Meet the winner of the Raise Your Voice award, Kelly Grindrod: Putting pharmacy in the spotlight across Canada

Why she wonWhen it comes to raising pharmacy’s profile across healthcare professions, governments and the public, pharmacist Kelly Grindrod is a formidable force. Her continuous passion for promoting pharmacies as integral to the healthcare system—and pharmacists as essential healthcare providers—has earned this Ontario-based pharmacist national recognition.Since joining the University of Waterloo as an Associate Professor in 2011, Grindrod has conducted dozens of media interviews on a variety of public interest topics, such as antibiotic stewardship and the opioid crisis. She has written thought-provoking opinion pieces for Canadian media outlets such as the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen and Yahoo News. She is the creator of Pharmacy5in5, an innovative game-based web platform that uses various multimedia approaches—including YouTube videos, quizzes and infographics—to educate pharmacists and support their evolving practices. Her Pharmacy5in5 social media campaign earned her a gold award for “Best Use of Social Media” from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. Over the pandemic, Grindrod’s skill at communicating complicated health-related topics to the public made her a sought-after expert. During that time, she did more than 100 radio, print and television interviews at both a local and national level. In 2020 she was also honoured as Canadian Pharmacist of the Year by the Canadian Pharmacists Association, in part for her public-facing communication work, which emphasized the critical role pharmacists play in keeping Canadians safe.To learn more about Kelly’s work, watch the video below:Q&A: What's your favourite part of your job? Working at a university means I’m surrounded by creative people who challenge my ways of thinking—including many of my students. I was recently assigned to teach a cultural humility course. It gave me a chance to bring the humanities into the classroom, which many students really enjoyed. We had really interesting speakers talk about things like how our Internet algorithms can shape our views, Indigenous history, and racism in healthcare. We also read great books like Moon on the Crusted Snow and 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. I led the course, but I felt more like a student most of the time. I’m very grateful that I get to work in a job that gives me space to explore new ideas and to constantly learn.What advice would you give a young pharmacist? Be curious about the people around you, including your patients and coworkers. There are so many ways of seeing the world. Some of the most enjoyable encounters you’ll have are with people who are wildly different from you.What's your most effective way to combat stress? Learning how to lift weights is the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long time. I notice that many people around me are doing the same thing and I love seeing people prioritize their own bodies and health. Health care is a hard job physically and it requires a lot of stamina. I’d love to see more pharmacists and technicians make time for their own health outside of work.Is there a mentor or role model who has inspired you in your career? Charlie Bayliff was my residency coordinator at the London Health Sciences centre 20 years ago, and he had such an impact on me. He was a highly skilled pharmacist who seemed to know everything, but who seemed to be always learning. He would push me to really challenge and deepen my thinking—the messier and more complicated the problem, the better the discussion. He really helped shape the type of work I do today. Is there something you'd like to try next in your career? I’ve been doing some leadership training with a group of pharmacy faculty members in the US. I have really enjoyed learning about the differences between management and leadership—the latter being focused on motivating others to work towards a shared vision. It was a distinction I don’t think I appreciated before. I’m really interested in spending more time trying out different leadership roles both inside and outside pharmacy.Describe your perfect day off. When my kids were younger, I’d crave a quiet day with a book. Now, as a mom to tweens, I love nothing more than watching my two daughters race in a swim meet. I even have a t-shirt that says “Swim Mom”—and I absolutely wear it. The days are long but the years are short, as they say. I get a lot of joy out of watching my girls be fierce for the fun of it. You can read about all the 2023 winners here.If reading these stories makes you think of someone you know who’s deserving of an award (including perhaps, yourself?), you can sign up to be notified when the entry process opens for 2024 by filling out this form.

Meet the winner of the Raise Your Voice award, Kelly Grindrod: Putting pharmacy in the spotlight across Canada

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