On January 6Professional Development Week (PDW) 2016 welcomed hundreds of pharmacy students from across Canada to beautiful Niagara Falls. For the first time in history, the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy had the honour of hosting PDW 2016, an annual conference for the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns.
On January 7th, friends and family were invited as the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy welcomed 122 new students at the annual white coat ceremony.
Candy or medicine? The difference between bright coloured pills and tasty treats was the subject of much discussion when pharmacy students Sarah Blythe and Katie Gammage reached out to the community as part of the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Kids and Medicine program.
Between May and December of 2015, Meagan McGill spent two hours of every week with her friend Reg, an 83-year-old gentleman with Alzheimer’s disease.
She was volunteering with the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo-Wellington, acting as a weekly companion for Reg. Together, Reg and Meagan watched some of his favourite shows, listened to music, and enjoyed conversation. Meagan also got to know Reg’s wife and primary caretaker, Lorraine.
With the pharmacist scope of practice expanding across Canada, further research is increasingly important in assessing how pharmacists can best interact with their patients.
This week, alumna Marisa Ramandt (Rx2015) received the Commitment to Care & Service Student Leadership Award in Toronto. This award recognizes her strong academic performance and leadership skills with pharmacy-related organizations and professional activities.
Preparing for the expanded role of pharmacists, a group of Waterloo pharmacy students proved they have the business savvy and pharmaceutical know-how to kick-start a business that puts pharmacists on the front line of health care.The Pharmasave Business Competition pits third-year pharmacy student teams against their classmates in a battle for a $5,000 prize that tests their business acumen and innovation in the field of pharmacy.
To School of Pharmacy assistant professors Brett Barrett and Kelly Grindrod, that is a problem. Antibiotics are effective tools for fighting infectious diseases, but misinformation surrounds when and why they should be used. The public lecture delivered by Grindrod and Barrett on November 12th acknowledged the important contribution antibiotics have made and continue to make to human health and addressed the many myths surrounding the medications.
Collaboration between healthcare professionals is essential for effective patient-focused care, and thus interprofessional education (IPE) is a foundational element of healthcare training throughout the Waterloo-Wellington region.
As Canada’s population is aging, a team of researchers led by a Waterloo Pharmacy professor is investigating new ways to identify seniors most at risk of having adverse drug reactions, with the goal of improving their quality of life.