ACP is excited to offer an excellent opportunity to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who are looking to expand their professional role, pursue new leadership opportunities within their profession or community, or incorporate leadership into their practice.
The 10th annual ACP Leadership Forum takes place June 18-20, 2025, in Edmonton. Pharmacy professionals interested in building confidence and leadership skills are encouraged to apply to attend. During this two-and-a-half-day event, facilitators will support a select group of participants through exercises and discussions aimed to help them navigate challenging times.
Many of the regulated members on ACP Council participated in Leadership Forums in the past, including pharmacy technician Kirsten Shead and pharmacist Murtaza Hassanali.
Kirsten, a technical practice leader with Alberta Health Services, was encouraged by colleagues to apply to attend the forum.
“Participating in the Leadership Forum helped me develop my own vision of what kind of leader I want to be and where I want to go with my leadership,” said Kirsten. “Speaking with so many other leaders and seeing how they lead themselves and others made it clear to me on how I wanted to lead. Also, being able to connect with the Executive Committee from Council gave me insight into what Council does and what ACP does as a whole.”
For Murtaza, who attended the Leadership Forum in 2018, he appreciated learning about strength-based leadership.
“It allowed me to discover what my strengths are and how I approach problems,” said Murtaza, a pharmacy owner and licensee. “I figured out that we’re all going to be different sitting around a table. Everybody can be a leader, but everybody brings something different. How do we appreciate that? How do we tap into that? It’s about recognizing that everybody has a different talent. You may do one thing really well, but another person on the team does something else really well. How can we focus on making sure that we take advantage of everyone’s strengths and then create a group that works around these different strengths? The Leadership Forum really highlighted that for me.”
Murtaza and Kirsten encourage pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who are leaders or on a path to become leaders to consider applying.
“It is super valuable,” said Kirsten. “You’ll make connections with other pharmacy professionals that will become life long.”
“We need leadership qualities in so many different aspects of our life,” added Murtaza. “From a work environment to your family, managing kids, whatever and whoever we have around us, we need to use our leadership qualities. Identifying your own skills and strengths and how you could use those to solve problems is so valuable.”
Whether you’re a leader in your practice, organization, or community, participating in the ACP Leadership Forum is a great way to build your leadership capacity.
Event details
Dates
- Wednesday, June 18 – Friday, June 20, 2025.
- Start time 3:00 p.m. on June 18, ending at 3:30 p.m. on June 20.
Location
- Edmonton
ACP will cover accommodation and meal costs for candidates selected to attend. Transportation, parking, and out-of-pocket expenses will be the participant’s responsibility.
How to apply
To apply, please submit
- a cover letter describing your leadership aspirations, particularly as they relate to your professional role and ACP; and
- a copy of your CV, outlining your professional background, achievements, leadership experiences, and awards received.
This information will serve as the foundation for selecting candidates for the limited number of spots available at the forum.
Please forward your application and supporting documentation to leslie.ainslie@abpharmacy.ca by March 31, 2025.
