2018 Board Elections: District 2 Candidate - Nafisa Merali

District 2 - Nafisa Merali

Dear Pharmacists:

My name is Nafisa Merali and I am running for the College Board as your representative for District 2. I graduated from UBC in 1991 and have been a frontline pharmacist and pharmacy manager for more than 25 years. I believe in patient-centered care and as frontline health care professionals, we are in a unique position to help our patients and be their advocates. I understand the many concerns of practicing pharmacists and pharmacy owners and offer my platform as a solution. I feel that my past and present experiences on various boards and institutions will allow me to bring new insights and knowledge to the Board to enhance public safety.

One of my goals as a Board member would be to ensure the safe and effective delivery of pharmacy services to the public. One of the main ways I propose to do this, is through pharmacy based cognitive and disease management services for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and smoking cessation to improve the overall health of the public.

I also believe that PDAP is essential to ensuring the ongoing competence of pharmacists. As a strong supporter of continuing education, I believe that eliminating the administrative redundancies of submitting PDAP requirements online will allow working pharmacists more time to focus on learning new information and skills.  I feel that lifelong learning is important to our rapidly changing profession from legislative changes to being current on newest guidelines on hypertension or diabetes. This will allow pharmacists to serve the public more effectively.

The landscape of our profession is changing rapidly; more emphasis is being placed on clinical services and patient care. The only constant is change. I identify with many concerns of practicing pharmacists, managers, and pharmacy owners. I believe one of the most important responsibilities of a board member is to listen to the concerns of College registrants and ensure your views and opinions are considered in the board’s decisions. With your support, I will work tirelessly to ensure the public receives the best pharmacy service and make sure our profession meets the challenges of the future.

If you agree with my initiatives, please vote for me when polls open on August 31, 2018.

Yours truly,
Nafisa Merali    
Let’s talk at: [email protected]                      About me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nafisa-merali