Wade Thompson is a clinical research manager at Medisystem in Toronto. He's completed his MSc in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa and is enrolled in the PharmD Bridging Program at Waterloo Pharmacy.
Where They're Working
After graduation from Waterloo Pharmacy, Wade sought opportunities to blend research and pharmacy practice. He’s balanced clinical and research roles, practicing in primary care at a family health team in Arnprior, a rural area outside of Ottawa, while at the same time coordinating research projects for the Bruyère Research Institute.
“I always wanted a job that allowed me to do research and work in clinical practice as well,” he says. “You stay in touch with what clinical issues are relevant to patients and care providers. Maintaining a clinical practice is important because it allows me to continue to develop and share clinical knowledge and keep growing as a pharmacist.”
Wade’s diverse experiences enabled him to identify areas for relevant research, and with that in mind he then pursued a Master’s degree at the University of Ottawa starting in 2014. His thesis focused on proton-pump inhibitors, medications that decrease acid production in the stomach. Around this time he also began working as a clinical consultant pharmacist in long-term care in Ottawa.
“My thesis explores the importance of shared-decision making and involving patient values and preferences in use of these medications,” he explains.
In his current role with Medisystem as clinical research manager, Wade continues to merge his training in research with his knowledge as a pharmacist. He spends one day a week conducting medication reviews for long-term-care residents, working with the residents, their families, and other healthcare team members to optimize medication use. The rest of his time involves designing and conducting research projects independently and in collaboration with other researchers. Medisystem is a large long-term care pharmacy provider that oversees about 40,000 beds across Canada.
“We have a significant capacity to conduct research,” says Wade, explaining his newly created research manager role. “We want to explore how we can improve quality of care and better understand medication use in our patients.”
Wade is currently working on projects of particular relevance to older patients. He is examining topics like deprescribing diabetes medications in frail older long-term care residents. In many of these patients the risks of aggressive diabetes treatment can outweigh the benefits. By studying different aspects of polypharmacy in older patients, Wade and his team hope to improve care of this population.
Alumni Answers
UW: What advice do you have for students interested in pharmacy research and graduate studies?
WT: Think about where you want to be and what you want to be doing (for example, working full-time in academia or as a clinical scientist). Be sure to engage in research projects whenever you can to get exposure to different topics and researchers. Talk to pharmacists who are doing the kind of work you’d like to do. Get a sense of the jobs that exist and learn from the experiences of others.
UW: Much of your work has focused on older patients. Why did you want to specialize in geriatric care?
WT: The amount of medication use in older patients can be overwhelming. Many older people are taking medications they may no longer need to be taking, and their goals of drug therapy can change as they age. I think there’s an important role pharmacists can play here, both in reducing treatment burden and in helping patients and caregivers clarify and achieve their goals. Finally, there isn’t a lot of research particularly in frail older people. So one reason I got into research was to (try to) address the need for clinical evidence in this area to improve care for these patients.
Non-Pharm Fun
