As the associate/owner of two Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies in Edmonton, Fayaz Rajabali knows what it takes to be a leader. And he’s seen leadership in action at the ACP Council table for the past two years. Fayaz is poised to take on a new leadership role with Council after being installed as its new president on Tuesday, June 11, 2019. His one-year term as president officially begins on July 1, 2019.
“It’s exciting,” said Fayaz. “Alberta has been the leader in pharmacy practice in Canada, if not the world. The Alberta College of Pharmacy has a rich history of leadership and experience. I’m glad to be part of that.”
Fayaz was elected to the position of president by his peers. Fayaz says it is a huge honour to have the support of his fellow Council members.
“The Council is made up of public members, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists from diverse backgrounds,” said Fayaz. “They’re highly engaged. To be selected by such great individuals, I’m very humbled and I hope to lead by example.”
Open-minded, just, and progressive are a few of the attributes Fayaz hopes to bring to the table as Council president. He looks forward to putting these qualities into practice, particularly when Council officially begins strategic planning for the next five years and beyond. Fayaz believes that to be Council’s top priority for the next 12 months.
“Strategic planning encapsulates many different issues and trends, so we can have a better trajectory in the future,” he said. “There are many issues. Technology is one of them. We have drones, artificial intelligence, and the mobile phone has become more of a factor in terms of how the patient interacts with the health professional. We need to ensure we’re taking this all under the umbrella. If we’re strategically positioned, we’re better off making good decisions rather than reactive.”
Fayaz and Council are also focused on the current issues in pharmacy and being proactive to ensure that Albertans have access to consistent, high-quality pharmacy care.
“What that may mean is pharmacy technicians being more engaged into practice, being allowed to practise what they’re trained to do, and having more pharmacists achieving their APA (additional prescribing authorization) and more authorizations to engage the patient,” said Fayaz. “If we can insert these elements into practice and be individualized, I think Albertans will have a greater experience. Pharmacy has been built on trust. As we move into the future, we need to ensure an Albertan will walk in and get that service from their pharmacy that they know and trust.”
Fayaz takes over for Red Deer’s Stan Dyjur, who is wrapping up his one-year term as president. Stan was recently re-elected to Council for another three-year term and will serve as past president starting in July.
