What a privilege it has been to serve as registrar of the former Alberta Pharmaceutical Association (APhA, 1990-1999) and the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP, 2000-2024)! I am excited to “pass the torch” to Brad Willsey, a colleague and friend who brings experience, passion, and the energy needed for this role. Having worked closely with Brad during his terms as President of the APhA and ACP, I know that Albertans and ACP’s regulated members will be served well under his leadership.
I am proud of the APhA’s and ACP’s accomplishments during my tenure. I believe that we have consistently aimed to improve the health of people, families, and our communities with integrity and purpose. To achieve this, we created new opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to serve people and society better. With every memorable experience, the expectations of people and their families continue to grow.
I depart my role fulfilled. I expect innovation and change to occur, taking pharmacy practice and ACP to new levels of public confidence. ACP is solidly positioned for Council and its administration to continue leading and pharmacy practice to continue improving. ACP’s Code of Ethics and Tenets of Professionalism now reflected in ACP’s new standards, the Licensee and Proprietors Education Programs, and the development of myACP are foundational to ACP’s future. These, complemented by ACP’s commitment to leadership development, will allow our college to continue leading, and pharmacy practice in Alberta to be the envy of other jurisdictions.
Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, suggested that success is measured by the size of your rolodex. While my rolodex has grown and changed over the years, I appreciate the many people I have learned from who have inspired me to challenge ideas and to think differently, who have been trusted partners and collaborators, and who have worked with and supported me every day. To all my fellow administrative team members, the councils I have served, fellow registrars within and external to pharmacy, and ACP’s many partners, I thank you.
With a view to the future, I leave my pharmacy family with this challenge. The relevance and value of pharmacy practice is measured in people, not in prescriptions and in the quality of every patient experience, not in how many patients are served. Remain steadfast in your commitment to the health of everyone in your care. If they need drug therapy, make sure it is appropriate for them and you support them to get the best results they wish for. Remember, care is not a transaction! Commoditization of your care is the greatest risk to the potential of pharmacy practice and your value to society. Success will be determined by how well pharmacy teams perform, not by how much they do.
To my own family, I look forward to being home and enjoying every moment and experience we can share together. These will never make up for opportunities missed in the past, but we are today for what we did yesterday. Thank you for your enduring love, understanding, and everlasting support that allowed me to tackle this incredible challenge and responsibility.
