CPE Speaker Series
Zoom
From surviving to thriving: The current state of pharmacy workforce wellness and where we go from here
Over the past three years, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy teams have taken on a more prominent role in supporting their patients and communities. We’ve risen to meet growing public demand for pharmacist services and have embraced a greater role in public health with an unwavering ‘Can Do’ attitude. But it has come at a cost—our workforce is in crisis and pharmacy professionals are experiencing stress and risk of burnout at unprecedented levels. In this session, CPhA’s Chief Pharmacist Officer, Danielle Paes, will share some sobering national survey results that offer insight into pharmacists' current levels of mental health and well-being. Sharing perspectives from frontline pharmacists themselves, we’ll take a look at some of the challenges and opportunities for the future of the profession as we consider a post-COVID workforce and world.
Presenter: Danielle Paes
Dr. Danielle Paes is the Chief Pharmacist Officer at CPhA where she is driving strategic efforts in the areas of engagement, diversity and inclusion, and pharmacist mental health and wellness. She holds bachelor and doctor of pharmacy degrees from the University of Waterloo and a bachelor of science in applied pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Guelph. Danielle brings a wealth of experience to her role at CPhA, and her unique portfolio gives her a pan-Canadian view into the needs and perspectives of pharmacists across Canada. Most recently she practiced as clinical pharmacist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, and has held previous roles in community pharmacy, industry and academia. Danielle is recognized as a dynamic and forward-thinking pharmacist, committed to advancing the profession, engaging and supporting front-line pharmacists and advocating for effective use of our Canadian health-care system to help optimize patient care.
Discussant: Shams Qaend
A full-time pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart, recently graduated from the International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) Bridging Program from the University of Toronto, and a PharmD graduate from the University of Jordan, Shams is an ACRP-CP and CCRP certified clinical researcher, entrepreneur, and web and phone applications developer. Due to her passion for technology, she was able to RxCourse Institute Inc. platform in pharmacy education; she recently got her success story published by the city of Mississauga. Shams has an ultimate goal to ease the path for international pharmacists to get a foothold in the Canadian healthcare system, to replace the journey of licensure from broken hearts and shattered dreams to success, happiness and joy of achievements.
Discussant: Kevin McLaughlin
Kevin is a pharmacist graduate of Dalhousie University with twenty years experience in various practice environments from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island, Canada, Florida and Australia. He is currently Director of Professional Practice for the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association and a community pharmacist supporting expanded scopes of practice for Kennebecasis Drugs in New Brunswick and Murphy’s Healthcare on Prince Edward Island. After graduation Kevin completed a hospital pharmacy residency at the Ottawa Hospital and later a PharmD at the University of Florida. He practiced critical care, infectious diseases and was a pharmacotherapy specialist in infectious diseases at Horizon Health in New Brunswick, and across Toronto Areas Academic Health Network hospitals. After completing Ironman Tremblant in 2017 he made a change to community pharmacy and practiced in Tofino, B.C. and later Sussex, N.B. He is a past CAPSI national president, an outgoing Board of Director on the NBPA. He currently is a Steering Committee member on Canada’s Pharmacy Workforce Planning Committee and sits on CPhA’s Mental Health & Wellness Taskforce.
