2T5 valedictorian Ashish Gante encourages pharmacy grads to push boundaries of pharmacy practice

Experiential education and student leadership have emphasized the importance of listening and considering others’ perspectives

Reflecting on his time at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Ashish Gante says that his varied educational and student leadership experiences have emphasized the importance of an empathetic approach to pharmacy practice. Whether he has been counselling a patient on smoking cessation, listening to a patient’s health concerns, or helping a classmate with a challenging issue, listening and considering others’ perspectives have been key to providing high-quality compassionate care – and he encourages other graduates to develop that important skill.

“These experiences taught me that it's not only important to learn the therapeutic areas, but also to be empathetic toward patients and understand what they're going through. I think that's a big part of pharmacy practice,” says Gante, valedictorian of the 2T5 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) class.

“As a pharmacist, taking that extra step with a patient goes a long way. We can look beyond just the immediate clinical question to make sure that we are actively engaging with the patient so that they feel heard and engaged in their health care.”

“As a pharmacist, taking that extra step with a patient goes a long way. We can look beyond just the immediate clinical question to make sure that we are actively engaging with the patient so that they feel heard and engaged in their health care.”

Gante started the PharmD program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in 2021 after completing a biology co-op degree from the University of Waterloo. His co-op placements included a role at a community pharmacy and a start-up company to develop a lung cancer detection tool through Shana Kelley’s lab at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. These early experiences in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research inspired him to pursue a pharmacy degree.

Almost immediately after starting at the Faculty, Gante became involved with student initiatives, notably holding different roles on the 2T5 class council, including editor of the student-run newsletter the Monograph, faculty representative and vice president. Gante says the student government roles could be challenging, but he found them very rewarding, as he had opportunities to help his classmates and improve the student experience at the Faculty.

“As students, it's easy to get bogged down by the academic work, but it's really important to ensure that students have good mental health, and a big part of that is ensuring students can take a break from work, have a bit of fun and meet new people,” he says.

PharmD program prepared Gante to pursue a range of pharmacy opportunities

In the final year of the program, Gante focused on his advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) courses, which included a rotation at the pharmaceutical company Haleon, and direct patient care rotations in a community pharmacy, a family health team, and the orthopedic and general medicine departments at Trillium Health Partners.

Gante enjoyed all of these experiences and is considering opportunities in community pharmacy, specifically in rural and remote areas, where he is interested in experiencing a broader scope of practice and challenging situations and responsibilities as a health care provider in these areas. He is also interested in industry roles and is seeking opportunities to gain more experience in the pharmaceutical industry. But he’s confident that no matter what type of setting he and his classmates decide to practice in, they will be well prepared thanks to their education at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

“I'm excited to see where our graduates go after this degree. Especially with the expansion of pharmacy scope, there's so much that we can do with our PharmD degree, not only in ‘traditional’ pharmacy roles in community or hospital, but also in non-direct patient care, industry, consulting or business,” he says.

I think the Faculty does a fantastic job preparing us, not only for clinical roles, but also other avenues as well.”

“There's are so many skills and therapeutic areas that we learn about in school, but we can definitely also branch out from them. I think the Faculty does a fantastic job preparing us, not only for clinical roles, but also other avenues as well.”

Gante encourages all of his classmates – regardless of the path they choose – to push the boundaries of the profession and centre patients in their care.

“As one of the most accessible health care providers, we can do so much for patients in our communities, not only with regards to their medications and monitoring their health conditions, but also identifying symptoms and testing markers that may suggest undiagnosed health conditions that could require collaboration with other health providers” he says.

“But we can also do small things – remember their names and faces or an event in their life – and use an empathetic approach to show that care we are here to help the community, assist in their lives and safety and help them work toward positive health outcomes.”