News

Sadaf Faisal, shown above in her her pharmacy, balances grad school, home life and pharmacy ownership during COVID-19

Being a grad student is tough – there’s course work, comprehensive exams and research to balance on top of managing personal commitments and teaching duties. When you add working at a pharmacy during a global pandemic into the mix, the days only get busier.

Dani Thomas (Rx2018) stands a good distance from a car in the parking lot of Two Rivers Family Health Team in Cambridge. The person inside has their window rolled down and Dani’s wearing a mask, asking them questions. It’s mid-May and still snowing.

The person in the car is one of family health team’s patients on warfarin, a blood thinning medication that requires regular and careful monitoring by a pharmacist. Dani, a pharmacist on the team, jots down notes from the discussion and takes a drop of blood from the patient’s finger to test their levels. 

A course created by the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) was recognized by the national association for university continuing education. The course, Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) in Primary Care, received the Credit Programming under 48 hours award from the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education (CAUCE) for 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, pharmacists are reporting a spike in drug shortages.

Professor Kelly Grindrod, a pharmacist and professor at the School of Pharmacy, explains why drug shortages are occurring, which medications are affected, and how Canadians can access medications at this time. 

In between studying for his classes and winter term exams, pharmacy student Mayur Tailor has been closely following news related to COVID-19.

Noticing that pharmacists weren’t often being included in discussions involving frontline health-care providers, the first-year student jumped into action, rallying a team of University students from across Ontario on two overarching initiatives.

Andrea Edginton (BSc and PhD, University of Guelph) has been named the next Hallman Director of the School of Pharmacy.  Professor Edginton is a globally recognized leader in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling and simulation, specializing in dose-exposure extrapolation to special populations. 

Since 2009, Professor Nardine Nakhla has inspired students as a key member of the School of Pharmacy’s professional practice team, providing experienced-based lectures and lessons in clinical pharmacy. The Excellence in Science Teaching Award recognizes her exceptional educational delivery, innovative methodology and enthusiasm for teaching.

Lokesh Narsineni is the first graduate student to defend his PhD after the School of Pharmacy switched to online delivery

It was mid-March when Narsineni first heard that the University of Waterloo was transitioning courses online to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

It’s National Volunteer Week and we’d like to applaud our students, alumni, partners, faculty and staff who support our School and community in so many ways! We’re thrilled to be volunteers ourselves, and we also rely on volunteers to support us throughout the year. From student leaders and ambassadors helping us run events, to alumni who support students in many roles, to preceptors mentoring students across Ontario, we simply could not do it without you. From the bottom of our hearts – thank you