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Chris Hartman (Rx2011) has been a preceptor since 2017 and co-op supervisor since 2019, supporting ��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy students from different points in their pharmacy journey. He is part of the ��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy vanguard class and currently works at Ingersoll Pharmasave in Ingersoll, Ontario.

“Chris has been an exceptional mentor and educator to me during my rotations,” says a pharmacy student. “He provides an exemplary learning environment that embodies true commitment to teaching and the profession.”

Hartman’s commitment to teaching is far reaching. Students emphasize his willingness to meet with students regularly to broaden their understanding of the profession from clinical aspects to the business side.

“Chris’ impact on my growth as a future pharmacist cannot be overstated. His consistent and thoughtful feedback has helped me refine my skills, build confidence and navigate complex clinical scenarios,” adds the student.

Hartman creates a learning environment tailored to his students to help them grow into practice ready pharmacists.

“��ݮ��Ƶ pharmacy students energize our whole staff and inject a passion and an enthusiasm into our workplace.  Personally, their varied experiences and endless curiosity forces me to constantly re-evaluate my own practices and beliefs about pharmacy, making me a better pharmacist and keeping me engaged with the profession,” says Hartman.       

Dr. Bagga has been a preceptor since 2014 and currently works at the Windsor Regional Hospital Ouellette Campus in Windsor, Ontario. She provides an exemplary learning environment with dedicated time to training her co-op students.

“She was incredibly patient with me while I was learning, despite a busy schedule,” says a pharmacy student. “Overall, Dr. Bagga’s contributions to my education instilled confidence into me as a soon-to-be practicing pharmacist.”

Dr. Bagga has been nominated by students from several past rotations. She is a compassionate and extremely knowledgeable preceptor who goes above and beyond to ensure students are competent and confident when communicating with patients, caregivers and their families.

“Dr. Bagga really stood out to me as being a compassionate and educational preceptor who enabled me to engage in interprofessional team work through collaboration with physicians and nurses in the hospital,” says another pharmacy student.

Her meaningful feedback and leadership gives her students the confidence, alongside their knowledge, to step into their pharmacist role.

As the owner of a small and fast-growing independent pharmacy, Lancaster Wellness Pharmacy in Kitchener, Ontario, Vishal Acharya always makes time to mentor students. Vishal achieved his PharmD in 2010 from Ohio Northern University. It was through his clinical rotations that he saw value in his past mentors: “I learned so much from them and incorporated their teachings in my work today,” he says.

Acharya always knew he wanted to own his own pharmacy someday and from the beginning wanted to teach students. Upon opening his pharmacy in 2017, he made sure to welcome a co-op student to the team.

“Vishal teaches and mentors his students with his own experiences from practice and understands what it is like to be a student,” says one nominator. “Even the most critical feedback is given in such a way that it is not defeating or disheartening, but motivating and inspires you to do better. Lancaster Wellness is a family, and I felt welcome since day one.”

As a preceptor, Acharya loves to see students build on what they learn and views students as a key part of his team.  He says they bring fresh new ideas, ask tough questions and are always updated on the lastest technology, which in turn makes him a better pharmacist.

Acharya knows firsthand that experiential learning is beneficial to both the mentor and mentee, as they share knowledge and grow together.

Nominators all agreed that Vishal gave them many opportunities to provide meaningful patient care.

“One day I truly aspire to operate my own store to the standard that Vishal holds his store to. If I can be just a fraction of the pharmacist that he is, I would consider that a success,” a nominator states.

“I am honored and excited to receive this award,” Acharya says. “Thank you to the school for giving me this opportunity to be a preceptor.”

Boluwaji Ogundipe – Felix to his friends and co-workers – is a pharmacist at Costco Pharmacy in Barrie. As a preceptor, Felix demonstrated a continued commitment to ensuring a friendly and welcoming environment at the pharmacy for both his patients and his students.

“Felix helped me navigate the transition between thinking like a student and actually applying my therapeutic knowledge in real-time situations,” says one nominator.

Mentorship is important for Felix. An internationally trained pharmacist from Nigeria in West Africa, Felix immigrated to Canada and went through the process of becoming a Canadian pharmacy practitioner.

“I had some challenges finding a preceptor,” he says, reflecting on his own journey. “This is one of the many reasons I made up my mind to become one. Preceptorship is also a way of contributing to the growth and uplifting of the profession.”

Felix helped students stay on their toes during their days at the large pharmacy by continually testing their knowledge. The engaging environment is something all nominators commented on:

“He would hand me slips of paper with pop quizzes on them,” says one student. “I got excited receiving these because it was a fun way to learn something. To this date I still use some of the clinical pearls he taught me through those pop quizzes, and that demonstrates his dedication to teaching while still maintaining a fun environment.”

Like many, Felix was in a challenging position managing students in a pandemic. Throughout, he ensured they felt supported and comfortable on rotation. Felix made his students feel appreciated in this challenging time, and he made sure that all the necessary PPE was consistently available.

“Despite the new work environment, the increased workload, and the fear of a new virus circulating, Felix made me feel very comfortable working. In fact, I believe going in to work everyday with a fun crew helped me maintain my sanity during those times,” says one nominator.

For Felix, this is a recognition not just of his effort but of his whole team:

“This would not have been possible without the tremendous support of the entire pharmacy team of Costco Pharmacy, Barrie who have made the student’s experience worthwhile,” he says.

Ginette Dutrisac is a preceptor for students on rotation at Health Sciences North in Sudbury. As such, she often supports students who are living and learning in a region far from home. Nominators commented on how Ginette is not only an exceptional teacher, but also a supportive mentor who checks-in with students and ensures they are adjusting well to a challenging work environment.

Nominators noted how Ginette consistently goes above and beyond her job description, demonstrating not only clinical expertise but also a dedication to advocating for patients.

“Ginette works to make systemic changes within Health Sciences North as an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist,” one nominator says. “She is a fantastic educator who does not hesitate to challenge and push her students to achieve their personal best.”

Students who were new to a hospital setting commented on how Ginette welcomed their questions. Her active participation in a number of projects at the hospital translated to superb learning experiences for students, who had numerous opportunities to assist.

“I truly cannot think of another preceptor who deserves recognition for the impact she has had on a multitude of students throughout the years,” says a nominator. “She has an ability to motivate students even when she is delivering constructive criticism, and shares her passion for hospital pharmacy with students creating lasting impressions on anyone that is lucky to work with her.”

Phil Hauser is a pharmacist, owner, and co-founder of Whole Health Pharmacy Partners, Canada’s newest pharmacy banner. Phil has been a preceptor for ��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy students on rotation since 2016 – in that time he’s served as preceptor to six students.

“Phil goes above and beyond for his patients, taking the time not only to identify and resolve drug therapy issues, but also to establish a great relationship with them,” said one nominator. “He’s completely changed the way I view community pharmacy.”

Dave Edwards, Nancy Waite, Phil Hauser, and Ken Manson

Nominators cited numerous examples of how Phil consistently goes above and beyond, interacting with patients in supportive, compassionate, and non-judgemental ways. He is also a strong advocate for practicing to full scope, encouraging students, technicians, and pharmacists on his team to leverage their scope to its fullest extent. As co-founder of a new banner and owner of two busy pharmacies, Phil is an exceptional team player. His students describe how he modelled good leadership and efficient and effective interprofessional collaboration with other health care providers. He consistently provided interesting projects for his students, ensuring that he was available to them for support, but also trusting them to complete work independently. “Phil showed me what a good pharmacist can do for their patients in the community,” said a nominator. “I will always remember him as someone who changed the way I view the profession.”

Jeffrey Chou has been a co-op supervisor in 2019 and 2023. He currently works at Rexall Head Office in Mississauga, Ontario. Chou provides one-on-one meetings with students to check on their progress and workload, immersing himself in student growth and success.

“Despite his very busy schedule, Jeffrey never failed to make himself available for questions at any time and never cancelled our weekly meetings,” says a pharmacy student. “His emphasis on work-life balance enhanced the quality of my work.”

Chou gives students the room the grow through diverse projects and collaborations with different departments to further their knowledge and career development. These opportunities give students a deeper understanding of the importance of interprofessional collaboration.

“My colleagues and I at Rexall worked with our student in a corporate pharmacy environment that developed tools to support our front-line pharmacy teams while they deliver exceptional pharmacy services to our patients. Our goal was to have our student participate in various projects to experience how the pharmacy services team and other support teams at the Rexall Support Center operated. I am happy that we were able to provide a memorable and meaningful experience for our student and I am grateful to be the recipient of this award,” says Chou.

Chou has been nominated for multiple leader awards at Rexall. His commitment to the profession and mentoring students shines through the student’s growth post co-op work term.

Dr. Pham and MacKay are joint co-op supervisors from the Office of Clinical Trials, Special Access Program (SAP) at Health Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. They provide one-on-one teaching and truly understand what it means to provide students with a memorable co-op work term experience.

“My experience with the Special Access Program was, in itself, an incredible opportunity for professional and personal development,” says a pharmacy student. “Dr. Pham and MacKay were essential people in my positive, lasting impression of this co-op work term.”

Students express how valuable working with Dr. Pham and MacKay was to their experience.

“I have significantly grown both personally and professionally,” says another pharmacy student. “My experience at SAP has opened my eyes to career paths and opportunities I did not know were possible and has inspired me to reach higher.”

MacKay creates a welcoming and positive work culture to engage his staff and approaches problems with infectious enthusiasm.

Dr. Pham challenges the students critical thinking skills and helps them understand and approach therapeutic problems through a different lens.

Dr. Pham and MacKay display leadership, professionalism and empathy and are always approachable and supportive of their students.

Sukhmani Sethi, ��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy Rx2016 alum, was a pharmacist at LMC Healthcare in Brampton, Ontario at the time of this award recognition.

“During my time at LMC Pharmacy, Sukhmani empowered me to speak to patients as a pharmacist, not just a student,” one nominator says.

For many students, co-op work terms are their first exposure to real-world career settings. The experiences are challenging and can be intimidating, and a great supervisor can make all the difference. Nominators agree that Sukhmani goes above and beyond her duties to empower students to assume responsibilities, building confidence as they do.

The co-op program is important to Sethi as she remembers her student experiences. She encourages her students to ask questions, big or small, even when their co-op work term ends.

Sethi’s nominators say they view her not only as a mentor, but as a colleague and friend. They recognized the time she took to introduce them to interprofessional team members, including endocrinologists, dietitians, nurses and research team members, ensuring the student had plently of networking opportunities during their term.

“She has always encouraged me to take on more difficult and complex cases so that I can learn more, even if it meant she would have to spend more time coaching me on the subject,” states one nominator.

Although she no longer works in the clinical sector, Sethi will continue to help co-op students grow and learn.

“Thank you to the ��ݮ��Ƶ School of Pharmacy – receiving this award warms my heart”, she says. “I encourage students to take advantage of all the learning opportunities available.”

Heidi Huang is a pharmacist at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto. She’s mentored students for several years where she provides a memorable and positive learning environment.

“Heidi’s consistently approachable, empathetic, and adaptable,” says one nominator. “She demonstrates strong problem-solving skills and a passion for the pharmacy field.”

For many students, a co-op term can be their first experience in a hospital setting. Hospital pharmacy differs greatly from the community environment, and for many students, the experience can be overwhelming at first. Right from the start of term, Heidi ensures that all her students feel comfortable and know what resources are available.

“Despite our narrow therapeutic knowledge,” one student says, “Heidi made sure to give us opportunities to work with pharmacists in different hospital units to expand our clinical knowledge.”

Nominators also remarked on Heidi’s incredible empathy for patients, colleagues and students. She broached challenging topics with students, like Medical Assistance in Dying, and helped the students appreciate the sensitivity of end-of-life care.

It’s those moments of professional development and growth that Heidi cherishes:

“I believe in the importance of supporting the next generation of pharmacists and enjoy connecting with new students.  It is truly rewarding to see students grow,” she says.

Heidi also managed students through the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that her students felt safe and were up to speed on all the appropriate public health measures. The hospital faced challenges, with sick calls, redeployments, admissions and more, and Heidi effectively delegated administrative and clinical tasks among her students so they could support the pharmacy department.

“Heidi demonstrates the importance of pharmacists in healthcare and the direct impact they can have in patient care,” nominators say. “She embodies all of the characteristics that we aspire to implement in our future practice.”

The award has helped affirm Heidi’s passion for mentorship:

“I’m very touched to have won this award,” she says. “And so happy to know my students have had positive learning experiences. I’m also grateful to my amazing team who all contribute and support our students.”

Melissa Sayed (Rx2016) is the first alumnus of the School of Pharmacy to receive this award. Melissa is a committed co-op supervisor who supports students at a Rexall pharmacy in Ottawa. Melissa dedicated entire days for training her co-op students and was always sure to provide thorough and efficient responses to questions.

Even in a busy community pharmacy environment, nominators remarked on how Melissa prioritized their learning.

“She provided constant opportunities for me to learn, whether it was counseling on a new medication, shadowing a consult, or working together to solve a problem,” says one former co-op student.

“I cannot put into words how Melissa goes above and beyond a preceptor's role to genuinely work to teach a student everything she can,” says another.

Nominators remarked on how Melissa’s constructive feedback, and strong relationship with her patients is inspiring.

“She has become a role model for me and I aspire to become a pharmacist like her one day,” says one student.

Mark Pasetka is a Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator at the Odette Cancer Centre in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Mark has supervised students on co-op and rotations for over seven years, supporting learners from both the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and the University of Toronto. To date, he’s taken 69 students on co-op, many of whom have returned to work with him for a second term.

According to nominators, Mark creates an outstanding learning environment where students are encouraged to asked questions and to work independently.

“I didn’t have previous oncology knowledge when starting my co-op,” says one nominator, “but Mark always made time to teach myself and the other co-op student about chemotherapy, side effects, and how to manage them.”

In particular, Mark is a proponent of self-guided learning, encouraging students who work with him to trust in themselves and their own knowledge.

“Mark guides students in the right direction, probing us to use our previous knowledge to find solutions to drug therapy problems,” says a nominator.

Whether it’s their first co-op or their third at Sunnybrook with Mark, students are thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from and work alongside such a supportive and inspiring pharmacist.

The 2017 recipient is Sally Ebsary, a Clinical Lead Pharmacist at Remedy’s Rx Sunnyside Long-Term Care in Cambridge. Ebsary has long been a supporter of ��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy: not only does she supervise students, but she served as a Clinical Adjunct Professor for the School from 2008 to 2013.

As a pharmacist at Remedy’sRx, she has mentored both co-op and rotations students, consistently cultivating a supportive environment, and modelling successful interprofessional collaboration.

“Sally is an outstanding mentor,” said Jamie Dang, one of the students who nominated Ebsary. “Before my experience with her at Sunnyside I never considered a position in long term care. But the position gave me exposure to all aspects of LTC and I learned more than I ever could've expected: clinical skills, emotional maturity, communication skills, and more. Now, I can confidently say that I would be happy in the LTC setting and I have Sally to thank for that.”

��ݮ��Ƶ Pharmacy relies on dedicated co-op supervisors like Ebsary to help train the next generation of Canadian pharmacists.

“On behalf of the ��ݮ��Ƶ School of Pharmacy, I’d like to congratulate Sally Ebsary,” said Anthony Miller, Experiential Coordinator of Co-op at the School. “Sally models the kind of exemplary leadership in the profession that we hope to instill in our students, along with providing a unique and exciting opportunity for students to try a non-standard pharmacy setting.”