Pharmacy Wellness Task Force
As part of our Pharmacy Workforce Wellness Initiative, CPhA has established the Pharmacy Wellness Task Force to help identify solutions to improve the morale and mental health of the profession. This team of dedicated pharmacy professionals are exploring strategies and solutions to support the vision of a pharmacy community that values and promotes professional well-being.
With a focus on defining wellness principles and goals for the profession, developing tools for pharmacy teams and public and provider engagement, the Wellness Task Force will help to ensure that the psychological well-being of both current and future generations of pharmacy professionals is supported and improved.
Meet the Task Force
The Wellness Task Force is comprised of a diverse membership representing a wide range of expertise, practice areas and career levels.
Makboolee Fyith
Alberta
Makboolee Fyith El-Hayek is a fourth year Doctor of Pharmacy student at the University of Alberta and former Vice President of Professional Affairs for the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI). She also represented the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy on the General Facilities Council and served as Chair on CAPSI’s Advocacy and Professional Affairs Committee. Aside from her pharmacy associations, Makboolee is an employer and co-owner of a self-storage facility in rural Alberta.
This work is important to me because I am entering the profession during a very profound and dichotomous time.On one hand I am excited about the advancements happening within our scope, however, I am worried about the ever-growing problem of pharmacist burnout and staff shortages in the workforce. I want to support sustainability in the pharmacy profession and create healthy workforces. I spend most of my summer hiking, kayaking, and playing golf with my husband. A fun fact about me is that I used to be a Certified CrossFit trainer.
Amy Lamb
Saskatchewan
Amy Lamb has been a community practicing pharmacist in Saskatchewan for 10 years, with clinical expertise and focus on women's health, functional medicine (root cause health analysis), health coaching, complementary medicine, and Indigenous health. Amy is an operational partner at a community pharmacy in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and travels to remote Indigenous communities to improve access to pharmacist care in these underserved spaces. Amy is the owner of Lamb and Sage Personalized Health Solutions, which provides pharmacy practice consulting to compounding pharmacists, and education sessions for pharmacists interested in holistic health and patient consultation strategies. Amy is a Métis woman and currently acting as the CEO of the newly founded Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada, and the Chair of Prince Albert's YWCA. Amy is the mother to two little girls, deeply connected to the natural landscapes in Saskatchewan, and dedicated to a sustainable work-life balance so that she can contribute to her development, her family, and her community.
This work is important to me as an individual who has experience with childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, workplace burn-out and maladapted coping strategies that can be exacerbated in unsafe work environments. It is important to me as a practitioner who provides effective comprehensive health advice and understands the value of evidence-based and personalized wellness strategies. It is important to me as a pharmacy operator to ensure that the team I work with is holistically healthy and empowered. Finally, it is important to me as an Indigenous woman who recognizes the significant importance of creating safe spaces for healthcare practitioners and patients alike.
Lyona Lunter
Ontario
Lyona Lunter is a Coordinator/Professor in the Pharmacy Technician and Community Pharmacy Assistant programs in the School of Health Sciences at Fanshawe College. She joined the faculty in 2015 and completed her Masters in Professional Education from the University of Western Ontario (2019), where she also received her bachelor’s degree with a double major in Criminology and Health & Aging (2009). As a Registered Pharmacy Technician with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, Lyona is committed to inspiring future graduates to pursue registration with the College and is passionate about promoting the expanded scope of pharmacy technicians in Ontario. She is an active member of the Canadian Pharmacy Technician Educators Association (CPTEA) and Director of Social Media and Communications on the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Technicians (CAPT) Board of Directors. Her vast experience in the field spans 20 years of practicing in various community pharmacies, including long-term care, methadone/pain management clinics, and retail chain locations. Through this experience, Lyona has become an advocate for psychological health and wellness in pharmacy and is proud to be part of the Pharmacy Wellness Task Force and its efforts to destigmatize mental health challenges, facilitate more inclusive environments, and promote overall well-being within the pharmacy profession.
Janet MacDonnell, BSc.Pharm
Nova Scotia
A Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy graduate, Janet has been involved in pharmacy practice in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick since 1986. Most recently, she has served as Interim Director of Professional Affairs at CPhA. Janet owned and operated several Shoppers Drug Mart franchises from 1988 to 2008, after which she has provided consulting services to several organizations. Projects she has been involved in include the NB Drug Information System, implementation of Central Fill Pharmacy, Interim Executive Director of NBPA and Pharmacy Lead at NB Public Health for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in community pharmacies. Throughout Janet’s career she has also been actively involved as a representative on both the pharmacy regulatory and advocacy bodies in New Brunswick. She has had the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for PEBC and CCCEP.
As my pharmacy career begins to wind down, I hope my experience and participation on the Pharmacy Wellness Taskforce will serve to influence change, so all pharmacy professionals feel not just well, but joy in their accomplishments.
Katrina Mulherin, BSc Pharm, PharmD
New Brunswick
Katrina Mulherin pulls from her experiences in regulatory, clinical, academic and consultant pharmacist positions to contribute to professional engagement and wellness. She’s formerly a practising NICU pharmacist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Deputy Registrar of the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists and is presently the CEO of Windpharm Consulting. Katrina consistently incorporates PharmD students on rotation in her practice and has been recognised for excellence in the role of preceptor.
Katrina’s research interests include the impact of multimedia in qualitative research, examining the relationship between practitioners and their practice, ethics and professionalism and transformative learning. The Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy presented her with the Wellspring Award in recognition of her narrative documentary work in 2014.
She is a certified yoga instructor and recalibrates through various outdoor athletic activities and creative pursuits.
Christine Vaccaro, BSc
Manitoba
Christine Vaccaro represents over 4000 students as Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) President. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Christine completed a BSc in 2018 and is currently a 4th-year PharmD student at the University of Manitoba. Christine has had the unique opportunity of watching pharmacy practice evolve throughout her life. Growing up as the daughter of a pharmacist and working in a pharmacy since high school, she saw the impacts scope of practice changes had on patients and communities. This drew her to pursue the profession in due time.
Today, Christine is an avid researcher, passionate advocate and promoter of STEM outreach who has garnered a reputation as a dedicated, thoughtful and collaborative leader. She has held roles on CAPSI National Council and the Pharmacists Manitoba Board. She now serves as the CAPSI National President where she is a powerful voice for Canadian students and the profession of pharmacy.