Nancy Waite

Professor, Associate Director

Location: PHR 6009

Biography

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.

Research Interests

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
Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice
Clinical Pharmacology

Scholarly 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

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship (Wayne State University)
PharmD (Wayne State University)
BScPhm (University of Toronto)

Awards

2023, Outstanding Author for the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, chosen by the Editor-in-Chief
2022-23, Everyday Hero Award, Minister’s Award of Excellence from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities
2021, APOthecary Heroes Award, Apotex. Awarded for going above and beyond in patient care by supporting vaccine delivery for Ontarians.
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”
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 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

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.

Selected/Recent Publications

AlShurman BA, Tetui M, Nanyongo A, Butt ZA, Waite N, Vernon-Wilson L, Wong G, Grindrod G. Understanding the COVID-19 vaccine policy terrain in Ontario Canada: A policy analysis of the content, processes, context, and actors. Vaccines 2023, 11(4), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11040782
Vernon-Wilson E, Tetui M, Nanyonjo A, Adil M, Bala A, Nelson D, Sayers E, Waite N, Grindrod K. Unintended consequences of communicating rapid COVID-19 vaccine policy changes– a study of health policy communication in Ontario, Canada Quality Health Communication 2023;23:932 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15861-y
Tetui M, Tennant R, Patten A, Giilck B, Burns CM, Waite N, Grindrod K. Exploring role satisfaction among community volunteers working in mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics, Waterloo Region, Canada. BMC Public Health 2023; 23 (1199) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15597-9
Houle SKD, Mahajan N, Waite NM. Herpes zoster and human papillomavirus vaccination opportunities identified using electronic prompts at the time of scheduling influenza or COVID-19 vaccines. Can Pharm J 2023;156(5):257 https://doi.org/10.1177/17151635231188343
Houle SKD, Waite NM, Tsuyuki RT. Taking our best shot: Pharmacy’s vaccination success story, Can Pharm J 2022;155(6):293-295 https://doi.org/10.1177/17151635221128223
Timony P, Houle SKD, Gauthier A, Waite NM. Geographic Distribution of Ontario Pharmacists: A Focus on Rural and Northern Communities. Can Pharm J 2022;155(5) https://doi.org/10.1177/17151635221115411
Waite NM, Pereira JA, Houle SKD, Gilca V, Andrew MK. The impact of influenza on the ability to work, volunteer and provide care: results from an online survey of Canadian adults 50 years and older. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2119 https://rdcu.be/cZZs5
Houle SKD, Timony P, Waite NM, Gauthier A. Identifying vaccination deserts: The availability and distribution of pharmacists with authorization to administer injections in Ontario. Can Pharm J 2022;155(6):293-295 https://doi.org/10.1177/17151635221115183
Nasreen S, Gebretekle GB, Lynch M, Kurdina A, Thomas M, Fadel S, Houle SKD, Waite NM, Crowcroft N, Allin S. Understanding predictors of pneumococcal vaccine uptake in older adults aged 65 and older in high-income countries: a scoping review. Vaccine 2022;40(32):4380-4393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.056
Houle SKD, Avdiaj B, Moroz S, Waite NM. Experiential education supervisors as assessors of pharmacy student injection technique. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2022.01.019
DeMarco M, Carter C, Houle SKD, Waite NM. The role of pharmacy technicians in vaccination services: A scoping review. J Amer Pharm Assoc 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2021.09.016
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 S, Gauthier AP, Violette R. Le Pharmacien est disponible...(The Pharmacist is In): The availability and distribution of French-speaking pharmacist in Ontario. Minorites linguistiques et societe 2022;18:175-196. https://doi.org/10.7202/1089184ar
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