2T5 PharmD Students Godwin Chan and Emily Lam

Emily Lam and Godwin Chan look forward to exploring new education and career opportunities during their degrees

Two of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy’s newest PharmD students are excited to start the next step in their education and professional journeys.

While Emily Lam and Godwin Chan come to the Faculty with different educational backgrounds and experiences, they share an interest in helping patients through pharmacy and in exploring new opportunities in the field during the course of their degree program.

Biochemistry graduate aims to use PharmD degree to help patients

As a biochemistry student at the University of Ottawa, Emily Lam became interested in all the mechanisms and processes at work in the body and how drugs relate to these processes, which made pharmacy a natural fit for a professional degree.

“I’ve always wanted to work in a field where I could be of service to people.”

“I’ve always wanted to work in a field where I could be of service to people,” she says. “And there are a lot of potential ways to help people if you have a PharmD degree.”

She applied to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, partly because of its proximity to her hometown and support network of family and friends, but mostly because of its excellent reputation.

“It goes without saying that the University of Toronto is a top-class university, with renowned faculty members and great resources for students,” she says. “The Faculty’s location is also valuable for making connections and doing placements, which is pretty exciting.”

When she was accepted to the PharmD program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, she received one of the Dean’s Admissions Scholarships, which are awarded to the top applicants. Lam says she was honoured to receive the award and grateful for the financial support.

As she starts the degree, Lam is keeping an open mind about her professional goals and looks forward to exploring the various opportunities that the Faculty offers.

“I’m excited about trying new experiences and learning more specifics about pharmacy and the role of pharmacists,” she says. “An undergrad degree can be quite general, so I’m excited about the prospect of learning really specialized info and details that will be applicable to my potential career goals.”

New student brings diverse interests to pharmacy degree

Godwin Chan, from Mississauga, is also excited about the wealth of educational and professional opportunities at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

“The pharmacy building’s location allows for so many different types of opportunities, with its proximity to University Avenue and the teaching hospitals, the discovery district, and related disciplines like medicine and public health,” he says. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting a lot of different opportunities outside of the classroom, especially with the rotations we’re able to experience.”

Chan earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from McMaster University and a master’s degree from the University of Montreal.

Over the next couple of years, he tried different types of careers, including entrepreneurship and writing, and began working in a community pharmacy in Mississauga. The experience helped him to learn about the different services pharmacists provide and the skills they need, and he became interested in pursuing pharmacy as a career. He was accepted to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy’s PharmD program and received the Merck Canada Entrance Scholarship.

Chan also hosts a podcast called Digital Introverts, featuring interviews with self-described introverts about their successes and failures, and he regularly writes content for online platforms, both of which he plans to continue as he starts his studies.

“I think it’s important that, as pharmacy professionals, we try things outside of pharmacy to help broaden our horizons and our understanding of the world.”

“I started creating content before going into pharmacy and it has allowed me to build great relationships with and learn from a lot of people all over the world,” he says. “I think it’s important that, as pharmacy professionals, we try things outside of pharmacy to help broaden our horizons and our understanding of the world.”

Virtual classes a “temporary sacrifice”

Having been out of school for several years, Chan was particularly excited about returning to a classroom environment, so he was a bit disappointed that classes will remain online for the start of the semester. But he also understands the need for public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“If there’s anything we can to do help curb that spread, if it’s a temporary sacrifice for the greater good of the Ontario population, I think it’s well worth it,” he says. “It’s just a temporary bump in the road. We’re all experiencing this, and we will get through it together.”

Lam, who moved to Toronto in early September, agrees. “We all want to get together and resume normalcy, and I had been looking forward to being in class in person.” she says also recognizing the need to start some of the larger lectures online this fall. “To me, postponing in-person classes for now seems like the right call.”

“I’m excited to welcome all of our PharmD students back to campus, but it is always special to welcome our incoming first year students as they begin their path to becoming a pharmacist,” says Natalie Crown, Assistant Professor and Director of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program who will personally welcome incoming students at an upcoming orientation session.

“We know the Class of 2T5 is a talented group, and I look forward to the contributions they will make both within our program and to student life.  Although we are beginning the term predominantly online, our faculty and staff are committed to creating engaging learning environments regardless of the format of delivery,” she said.

By: Eileen Hoftyzer

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