of my role and responsibility to cultivate an engaging and dynamic learning environment,” Nakhla says.
She encourages her students to seek credible information, proactively educate themselves to remain up to date with changes and cultivate reflective practices both personally and professionally.
This award, established in 1975, is the highest honour in teaching at the University of Waterloo and recognizes exemplary instructors across the campus. Nakhla is the second faculty member of the School of Pharmacy to win this accolade. She is also the recipient of the 2020 Excellence in Science Teaching Award and the 2019 Excellence in Pharmacy Teaching Award.
Congratulations to Dr. Nakhla and this year’s other recipients: Zara Rafferty, Recreation and Leisure Studies, Diana Skrzydlo, Statistics and Actuarial Science and Keith Delaney, Earth and Environmental Sciences.