Recognizing that there is a gender gap in pharmacy leadership spurred the Waterloo School of Pharmacy into action.
As an institution that pushes boundaries and disrupts the status quo, the Women in Pharmacy Leadership (WIPL) program developed naturally with the intent to push the profession forward. After its inaugural year, the program has much to look back on.
From leadership tailored workshops to larger alumni events, the WIPL program helped us to bring people together in this new post pandemic world and allowed us to shift our deliverables to fit the interest of our audience and share valuable information.
The program won the 2023 Silver Prix d’Excellence award for Best Alumni Initiative from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE).
Program lead and adjunct clinical assistant professor at the School, Dr. Allison Tario, reflects on the last year of the program.
“One of our primary goals was to bring the gender gap in leadership to the forefront again,” says Tario. “The first step was to develop momentum to get people to have conversations through workshops and lectures. The bigger picture goal is to move the needle to change the systems where the leadership gap persists for women in pharmacy.”
The keystone of the WIPL initiative is the alumni mentorship program. The first cohort consisted of nine mentorship pairs, 18 powerful women who have felt an improvement or change in their personal and professional lives over the course of the last year as a member of the program.
A woman’s leadership journey in pharmacy is not a one size fits all approach, it’s very individualized. Our program targets people at different stages of their leadership journeys.
A big part of the alumni mentorship program is the flexibility and personalized approach. Tario further explains, “we meet people where they are at. Not focusing on one mold or one traditional pathway allows for each pair’s growth and natural progression towards their goals.”
Our second cohort in the WIPL alumni mentorship program has been launched. We are excited to support the six new pairs this year and to hear about their journeys.
“Our program is a very small piece of the puzzle in bridging the gender gap in pharmacy leadership. The issue is not just a women’s issue,” says Tario. “Allowing allies and people of all genders to come into the fold and learn about the issues at hand will make an impact.”
Through future skill building workshops, community building events and networking opportunities we are looking forward to further fostering a space in which people can come together to strengthen leadership in pharmacy.
“After every event we had I left feeling reinvigorated and reinspired, a feeling that we’re doing something important,” says Tario.
Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support and who make the WIPL program and events like these possible: OnPharm-United, McKesson Canada, Scotiabank and Green Shield Canada.
Visit our website to learn more about the program.