The Advocate in Me

Advocacy drives change. More than ever, pharmacists are acting as key advocates in the healthcare system, working to empower patients, developing new and improved services, and changing the profession for the better. As advocates, how are pharmacists addressing critical issues at both the personal and professional levels?

Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Room 850

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Moderator: 

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Lachmi Singh

Lachmi Singh

(she/her)

2001 BA UofT, 2004 LLB Honours, University of Birmingham (UK), 2015 PhD, University of the West of England (UK), 2024, MEd, U of T (in progress)

Director, Academic Programs, Planning & Quality Assurance, Office of the Vice-Provost, Academic Programs (VPAP

Former Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Former Director, Education Programs & Administrative Services, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Dr. Lachmi Singh (she/her) is currently the Director, Academic Programs, Planning and Quality Assurance in the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic Programs at the University of Toronto. Lachmi holds an LLB and a PhD degree and has 20 years of experience working in the university sector in the United Kingdom and Canada. Lachmi joined LDFP in 2017 and held the roles of Director, Education Programs and Administrative Services and Director, EDI until 2024 where she was responsible for the administration of all academic programs including program development and delivery, accreditation and program evaluation.

Lachmi has worked collaboratively with academic, administrative and student leaders to develop and implement initiatives aimed at advancing EDI within the learning and working environments across the faculty. In 2023 Lachmi was awarded the Chancellor’s Leadership Award, Emerging Leader and the Exemplary U of T Ambassador Award. Lachmi is currently completing her Master of Education (MEd) in Social Justice Education at OISE at the University of Toronto.

Panelists

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Jen Belcher

 

Jen Belcher

1T3 PharmD
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Member Relations, OPA

Jen Belcher is a highly accomplished pharmacist with a diverse range of experience, having worked in community and hospital settings since graduating from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in 2013. Her leadership skills were recognized early on when she was appointed as the Eastern Ontario Representative on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA), and she later took on the role of Chair during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jen’s impressive track record has now led her to the position of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Member Relations at OPA, where she leverages her expertise in clinical practice, pharmacy operations, and advocacy to lead the association’s important work.

Shellyza Moldedina Sajwani

 

Shellyza Moledina Sajwani

1T8 PharmD
Co-Founder, Climaceutics Health Solutions
Co-Chair, Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment (CAPhE)
Environmental Sustainability Development Goal Co-Lead, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)
Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa
Environmental Stewardship Pharmacy Committee Co-Chair and Clinical Pharmacist, The Ottawa Hospital

Shellyza Sajwani is a pharmacist who works within areas of oncology, global health and climate change as they relate to the pharmacy profession. She is the national co-chair of the new Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment (CAPhE), and also worked with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) as the co-chair of the policy committee creating the first ever global climate change policy relevant to pharmacy. Shellyza is also the co-chair of the Ottawa Hospital Pharmacy Environmental Committee, and has experience working as the previous co-president of Pharmacists Without Borders Canada, as well as an oncology pharmacist at the Ottawa Hospital, with eight years of experience in a combination of outpatient and inpatient oncology.

Jaris Swidrovich

 

Jaris Swidrovich 

1T3 PharmD
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Founder and Chair, Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (IPPC)

Jaris Swidrovich is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. He is a Two Spirit Saulteaux First Nations and Ukrainian man and pharmacist from Yellow Quill First Nation. Swidrovich is the first and only self-identified Indigenous faculty member in pharmacy in Canada. He received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSP) from the University of Saskatchewan, a post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in education from the University of Saskatchewan. His areas of research and practice include HIV/AIDS, substance use, 2SLGBTQ+ health, Indigenous health, and health professions education.

Max Yaghchi

 

Max Yaghchi 

2T0 PharmD
Investigator, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario

Max is a 2T0 PharmD involved in health profession regulation at both the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP). His passion for public safety and health advocacy began during the PharmD program, when he co-Founded Pharmacy Awareness of Indigenous Health (PAIH) to raise awareness around the barriers and harm faced by Indigenous patients in healthcare settings. He currently serves on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.