Join us for Pharmacy Changemakers: Relieving the Pressure: an interdisciplinary panel discussion and live recording of the I’m Pharmacy Podcast.

This thought-provoking discussion explores the growing role of pharmacists in prescribing for minor ailments, sharing real-world stories of how these services are relieving the pressure on a strained health care system. How is the public perception of pharmacists' roles changing? How can collaborative models between clinicians evolve to improve primary care delivery?

Panelists discuss the challenges of implementing sustainable change in primary care and what it takes to strengthen connections among care providers from education to practice.

Meet the Panel

Mina Tadrous, 1T5 PhD (Host, I'm Pharmacy Podcast) Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; Canada Research Chair in Real World Evidence and Pharmaceutical Policy

Mina Tadrous is a licensed pharmacist and leading pharmacoepidmeiologist. He has developed an impactful research program that has helped change drug policies in Ontario and nationally, and has earned a reputation as a respected teacher and mentor. He leads research in the Faculty’s clinical, social and administrative pharmaceutical sciences division, using real-world evidence to improve how medications are used. He is keenly interested in using and developing advanced pharmacoepidemiologic methods to study the safety, effectiveness, and utilization of drugs to inform clinical practice and policy. His research has helped inform policies that improve access to critical medications, including chronic hepatitis B therapeutics. He holds research appointments at Women’s College Hospital, ICES and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network.

Natalie Crown, 0T8 PharmD Associate Professor and Director of the PharmD Program, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Natalie Crown is an Associate Professor (Teaching Stream) and the Director of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. She completed her BSc.(Pharm) at Dalhousie University, a pharmacy practice residency program at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in conjunction with Dalhousie University, and her post-baccalaureate PharmD at the University of Toronto. She coordinates and teaches across the professional pharmacy programs. Her area of educational scholarship focuses on simulation to teach practice skills, and pedagogies to enhance active and collaborative learning in the large classroom environment. Crown is an experienced clinician with almost 20 years of practice experience in the areas of general internal medicine and cardiology, mostly in ambulatory care. She co-developed one of the first accredited Canadian residency programs in ambulatory care at Women’s College Hospital, serving as the program co-ordinator (2012-2015) and director (2015-2021). 

Eric Wong, MD, MClSc(FM) Professor, Associate Chair and Faculty Development Director, Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University 

Eric is an academic family physician with an active family practice and special interests in medical education.  He is President-Elect of the Ontario College of Family Physicians and Professor, Associate Chair, and Faculty Development Director in the Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. He has held various educational leadership roles and currently serves as the Clinical Director for Practice Ready Ontario, a practice-ready assessment program for internationally trained family physicians administered by Touchstone Institute and Medical Director for the Thames Valley Family Health Team operating in the counties of Oxford, Elgin, and London-Middlesex.

George Hanna, 2T1 PharmD Community Pharmacist and Pharmacy Owner

George is an alumnus of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy as part of the 2T1 PharmD class. Since graduating, he has held several management positions for Loblaw Pharmacy and Shoppers Drug Mart, most recently becoming an Associate-Owner at Shoppers Drug Mart Queens Quay and Dockside Drive. His pharmacy is the first Pharmacy Clinic model within the City of Toronto, where he focuses on providing professional services such as point of care testing, strep throat swabbing and prescribing, travel consultations, minor ailment prescribing, and more. George is most passionate about pharmacy transformation towards clinical service provision, and has been an advocate for pharmacist expanded scope and furthering professional development.

Carleigh Clarke, MD Family Physician

Dr. Carleigh Clarke is a recent graduate of the Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Toronto. She is currently practicing in the Greater Toronto Area across a variety of clinical settings, providing comprehensive care to patients at all stages of life; from newborns to those receiving palliative care. Dr. Clarke also has a passion for women’s health and is particularly interested in advancing care for women from culturally diverse backgrounds. She hopes to continue expanding her training and expertise in this area to better serve her community. Outside of medicine, Dr. Clarke enjoys listening to music, dancing, and spending sunny summer days on a patio with friends and family.

Mehreen Shahid 2T7 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Student, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Mehreen is a Doctor of Pharmacy student at the University of Toronto and a member of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy's Responsible Discourse Working Group.

Join us on May 8th for the inaugural Shaping the Future of Minor Ailments Services: Innovation & Excellence Forum – a day dedicated to the latest research on minor ailments services in Ontario.

Presented by the Network for Improving Health Systems (NIHS) at the University of Toronto - a collaboration between the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy - pharmacists and policymakers are invited to share, learn, and celebrate practice innovations dedicated to minor ailments services in-person at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

The event seeks to strengthen existing relationships and build new relationships with policymakers, and recognize our pharmacist colleagues in Ontario who are demonstrating innovative approaches to delivering minor ailments services. 

At this event, you can learn about the most current research on minor ailments services in Ontario, hear from panelists during the policymaker dialogue, and recognize and celebrate pharmacist practice innovations related to minor ailments services.

This event will take place in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. Please note that this is a paid, in-person event and registration is limited.

The Network for Improving Health Systems (NIHS) is a collaboration between the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

In our current climate, fraught with vaccination fatigue, decreased vaccine confidence and barriers to immunization access, it is more challenging than ever to meet/maintain adequate vaccine coverage. The CVPD partnered with Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy (University of Toronto), the School of Pharmacy (University of Waterloo) and the Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network (OPEN) to host a stakeholder discussion about the role of pharmacists as vaccinators in Ontario on October 10, 2023.

This meeting brought together pharmacists, physicians, public health practitioners, policymakers and community members to discuss programmatic challenges and opportunities for innovation. The result was a thought-provoking event that provided new ideas for improving immunization coverage in Ontario.

This report summarizes: Expert insight on the barriers to vaccine uptake, an overview of pharmacy-based immunization services, innovative approaches to vaccination and ideas from attendees on opportunities for the future.

This event provided an introduction to the Network and offered an opportunity to promote collaboration among scientists at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.