Young Leader in Pharmacy James Morrison: "I dedicate a lot of my energy towards equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives for pharmacy."
Snapshot:
Education
BSc Honours in Biology, Dalhousie University
BScPhm from Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
MScPhm candidate University of Saskatchewan
Current role
Director of Pharmacy Excellence, Wholehealth Pharmacy Partners
What excites you about being a pharmacist?
What excites me most about being a pharmacist is the meaningful impact each of us can have on individual patients and the communities we serve. In my current role I support hundreds of pharmacy professionals across the country as they strive to achieve positive health outcomes for their own patients. The scale of the potential impact makes stepping away from my own direct patient care practice worthwhile.
When you graduated, what did you envision for your future?
I graduated just before pharmacists were provided the scope to provide flu vaccinations here in Ontario. At that time, I thought I would spend some time in corporate pharmacy settings to develop my patient care and management skills to then one day open my own independent pharmacy practice.
My career has become dramatically different from what I originally envisioned. I’ve participated in educating pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, practice research, consulting, overseeing operations for hundreds of pharmacies, and pharmacy regulation. To top it all off, I recently I became part owner in some independent pharmacies under the Wholehealth banner.
How important is mentoring in your career?
Mentorship has been key in my personal development at every stage of my career and I have too many incredible mentors to mention them all. Even before I entered pharmacy school my next-door neighbour Maureen Crossman showed me how good a fit pharmacy could be for me, by inviting me to work part-time under her supervision. She showed me how to blend science with compassion and relentless attention to detail. Without that opportunity I probably would not be a pharmacist today.
Throughout my career I’ve sought out mentors who were doing pharmacy the way I aspired to in my own practice. Connie Marshall planted me in my first pharmacy manager role and supported me throughout my development as an immunizer and a certified diabetes educator. She also showed me how to interpret financial metrics and leverage that data to drive the business forward. She also trusted me to implement new clinical services in an underserved community.
I have been privileged to be mentored by many of pharmacy’s greats, but my foremost mentor is Dean Miller, president and founder of Wholehealth Pharmacy Partners. My first opportunity to learn from Dean was during my time as a student, while he was chair of the Ontario Pharmacists Association. He set a strong example of leadership as he steered the profession through some of our most challenging times with significant calm and a level of humility that invites in the perspectives of all stakeholders. Together, we met the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic head on and steered the Wholehealth banner locations to thrive within the most difficult conditions faced in my career. Dean also showed me the importance of giving back through volunteerism to the profession that we both hold so dearly.
If you can accomplish just one thing in your career, what would it be?
I dedicate a lot of my energy towards equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives for pharmacy. I hope to move the needle on creating welcoming practices for historically marginalized patients so that they can have equitable access to competent and caring pharmacy practitioners. This is an area where I continue to learn myself and I hope readers will too.
What advice would you give to new pharmacy graduates?
Too often pharmacy professionals become somewhat disconnected from the broader profession when they enter practice. Stay engaged with national and provincial pharmacy associations as well as your college of pharmacy. There are often opportunities to volunteer on committees, working groups, and boards with these organizations. Another way to stay connected with the profession is to attend pharmacy conferences and other education events. Also join the Community Pharmacy Network Canada on Facebook, which was founded by myself so that pharmacy professionals can support with each other and feel connected across the country.