Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt BRLS, B.Ed, MBA
Keynote Speaker
Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Jake Karls
Keynote Speaker
The Power of Authenticity
Justin Bates
Jen Belcher
Mike Boivin
Terri Drover
Kelly Grindrod
Andrew Hamilton
Jamie Kellar
Jeff Nagge
Nardine Nakhla
Hitesh Pandya
Drew Peddie
Doug Sherman
Kim Stewart
Kristen Watt
Justin Bates
Welcome and Closing Message
Justin J. Bates began his career in the advertising and marketing business before transitioning into the health insurance industry where he worked as a consultant for a pharmacy benefit manager and as a principal in a health insurance brokerage. He has spent more than 15 years advocating on behalf of the pharmacy sector in various capacities including as Chief Executive Officer of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada (Neighbourhood Pharmacies). In his current role as Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, he brings a strategic, collaborative and transformative leadership approach while advocating and advancing the pharmacy profession.
Jen Belcher
Is Dispensing Dead? Compensation & You
Jen Belcher is a highly accomplished pharmacist with a diverse range of experience, having worked in community and hospital settings since graduating from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in 2013. Her leadership skills were recognized early on when she was appointed as the Eastern Ontario Representative on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA), and she later took on the role of Chair during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jen’s impressive track record has now led her to the position of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Member Relations at OPA, where she leverages her expertise in clinical practice, pharmacy operations, and advocacy to lead the association’s important work.
Mike Boivin
Rx Showdown! Challenge Your Pharmacy Expertise
Michael Boivin is a clinical pharmacist consultant, continuing education developer and president of
CommPharm Consulting Inc. In 2009, he left full-time pharmacy practice to pursue a career in
continuing education and consulting. He has developed in excess of 500 accredited continuing
education activities for pharmacists, family physicians, specialists and allied healthcare professionals.
Terri Drover
Sustainable Pharmacy Practices for a Healthier Future
Terri Drover is the Director-General at Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA), a Canadian non-profit that runs take-back programs for unwanted medications and used sharps. Before joining HPSA, Terri accumulated over 30 years of executive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, holding various decision-making roles for pharmaceutical companies in North America including Proctor and Gamble, Apotex, Sandoz and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Her breadth of experience spans health care, sales and marketing, regulatory affairs, government relations and distribution.
Kelly Grindrod
Enhancing Negotiation Skills for Pharmacy Professionals: Let’s Practice!
Kelly is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. She is also the founder of Pharmacy5in5. She completed her pharmacy degree at the University of Alberta and a hospital residency at the London Health Sciences Centre, and a PharmD, Master of Science degree and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. She has been at the University of Waterloo since 2011.
Jake Karls
The Power of Authenticity
Jake Karls is a different type of business leader – unapologetically authentic, refreshingly relatable, and completely free of bs.
He is the Co-founder and Chief Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares, the good-for-you chocolate brand that turned a kitchen-table dream into a global household name.
Jake is recognized as a rising star in the business world. He was a finalist in EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year awards, was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2023 (Food and Beverage category), and is featured as a regular contributor to media outlets across North America.
Andrew Hamilton
Is Dispensing Dead? Compensation & You
Andrew began his career as a staff pharmacist and later transitioned to a designated manager at an independent pharmacy in Norfolk County. After four years he relocated to Eastern Ontario and now serves as a staff pharmacist in an independent pharmacy that services local retirement homes. Fueled by his devotion to learning and patient care, Andrew enjoys applying his understanding of chronic disease management to help improve patients’ understanding of their health. His strength lies in connecting with patients and establishing trust. When he is not busy with work, he enjoys volunteering with local organizations. Andrew is a 2015 graduate from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy.
Jamie Kellar
The New Elephant in the Room: Navigating Patient Mistreatment of Pharmacy Teams
Jamie Kellar is an accomplished Associate Professor – Teaching and Associate Dean, Academic at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. Dr. Kellar’s impressive academic background includes an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Human Kinetics (BScHK) from the University of Guelph, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BScPhm) and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, both from the University of Toronto. She furthered her education by obtaining a PhD from the School of Health Professions Education, Maastricht University, Netherlands. As a licensed pharmacist in Ontario, Dr. Kellar has practical experience in the field and has dedicated her research to exploring professional identity in pharmacy education and practice, with a focus on mental health. Dr. Kellar is an award-winning educator, having won the University of Toronto Early Career Teaching Award, the President’s Teaching Award and the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) National Award for Excellence in Education.
Jeff Nagge
Generative AI: The Future of Experiential Training in Pharmacy?
Jeff Nagge completed his bachelor’s and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at the University of Toronto, and a pharmacy residency at McMaster University Medical Centre. Jeff is currently a full-time Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. He manages a referral-based hypertension clinic at the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team in Kitchener. His areas of interest include anticoagulation, cardiovascular therapeutics, and engaging patients in shared decision making.
Nardine Nakhla
Empowering Pharmacists: Optimizing Minor Ailments Services for Enhanced Patient Outcomes
Dr. Nakhla is an academic and community pharmacist specialized in minor ailments, non-prescription
therapeutics and patient self-care with over 15 years of commitment to teaching, research, advocacy and
practice innovation on these topics. As a faculty member at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy,
Dr. Nakhla was recognized with the Excellence in Pharmacy Teaching Award in 2019, the Excellence in Science Teaching Award in 2020, and received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2023. Dr. Nakhla possesses a strong background in pharmacist and student pharmacist education innovation and advocating for regulatory changes to expand pharmacy practice. Dr. Nakhla is the CEO and co-founder of MAPflow, a powerful clinical decision support tool designed to facilitate minor ailment assessment and prescribing services.
Hitesh Pandya
Welcome and Closing Message
Hitesh Pandya joined the OPA Board of Directors as the District M (now Central Ontario – Metro Toronto) Representative in June 2016.
Since 2001, Hitesh has operated pharmacies in the Greater Toronto Area; he is currently an Associate Owner at the Shoppers Drug Mart at Yonge and College in Toronto.
Hitesh is a member of the Insurance Committee at OPA, and a past member of the ICRC and Discipline Committee at the Ontario College of Pharmacists. He has been chair of the Shoppers Drug Mart PEERS committee, which is responsible for advocating and representing Shoppers Drug Mart franchisees in their business and professional interests, from 2009-16. In this role, he represented more than 400 Associate Owners.
Drew Peddie
Is Dispensing Dead? Compensation & You
Drew is a University of Alberta graduate, with over 25 years of experience as a pharmacist. Drew has a diverse background in various practice settings having held a variety of roles in community practice including management and ownership as well as corporate roles. Drew has sat on several community boards and professional committees throughout his career. He currently practices as the Designated Manager of The Health Depot Pharmacy by Greenshield Health, in London, Ontario.
Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt BRLS, B.Ed, MBA
Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Unstoppable Tracey is a #1 Bestselling Author, TEDx presenter, TV and Podcast host, as well as a Canada Hall of Fame inductee who has over 100 million viral video views. A champion of dispelling limiting beliefs, Tracey was the first four-way amputee to climb the Himalayas Mountains, sail, and scuba dive. Furthermore, she is a Bronze medalist alpine skier. She has shared the stage with renowned stars such as Dr. Phil, Jane Fonda, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Douglas, and many more. Additionally, she has been featured in magazines such as Chatelaine and on the covers of Thrive and in Business Booster Today. Tracey’s passion and work have been recognized with many accolades and awards including, the Transformational Leader Global Female winner by leadership guru John Maxwell and the 2021 Top Inspirational Leader award from the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). With her unique blend of humor and motivation, Tracey inspires global audiences to crush obstacles and soar to the top.
Doug Sherman
Leadership and Culture: Critical Components of Successful Organizations
Doug is the former CEO of Pharmasave East, with additional and varied and extensive retail experience. Known as a high integrity, candid and compassionate leader, his specific expertise is centred on senior executive skills development, team building and mentorship. He has a distinguished record of delivering superior results while fostering a challenging and nurturing organizational environment for employees and Shareholders.
Kim Stewart
Content hosted by HUB International
Kim Stewart brings her 20+ years of insurance industry experience alongside a passion for demystifying insurance in her leadership of HUB’s program’s team. Kim leads a team of 25 people providing commercial risk management services to numerous provincial and national associations along with other affinity and non-profit groups.
Kim has developed and presented numerous webinars for provincial and national associations on topics such as professional liability, water damage mitigation, cyber risks in healthcare and digital health risk exposures. As an associate professor at Humber College’s Insurance Management program, Kim’s enthusiasm extends to her sharing knowledge with students looking to enter the insurance industry. She is also a proud contributor to the Women’s Insurance Crusade against Cancer (WICC) and Holland Bloorview’s Capes for Kids campaign.
Kristen Watt
Is Dispensing Dead? Compensation & You
Learning from Mistakes: An Open Dialogue about Errors in Pharmacy Practice
Kristen Watt, the owner of Kristen’s Pharmacy in Southampton Ontario practices innovative Community Pharmacy by moving the Pharmacist out of the dispensary and into an office to maximize patient care. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Kristen has worked in chain, big box and independent Community Pharmacy before a period as a Long Term Care Clinical Consultant. Believing that all Pharmacy is clinical Pharmacy, in 2017 Kristen opened her own independent Pharmacy with an eye on the medication experience of the patient. Kristen works closely with her community to improve the health of her patients – from HRT and mental health to the newly minted minor ailments and all things COVID. Kristen believes Pharmacists should be working to their full scope as clinicians in all settings and looks forward to a bright future in Community Pharmacy. Outside of Pharmacy, Kristen is found at the rink cheering on her two sons.
January 19th and 20th, 2024
