Are you a pharmacy technician or pharmacist who has been practising in Alberta for up to five years?
Are you thinking about how you can become a leader in your profession?
Leadership isn’t just a title in the pharmacy—it’s a core competency that elevates the professions, strengthens teams, and ultimately ensures every patient receives the safe, quality care they deserve. Honing your leadership skills will help you contribute to your profession with greater confidence, clarity, and influence.
Sofiya Terekhovska is a new pharmacist who wanted to develop her leadership skills and, in 2024, made the decision to apply for ACP’s Leadership Development Award.
Sofiya was doubtful that she would be successful, but she made the decision to push past her fears and submit an application. In 2024, she was selected as the award recipient and she used the award bursary (which can be up to $5,000) to attend the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) 2025 World Congress.
Travelling to connect, collaborate, and learn with pharmacy peers from around the world was a career-defining step for Sofiya. She reflected on the professional development, networking, and takeaways that this opportunity presented.
Professional development
“This was such a great opportunity to learn about pharmacy practice in different countries. I attended one session about expanding the scope of practice of pharmacists in South Africa and it is so interesting to see how very similar programs develop in different parts of the world.
“I attended another session about building an agile and resilient pharmacy workforce. I found it to be really informative because as pharmacists, our jobs can be very stressful and it was really interesting to talk about taking care of ourselves and building our own resiliency,” said Sofiya.
Networking
“The act of networking really helps expand one’s worldview and open up to different learnings. I had the opportunity to present a poster on the medication distribution system in correctional facilities, which allowed me to network with pharmacy professionals from other countries and learn about what medication distribution systems are like in other places around the world.
“I also had some really valuable chance encounters. The pharmacist who was presenting her poster next to me was from Taiwan and her poster was about clozapine monitoring in psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan. I work with patients who take clozapine in my role and it was so interesting to share experiences with her.
“I have found that it is beneficial to develop these relationships. I have reached out to people I’ve met at conferences with pharmacy-specific questions to get different perspectives and see how things work in different countries,” said Sofiya.
Takeaways
“After getting so much out of the World Congress in Copenhagen, I made the decision to attend the next World Congress, which will be in Montreal. It will be really exciting to welcome so many pharmacy professionals from around the world to Canada!
“I firmly believe that leadership comes in many different forms, and that’s exactly the variety of experiences that we need in our pharmacy workforce. Drawing on my own experience, I think it’s important to put yourself out there—you never know the impact you can have, the connections you will make, and the opportunities that you might gain,” said Sofiya.
If Sofiya’s experience sounds rewarding to you, there are so many leadership opportunities out there that you could consider if you apply for the 2026 Leadership Development Award!
Eligibility criteria
If you’re interested in applying, you must
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
- be a clinical pharmacist or pharmacy technician in good standing with ACP for up to five years; and
- have demonstrated exemplary professionalism, citizenship, and leadership.
The successful applicant will receive up to $5,000 from ACP to advance their leadership skills through attendance at a single prominent leadership conference, or leadership development opportunity delivered through a university or college program. The award can be used to cover program registration fees, travel expenses to attend the program, and accommodation and meal expenses while attending the program.
Applications must be submitted to ACP by Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
For more information about the award and how to apply, refer to the award’s Terms of Reference.
