On March 13, 2016 Melissa Sheldrick woke up to the news that no parent ever wants to face. Her son Andrew, a fun-loving eight-year-old boy, had died overnight. It would take the family four and half months to learn that the cause of death was a medication error.
Rotations are clinical placements in the final year Waterloo Pharmacy program. Students complete three placements in hospitals, community pharmacies, and health centres in one of fourteen regions across Ontario.
This year, long-time supporters of the School Dr. Frank and Julianna Wong created an award to support students on rotation. It was received by three students: Janhavi Malhotra is completing her rotation in the Niagara Region, Rui Su in the Sudbury Region, and Tharsika Sinnathamby in the Ottawa Region.
Each year Waterloo Pharmacy presents an award for Outstanding Preceptor of the Year. The award recognizes a preceptor who has shown exceptional dedication in their mentorship of Waterloo Pharmacy students on their fourth year clinical rotations work terms.
On Friday, October 26 the School of Pharmacy celebrated the graduation of 115 PharmD students, 15 PharmD bridging program students, and 4 graduate students. After the formal ceremony on the University of Waterloo main campus, pharmacy students and their families were invited to the School of Pharmacy for a convocation reception.
This fall, the School of Pharmacy was back on the road making trips to Sudbury and Windsor. The visits are part of the 10th Anniversary Regional Tour which has members of the School’s leadership meeting with preceptors, co-op employers, alumni, and stakeholders across the provinces.
A study by professors Sherilyn Houle and Kelly Grindrod and pharmacy student Ashley Bancsi reiterates the need for health care professionals, including pharmacists, to take certain precautions to minimize the risk of their patients suffering shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).
There are over half a million Canadians living with dementia. Treatment of this devastating disorder is challenging as there are no drugs available to cure it. Developing a new drug, running clinical trials, and acquiring approval from regulatory agencies is expensive and time-consuming: the process can take decades and cost upwards of 4 billion dollars.
Nikki Domanski became the first resident to complete the ambulatory care residency program developed by the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and delivered in partnership with the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team (CFFM FHT).
Waterloo Pharmacy’s Reunion 2018 brought alumni and friends back to Kitchener for two events. On Friday Sept. 21, alumni, students, faculty, and staff competed in trivia at McCabe’s Irish Pub and Grill, and on Saturday Sept. 22, leaders in pharmacy practice and research delivered continuing education talks. The event was held alongside the University of Waterloo’s Reunion weekend.
In March, two Waterloo Pharmacy students moved from Kitchener to Manitoulin Island where they joined health care teams for their six-month clinical placements. The rotation would be the last hurdle of their pharmacy education.