Innovator Profile: A Migraine Mission

Fairuz Siraj found his calling in the most serendipitous way. He happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch the attention of a pharmacy manager who convinced him to try his hand at pharmacy, a profession that was not previously on his radar. Then, in pharmacy school, he took an elective that introduced him to the multi-faceted world of migraine treatment, an area he’s now passionate about. Today the Ontario native is a staff pharmacist at the Pharmasave on Hillside Ave. in Victoria, BC, where he has implemented one of the first migraine consultation services run by a pharmacist in the province. He says he has found his niche raising awareness about migraines as a chronic condition, and helping patients better manage their health. Next up, he’s determined to get more pharmacists on board his migraine mission—and encourage others to put their innovative ideas into action in their own pharmacies. So how did you become a pharmacist? I wanted to be a scientist, but after four years of undergrad studies, I started my Masters in biotechnology at McGill in Montreal and realized it wasn’t for me. I made the tough decision to leave that path and come back home to Ontario. I started working at a local Walmart as a customer service manager and the pharmacy manager, knowing I had a background in science, asked me to assist in the pharmacy. I took the position, even though it was lower pay than my current one, and it was there I got to see the direct benefit pharmacists have on patients. I fell in love with the pharmacist’s role and what I could do with it in the future. How did you end up in Victoria? I applied to pharmacy school at The University of British Columbia (UBC) and got in. I graduated in 2019 (the first PharmD cohort in the province) and was looking for the right fit for my first pharmacy job, so I applied to many positions and did lots of interviews. I found the right fit at Pharmasave and have been here ever since. Why was it the right fit? With my background working at Walmart, I saw what the pharmacy landscape was like before going to school. I had the vision that I could do more than dispensing and my employers supported that. While dispensing is still the bread and butter of pharmacy, my bosses recognize that in order to separate themselves from the competition, they need to offer something different. They encouraged me to come to them with ideas and if everything looked good, I could run with it. Tell us how your migraine consultation service came to fruition. In my third year, I did an elective at UBC’s Pharmacists Clinic where we were consulting with migraine patients who were on a long wait list to see their neurologist. My role was to go into their medication charts and collect data to determine if the consults with pharmacists were helpful—and of course they were. Even a little bit of education went a long way. What I took away from that experience was that there was a huge lack of awareness about migraine in the community. I told myself that when I got my license, this was something I was going to focus on with patients. When I pitched the idea to my employers, I explained why there was a need for this service: lack of awareness for migraine, no other pharmacy/pharmacists currently providing such a service, and a huge patient population with migraine who are not receiving optimal care who will benefit. Once they were on board, I contacted physicians, nurses and neurologists in the area to let them know I was providing this service. My role is to educate patients about migraine and optimize their therapy when possible by contacting their GP or specialist with my recommendations. I also follow up with patients to ensure they are managing well. Since launching the service in September 2020, I’ve done three migraine clinics as well as 30 one-on-one consultations, which are face-to-face with all the COVID-19 safety protocols in place (plexi-glass barriers, masks etc.). These generally run about 30 minutes. I also do webinars to educate other pharmacists on acute and post-crisis therapy to manage patients with migraine. I did one with a family physician who was so thrilled to hear about my services, he has been referring patients to me ever since. I am also in discussions with Migraine Canada to see about developing a migraine certification program like we have for other chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes or asthma). I hope my own field experience running clinics and doing consultations can be used to help develop this course for pharmacists down the road. Migraine Canada founder and Chair Dr. Elizabeth Leroux has also asked me to develop a continuation education lesson for pharmacists for early next year. Do you charge for your service or for the clinics? Not yet as I’m still getting the word out and perfecting what I do, but that is the plan for the future. We have had financial support for our clinics from pharmaceutical companies and we get funded through medication reviews. Patients have seen the value and refer others to the pharmacy, and some have transferred all their scripts to us now. What’s your advice to others whose employers aren’t supportive of their ideas? First, come up with a sound business plan for your new service that includes exactly what the service is going to look like, who will benefit (i.e., target population) and how the pharmacy will benefit (e.g., current and future monetization opportunities, ability to build a more collaborative practice etc.). Try to put yourself in the pharmacy owner’s shoes. After your pitch, make sure to ask the following questions: how you could make this service better, what is it that the pharmacy owners are “seeing” that you aren’t, and if they know others who can help you develop this service and make it even better. From my experience so far, good pharmacy owners will be able to guide you to find solutions to problems and they will be there to support you if needed. Don’t be disappointed if the first, second or third draft of the plan is rejected. I took it as, the owners want this to be just as successful as I do, and they are on my side. Why wouldn’t they be on board with a service that can help many patients—and make money for the pharmacy? You also produce a podcast. Tell us about that. I started it with another pharmacy friend and my wife last year, and we do one episode a month. It’s called Pharmacy ‘n Coffee and it’s about educating, communicating and inspiring all things pharmacy. One of our most recent episodes is the last of a three-part series on COVID-19 where we talk about our experiences with the rollout of vaccines, along with side effects etc. We’ve also covered things like brands versus generics and major depressive disorder. What are your future plans? I’d like to eventually start a consulting business with my wife, who is also a pharmacist, to provide education to patients. We could do this online and collaborate with other healthcare providers, or work with other pharmacies in-person who want to create their own clinics around migraine, diabetes or whatever fits their demographic. Read about other pharmacy innovators.

Innovator Profile: A Migraine Mission

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