Michael Collins (Rx2011) is the 2025 University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy Alumni Achievement Award recipient. This award recognizes and celebrates pharmacy alumni who impact the health and wellbeing of society through professional work and/or public service contribution.
Michael Collins is an oncology pharmacist at Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) and serves as the residency co-ordinator for WRHN’s newly launched pharmacy residency program, which he developed alongside fellow Waterloo Pharmacy alum Anthony Amadio (Rx2011), now director of pharmacy services at WRHN. The program provides pharmacy residents with comprehensive, hands-on hospital experiences to develop their clinical, leadership, management, research, teaching and medication distribution skills. He also serves as the School’s regional clinical co-ordinator (RCC) for the Waterloo Region, supporting student success on experiential rotations in their respective communities of practice, as well as recruiting and training outstanding preceptors.
Discovering pharmacy
Growing up in small town Delhi, Ontario, Collins always knew he wanted to work in healthcare, following in the footsteps of his mother, a registered nurse.
“I took a high school co-op position at our local pharmacy and continued to work there throughout my studies,” Collins says. “Everyone always assumed I’d become a pharmacist, but it was my sisters’ stories from working as a pharmacy technician at a hospital that really propelled me to pursue pharmacy.”
His early exposure to co-op made Waterloo the natural choice.
“At the time the School, and its pharmacy co-op program were brand new, and I knew you had to have an open mind to start a new program,” Collins says. “The spirit of ‘why not’ is the kind of mindset that the School has and instills in their students. The curriculum evolves continuously to support the advancing scope of practice and the School isn’t afraid to change as the pharmacy landscape changes, and we as alumni embody that in our careers."
Collins’ passion for oncology began at the School, drawn to the specialization for its complexity and intricacies of treatment. His first co-op was in hospital pharmacy, followed by a second placement at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) where he worked clinically with the palliative care service. He first witnessed the devastating effects of cancer and those experiences confirmed his interest in hospital pharmacy. An oncology elective further solidified his commitment to the field.
He also served as the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) – Ontario Branch Waterloo student representative, a role that deepened his understanding of the complexities of hospital pharmacy. When it came time for him to pursue a hospital pharmacy residency, programs across Ontario traditionally began in July, a schedule that conflicted with the University of Waterloo’s unique academic calendar. Drawing on his experience and connections as a CSHP representative, Collins worked collaboratively with the School to advocate for a September start date with the Ontario residency programs. His efforts were successful; after petitioning residency programs across the province, he helped establish an alternative September start for Ontario programs, a model that remains in place today.
“It’s a great honour to be recognized with this award, especially as a Waterloo Pharmacy alum, where the School has a lot of great alumni to choose from,” Collins says. “Starting a hospital pharmacy residency program at WRHN checked off a big career goal that I dreamt of since I completed my own residency at Hamilton Health Sciences. To be recognized with this award so soon after launching the program is unexpected and affirms the great work we’re doing at WRHN for our community.”
The impact of a pharmacist
Early on in his career, Collins treated a young man in his early 20s with acute leukemia. While undergoing treatment the patient developed steroid-induced diabetes and Collins help him learn to manage this new condition that required the complexities of self-injecting insulin. Over the next two years, Collins formed a close relationship with the patient and his family. The treatment was successful and the young man went on to live his life. Years later, Collins ran into him at a grocery store.
“I thought it was someone I might have played soccer with, I couldn’t place him, he looked so young and healthy,” Collins recalls. “When he said he was the young patient I had treated and thanked me for my help during that hard time in his life, it really stuck with me. Seeing him so far into recovery reminded me of the profound impact pharmacists can have on a patient’s life.”
After a decade in pharmacy practice, Collins finds teaching the next generation of pharmacists the most rewarding part of his work, and motivates him to continue contributing to the School, WRHN, the residency program and his community.
“I’m excited to impart what I’ve learned with students who are passionate about the work we do, and learn from them in return,” says Collins. “Many students struggle with resiliency when they’re juggling multiple priorities, but when they recognize their own ability to manage it all, they persevere and succeed.”
Outside of work, Collins coaches his two sons’ hockey teams and has recently started teaching his daughter to play the sport as well. He also enjoys spending time on the golf course with friends and family.