Faces of PharmSci: Kristy Scarfone

What is your academic background and why is this area of research important?

My first degree earned within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy was the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program, as part of the 2T4 Class (2024). My cohort saw our training begin and continue throughout the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that also saw an acceleration of substance use related and social harms for our patients across Ontario.

I was a pharmacy student with an Honours Bachelors of Science degree in Biopharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Ottawa, and a few years of work experience as a Research Trainee with the Centre on Drug Policy and Evaluation at St. Michael’s Hospital, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. I had developed a focused interest in understanding the complexities and implications of the unregulated “street” drug supply identified through invaluable work with Toronto’s Drug Checking Service. For this reason, as a pharmacy student, I was often asked to speak with patients who disclosed substance use and develop related care plans. I was further compelled to understand how pharmacists are conducting this practice across Ontario.

I am therefore now studying in the MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences stream with a Collaborative Specialization in Addiction Studies (CoPAS) through the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. I am investigating how unregulated substance-related pharmaceutical care and harm reduction may vary by type of substance and geographically across Ontario, and how these patterns might emerge compared to known harms data.

This area of research is integral to advancing the health of our communities and support the profession of pharmacists. Pharmacists continuously step up to support their patients in a fractured health system. Understanding how, where, and what services are provided by Ontario’s pharmacists will advance our knowledge in this space – to advocate for and showcase both pharmacist practice and public health services that meet the needs of our people.

What led you to your current Supervisor’s lab/research group?

My graduate studies are co-supervised by both Professor Jillian Kohler and Assistant Professor Jaris Swidrovich.

I first met Professor Kohler while taking PHM320 as part of the Global Health Certificate in the PharmD Program. I admired the way that Prof. Kohler taught on the critical analysis of important global pharmaceutical policy, and knew I wanted to learn more. As I was already starting to focus on drug policy, having attended Lisbon’s Global Conference on Addictions in Portugal as part of my work with Toronto’s Drug Checking Service that semester, Prof. Kohler’s research endeavours were a natural step in the right direction of my learnings. I was thrilled to undertake an Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE) rotation with Prof. Kohler in partnership with the World Health Organization, which brought my co-APPE student and I to London, UK, to present our research. I have been on board with the Kohler lab as a graduate student since then and have experienced an exponential growth in learning and practical experience. I have learned not only about health policy but also on teaching, on engaging with others, and with research at a global scale while supervised by Prof. Kohler.

Assistant Professor Swidrovich has been a steadfast mentor and advisor while in the formative years of my PharmD degree. We met first to discuss my roots in Northern Ontario after attending the OPEN Summit Conference with the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. We spoke about how I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, and that I hoped that my life experiences could form the fundamental basis of my academic interests and research objectives. It is during this meeting that we first began to brainstorm how to explore the intersections of pharmacist practice and substance use, and on advocating for equitable representation of diverse life experiences in research outcomes and in pharmacy education. It has been a wonderful experience to learn from Prof. Swidrovich and the Swidrovich lab on how to engage with learners, on teaching, community research principles and beyond.

I am better capable of meaningful research mechanics secondary to being supervised by Prof. Kohler and Prof. Swidrovich.

What are some of the challenges you had to overcome within your research?

Studying the interplay of health professional practice, public health, and related policies as they pertain to substance use and harm reduction care in pharmacy is an involved undertaking. The field is known to be shrouded in stigma and can be subject to controversy. There is an omnipresent challenge in how to engage in proper dialogue and discourse with diverse audiences. To do so with sufficient rigor, and with support from my supervisors, I undertook graduate coursework through the Faculty of Law (Health Policy and Bioethics), and as part of my collaborative specialization within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, enrolled in Advanced Research Issues in Addiction and Multidisciplinary Aspects of Addiction courses. These courses built upon fundamental knowledge that has allowed me to think critically about the pursuit of my research objectives.

How do you see your current research playing a role in your career?

As a clinical pharmacist, I hope to focus on the advancement of health outcomes for people who use substances across the complete spectrum of substance use. I intend to use the findings of my research to advocate for and contribute to best practices in this space for all pharmacists and to support ongoing development of practice tools.

As an educator, I intend to become a sharer of knowledge on the intersection of public health (e.g., on substance use) and pharmacy practice. I hope to also impart knowledge on rural and northern health as part of advancing global health goals, particularly in pharmacy education.

Furthermore, I aim to advocate for and contribute to advancing pharmacy education programs that are accessible to residents of Northern Ontario. Collaborating with the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy on this endeavour would be an ideal partnership.

What do you like to do when you are not working on research?

When I’m not working on research, or working as a clinical pharmacist, I am most often enjoying the outdoors in Toronto or back home in the Sault Ste. Marie (the “Soo”). Having been raised in the hub of the Great Lakes, I am naturally drawn to our beautiful waterways – preferably by paddleboard. My other hobbies include collecting music and house plants, travelling with my partner, or enjoying time with our dog, Reggie.