Career insights from Black pharmacy leaders in Canada

A high volume of tasks, staff shortages and drug shortages: choosing a career in pharmacy has its own expected challenges.Compounded with recent events like the federal government's prorogation and its effect on pharmacare, the industry can sometimes seem grim, but there are leaders that exemplify that it can be a rewarding career. Taking place at the BPPC Excellence Summit, four pharmacy experts gathered to share their insights for future pharmacists in a panel called “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Insights from Black Pharmacy Leaders.” The event was the first of its kind for the Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (BPPC), a group that aims to promote diversity, foster mentorship and advocate for equity in the pharmacy sector.“I started my journey in this room about 11 years ago,” said Michael Kani, a clinical pharmacist and owner of Meadows Mile Pharmacy in Calgary, Alta.With a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Waterloo, Kani’s more-than-20-year career includes founding three successful independent pharmacies, introducing pharmacogenomics and cannabinoid therapy services, and developing educational programs for healthcare professionals. “I decided I wanted to jump and take on a leadership role of opening my very first pharmacy back in 2016,” said Kani. “It was literally the hardest thing I ever had to do, but it brought me the most joy because I was able to do other things I wanted to do.”Since then, his efforts in the industry have earned him awards from the Canadian Pharmacist Association and the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. “In pharmacy school, they don’t teach us how to be business owners,” said organizer and pharmacist Nneka Ezurike.The founder of the BPPC, Ezurike’s education began at Dalhousie Univeristy, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science and transitioned to the Univeristy of Florida, where she obtsianed her Doctor of Pharmacy before moving back to Canada. She now owns four Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy locations in the greater Toronto area. A highlight in her career, she said, was finding a mentor. “I didn’t have a mentor until late into my career, but I was learning stuff I didn’t know before,” she said. Beyond having a mentor, she stressed the importance of finding a sponsor, someone who is going to advocate for you in the rooms where you are not present. Ezurike believes pharmacists should pass on that value of mentorship. Active in the Toronto chapter of Diabetes Canada, she dedciates her time to mentoring numerous pharmacists, students and pharmacy technicians. “I think sometimes leadership happens when you’re in the right place at the right time,” said Uchenwa Genus, one of the panelists at the event. Vice-president of specialty pharmacy at McKesson Canada, Genus began her career as a clinical pharmacist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, then for Toronto’s University Health Network and eventually at Mackenzie Health, where she was manager of pharmacy services. “After about 10 years in hospital pharmacy, I wanted to make a career change, which was really scary at the time, but I went into specialty pharmacy,” she said. In specialty pharmacy, Genus has worked for Rexall Pharmacy Group, Shoppers Drug Mart and McKesson, in various leadership positions. For aspiring pharmacists she recommends “collecting all those experiences that you think are going to be very valuable to you . . .. I think those experiences will end up opening doors for you.”Leadership found Nkem Iroh when she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin.“I got a full scholarship to attend school from Walgreens. Back then, you had to pay it back right after you graduated, so I went to work there,” says Iroh. It was less than a year before her district manager asked her to manage the store she was working at. “I was scared, I didn’t think I could do it, but sometimes someone sees something in you that you can’t see in yourself,” she said. From that first leadership position, Iroh brought her skills to different form of pharmacy, from retail at Walgreens and PharMerica to hospital pharmacy at the Methodist Hospital System of hospitals in Texas. Eventually, she found her way to Canada, where she now works for the Saskatchewan Health Authority as director of Pharmacy Services. What motivates Iroh as a leader, she said, is the ability to influence change and to improve systems and serve. In her nearly 20 years of working in healthcare in both the U.S. and Canada, Iroh has also become an educator and a mentor. She also sits on the boards of Your Time Women’s Empowerment Foundation, a women-focused settlement agency for newcomers in Toronto, as Chair Elect and Pharmacist Trustee of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP) Foundation, and is also the vice-president and co-founder of the BPPC.

Career insights from Black pharmacy leaders in Canada

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