Nancy Waite

Professor; Associate Director, Clinical Education

Nancy Waite Dr. Waite’s research program examines medication/vaccine management and pharmacy practice with a focus on innovation in an evolving health-care landscape. Her research focuses on the impact pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have on improving vaccine uptake, addressing vaccine hesitancy and vaccine monitoring. This includes ensuring that marginalized and underserved communities have access to vaccination and pharmacy services. She also examines the impact of other pharmacist scope of practice changes, pharmacy curricular renewal, including novel experiential education models, and technology implementation.

She is co-founder of the Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (OPEN), a platform for medication management and health system research across several institutions, with over 50 researchers and strong collaborations with government, payer, and healthcare professional organization knowledge users.

Office: PHR 6009
Phone: 519-888-4485
Email: nmwaite@uwaterloo.ca

Expertise

Vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine monitoring, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as immunizers
Access to pharmacist services by marginalized and underserved communities
Impact of changes to pharmacists’ scope of practice
Measurement of curricular change, particularly for novel experiential education models

Research

The impact of novel pharmacist interventions and pharmacist scope of practice changes on medication management and health outcomes with a focus on the role of pharmacy staff as immunizers
The development and assessment of curricula to produce pharmacists prepared to provide medication management in an evolving healthcare landscape

Highlighted Publications

DeMarco M, Carter C, Houle SKD, Waite NM. The role of pharmacy technicians in vaccination services: A scoping review. J Amer Pharm Assoc 2021 (accepted with revisions)

Grindrod K, Waite N, Constantinescu C, Watson K, Tsuyuki RT. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Pharmacists must be proactive and move the middle. Can Pharm J 2021;April: 133-135. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F17151635211005763

Waite NM, Pereira JA, Houle SKD, Gilca V, Andrew MK. COVID-19’s Impact on Willingness to Be Vaccinated against Influenza and COVID-19 during the 2020/2021 Season: Results from an Online Survey of Canadian Adults 50 Years and Older. Vaccines 2021;9:346. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9040346

Timony PE, Waite NM, Houle SKD, Gauthier AP, Violette R. Le Pharmacien est disponsible...(The Pharmacist is In): The availability and distribution of French-speaking pharmacist in Ontario. Minorites linguistiques et societe submitted Jan 2021 (under review)

Chaudhry M, He N, Waite NM, Houle SKD, Kwong J, Cadarette SM. The Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network Atlas of Community Pharmacy Immunization Services. Can Pharm J 2021; In press.

Fonseca J, Violette R, Houle SKD, Waite NM. Distributing Publicly-Funded Influenza Vaccine – Community Pharmacies’ Perspectives on Acquiring Vaccines from Public Health and from Private Distributors in Ontario, Canada. Pharmacy 2021;9(2):94 https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy9020094

Pullagura GR, Waite NM, Houle SKD, Violette R. Shades of gray in vaccination decisions - Understanding community pharmacists’ perspectives of, and experiences with, influenza vaccine hesitancy in Ontario, Canada. Vaccine 2020;38(11):2551-2558 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.01.085

Pullagura GR, Violette R, Houle SKD, Waite NM. Exploring influenza vaccine hesitancy in community pharmacies: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of community pharmacists in Ontario, Canada. Can Pharm J 2020;153:361-370. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1715163520960744

Fonseca J, Pearson-Sharpe J, Houle S, Waite NM. Time for harmonization: pharmacists as immunizers across Canadian jurisdictions. Can Pharm J 2019;152(6):395-400 https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163519879179

Alsabbagh MW, Houle SKD, Waite NM. The availability of pharmacists with Additional Prescribing Authorization in Alberta in relation to the distribution of vulnerable populations – A cross-sectional study. Res Soc Adm Pharmacy 2020;16(1):84-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.03.075

Waite NM, Cadarette SM, Campitelli MA, Consiglio GP, Houle SKD, Kwong JC. Characteristics of patients vaccinated against influenza in physician offices versus pharmacies and predictors of vaccination location: a cross-sectional study. CMAJ Open 2019;7(2):E420-429. http://cmajopen.ca/content/7/2/E421.full

Poudel A, Lau ETL, Deldot M, Campbell C, Waite NM, Nissen LM. Pharmacist role in vaccination: Evidence and challenges. Vaccine 2019;37(40):5939-5945 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.08.060

Pullagura GR, Waite NM, Houle SKD, Violette R, Wong WWR. Cost-utility analysis of offering a novel remunerated community-pharmacist consultation service on influenza vaccination for seniors in Ontario, Canada. J Am Pharm Assoc 2019;59(4):489-497 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2019.02.011

Dolovich L, Austin Z, Waite NM, Chang F, Farrell B, Grindrod K, Houle SH, McCarthy L, MacCullum L, Sproule B. Pharmacy in the 21st century: Enhancing the impact of the profession of pharmacy on people’s lives in the context of health care trends, evidence and policies. Can Pharm J 2019;152(1):45-53 https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163518815717 Winner of the Canadian Pharmacists Journal Best Paper of the Year Award for 2019

Meyer SB, Violette R, Aggarwal R, Simeoni M, MacDougall H, Waite N. Exploring how attitudes and beliefs about vaccination are created, exchanged and maintained in Web 2.0. Vaccine 2019;37(13):1769-1774 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.02.028

Waite NM, McCarthy L, Milne E, Hillier C, Houle S, Dolovich L. Perceived Preparedness for Full Scope Pharmacist Services Among Recent Doctor of Pharmacy Graduates from Ontario Schools of Pharmacy. J Am Pharm Assoc 2018:58;630-7. doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2018.06.016

Wenger LM, Rosenthal M, Sharpe JP, Waite NM. Confronting inequities: A scoping review of the literature on pharmacist practice and health-related disparities. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2016;12(2):175–217. Recipient of the 2016 Best Paper award from the Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy Journal.

Awards and Distinctions

2011, 2016, 2017, 2020 University of Waterloo Outstanding Performance Awards
2019 Canadian Pharmacist’s Journal Best Paper Award, awarded for “Pharmacy in the 21st century: Enhancing the impact of the profession of pharmacy on people’s lives in the context of health care trends, evidence and policies”
2018 Best Pharmacy Practice Research Facilitated e-Poster Presentation, awarded to supervising PhD student (Gokul Pullagura)
2016 Best Paper award from the Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy Journal for “Confronting inequities: A scoping review of the literature on pharmacist practice and health-related disparities”
2015 Best Pharmacy Practice Research, oral presentation, Canadian Pharmacists Conference
2015 Journal Award for Best Paper from the Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education for manuscript ““I gained a skill and a change in attitude”: A case study describing how an online continuing professional education course for pharmacists supported achievement of its transfer-to-practice outcomes.”
2014 Best Pharmacy Practice Research, oral presentation, Canadian Pharmacists Conference
2012 Ontario College of Pharmacists Professorship in Pharmacy Innovation
2012 Award for Program Excellence, Canadian Association from University Continuing Education (CAUCE)
2011 Association of Faculties of Pharmacy in Canada, Bristol-Meyers Squibb Pharmacy Educator Award

Professional Associations and Service

As one of the first faculty members appointed to the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Waite has been central in its development and expansion. She led the development, design, and delivery of the wholly new BScPhm (co-op) program, and subsequently the PharmD and Bridging PharmD programs that are recognized nationally and internationally for their innovation and quality.

Dr. Waite has participated as chair and member of committees and boards of local, provincial, national, and international pharmacy organizations. Most recently she helped lead the pharmacy portion of the Health Science Campus COVID vaccine clinic and the Bingemans’ weekend clinic – over 70,000 doses given and still counting! She was also co-Chair of the 2020 University of Waterloo’s President’s Think Tank.