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Registrar’s Message: Change is good!
Last month, I was honoured to be given the Alumni Agent of Change award by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC. As the recipient, I was asked to prepare a “TED style” presentation on my career and how I became an Agent of Change. I touched on several points that I think might be of interest to you, including the importance of mentorship, lessons from visionary leaders in pharmacy, how pharmacy has changed over the last 40 years, and my perspectives on these changes.
Thank you to all of you who were able to make it to the event, and congratulations to Larry Leung, on being awarded the Future Alumni Agent of Change Award. Stay tuned for lots more from Larry!
I’ve been fortunate to have had great mentors in pharmacy, government and academia throughout my career. People like David duPlessis, Norm Thomas, Dan Fox, Malcolm MacLure and many others who were, and are, passionate about advancing the health and safety of the public and taking the necessary action to do this. All great visionaries and leaders in their own way who took the time to model and articulate what they thought needed to be done, and then committed to doing just that.
As a result of their mentorship, I developed my own vision and passion for advancing the health of the public, primarily through changes in pharmacy practice and drug use. I discovered that I could have a significant impact through advancing public policy, and in that way, ensuring that patients have access to high quality health care and drug therapy when they need it. As your Registrar, I am passionate about this and continue to strive to advance the quality of pharmacy service that the public receives. I take time to connect and provide mentorship to young pharmacy professionals through venues like PLoT (Pharmacy Leaders of Tomorrow), one on one conversations, CSHP-BC Branch events, and by reaching out on social media. I’m always surprised at how much of an impact my words and perspectives have and I would encourage the more seasoned health professionals to provide mentorship whenever they can. It is so important for us to support and mentor our youth.
Pharmacy practice has changed so much over the last 40 years. The drugs have changed (Norm Zacharias used to teach us how to make suppositories and powder papers!) There weren’t nearly the number of drugs available then as there are now, and they were all pretty inexpensive. It was easy to be a pharmacist in those days! We used to define expensive drugs as those that cost more than 25 cents per tablet – and now we have drugs that cost hundreds of thousands per year!
In the old days, you got great therapeutic value for your money, but there wasn’t much available. First generation penicillins and cephalosporins were the cornerstones of therapy, and old drugs (by today’s standards) like the ACE inhibitors and quinolones hadn’t been invented yet. As the number of therapies expanded, they became increasingly complex and costly.
Pharmacy services also have changed. We’ve evolved from the count, pour, lick and stick days of yesteryear to the advanced clinical services of today. Pharmacies in hospitals and the community are large and complex places where patients seek and receive advice, in addition to pharmaceuticals, in order to address their health needs. Government drug policies have changed too, and British Columbia, having pioneered many of these, is one of our country’s leaders. For instance, we’ve had a universal drug plan in place since the early 70’s when the government first introduced PharmaCare. And almost 50 years later, many provinces are still without one. It’s high time we talked about the need for a National PharmaCare program.
Throughout my Agent of Change speech (you can watch it here), I highlighted pivotal conversations I’ve had over the years. Conversations that have changed both my life and the lives of others. Conversations that improved the system and changed the lives of populations. Conversations can make a difference. Take the time to have them with your mentors and mentees.
I am greatly honoured to have been recognized as this year’s UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Agent of Change, especially given that there are so many other incredible UBC Alumni who continue to move our profession forward. As I’m sure you all know many other UBC alumni who have been agents of change as well, I encourage you not to be shy and to nominate them for next year’s award.
Best,
-Bob Nakagawa, Registrar, College of Pharmacists of British Columbia
- Registrar
