Pharmacy Disruptors 2030
A CPhA Summit • June 4, 2025 • Toronto
The Summit Experience
We asked our Win a Trip to the Summit winners and runners up to share their thoughts on the future of pharmacy in an era of disruption and their key takeaways from the Summit. Here’s what they had to say:
Grand prize winners
Sayeh Radpay, RPh, MBA
President, HumanisRx
BRIGHT. The future of pharmacy in this era of disruption is BRIGHT! No question… there is more chaos, uncertainty and disorder in the world than I care to remember. At the same time, I have never been more encouraged by the future of pharmacy than I am today. We’ve come a long way from the days my pharmacy class marched in front of the Ontario Parliament to advocate for more clinical rights for pharmacists. Today, pharmacists in Canada are providing vital services like vaccinations and diagnosing and prescribing for minor ailments. But we can do so much more! I know some of my colleagues are rolling their eyes at that statement and thinking they’re already doing too much. But we are THE medication experts and we’re leaving a lot to chance, hoping for the best when our patients walk out of the pharmacy with their medication in hand. Do we know if they’re even taking their medication? Are they experiencing side effects? After a few weeks (or months) do they still need that medication (think sedatives, PPIs)? I know following our patients’ progress on an ongoing basis takes time and resources, which are precious commodities. Guess what? There’s technology to help us with that, and the Pharmacy Disruptors Summit provided a glimpse of what’s out there.
The CPhA Pharmacy Disruptors 2030 Summit left me encouraged. With all the amazing new scope that pharmacists are embracing, innovation is definitely keeping up to ensure pharmacists can deliver care for their patients in various ways. Whether it’s direct innovation through automation, advanced pharmacy management systems and AI or indirect through different practice models or our pharmacy regulators (yes regulators!) rethinking their traditional oversight models to keep pace with evolving practice tools… there are no bounds to innovation in pharmacy.
Bright, progressive, innovative. This is the future I see for the profession of pharmacy in Canada.
Maya Abdul Majed
PharmD Candidate, University of Waterloo
President, HackRx
As a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, I was truly honoured to be invited to the Disruptors Summit 2030 hosted by CPhA. This incredible opportunity allowed me to connect with passionate leaders in a unique space to gain fresh perspectives and reimagine the evolving role of pharmacists in today’s health-care landscape.
In a room full of innovators, disruptors and future-focused minds, I found myself inspired to challenge the status quo, recognizing disruption isn’t just about technology, it’s about mindset. It’s about having the courage to question outdated systems and the creativity to build something better. I left the summit feeling excited by the conversations around digital health, AI, interdisciplinary collaboration and the evolving role of pharmacists. It became clear that the future of pharmacy lies not only in clinical expertise, but in our ability to lead change, embrace innovation, and co-design care with the communities we serve.
One of my biggest takeaways? Disruption isn’t a threat, it’s an invitation. An invitation for pharmacists to step outside the dispensary and into roles as tech collaborators, health system architects and policy influencers. Our accessibility has always been our strength, but it’s our adaptability that positions us to lead in times of rapid change. The summit reminded me that our profession is bursting with potential, and we have every right, and responsibility, to shape its direction.
As a future pharmacist, I’m inspired to help carve out a future where pharmacy is not just part of the system, but leading it.
Runners up
Andrea Fernandes, RPh, MHA
Pharmacy Manager, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Thank you for the opportunity to attend the conference. My thoughts on the future of pharmacy in an era of disruption is that it is still bright. As a profession we are looking to advances in technology and AI to really understand what they offer and how they can shift the work we do. We the help of these advancements, we can turn our focus to high impact services that improve patient outcomes. I think that we are still in a period of exploration and discovery and soon we will be leveraging AI and seeing it in action. I am excited to be part of this future!
Shelley Morgan, BSc, PharmD
CEO, Rx Billing Genie
Attending the CPhA Summit was both energizing and affirming. As one of the 2025 runner-up innovators, I was proud to see Rx Billing Genie recognized for its real-world impact on pharmacy practice. The Summit brought together professionals who aren’t just thinking about the future of pharmacy — they’re actively building it.
One of my biggest takeaways was the shared urgency around time. Whether it was discussions about burnout, clinical workload, or expanding scopes of practice, everyone echoed a need for smarter systems that give pharmacy teams back their most valuable resource. That’s exactly the need Rx Billing Genie was built to meet. Our app helps reduce the time and frustration spent dealing with billing rejections, a process that drains resources in every dispensary across the country. By addressing this pain point, we’re not only improving workflow and accuracy — we’re helping pharmacists reclaim time for patient care, which builds trust and improves health outcomes.
The Summit also made it clear that innovation doesn’t have to be flashy to be disruptive. Sometimes, elegant, practical tools—grounded in lived experience—are the ones that spark the biggest change. That was validating.
Finally, connecting with peers across the country reminded me that the future of our profession lies in collaboration. As we move forward, I hope we continue to embrace technology not as a replacement, but as a partner in care.
Thank you to CPhA and the sponsors for spotlighting pharmacy disruptors—and for building a space that champions progress.
Lawrence Woo, PharmD, RPh, APA
Co-founder, Medi-scribe
I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Pharmacy Disruptor Conference 2030, hosted by the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA). As a summit invitation winner, it was also my first time officially visiting Toronto. The experience was made even more memorable by the energy and inspiration at the event, as well as the warm welcome from many of the industry leaders I’ve long admired. Their work has helped inspire the development of Medi-scribe over the past three years.
What stood out most was the collective drive to reshape pharmacy practice into something more sustainable, efficient, and patient-centric. Many speakers highlighted the role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in alleviating administrative burden and enabling pharmacists to focus on what matters most: patient care.
Thank you to CPhA for organizing such a forward-thinking and energizing summit. The opportunity to learn from others, share ideas, and feel connected to a broader movement pushing pharmacy forward was invaluable. I left the weekend recharged and more motivated than ever to continue building tools that support pharmacists and improve patient outcomes. The future of pharmacy is bright, and it is being shaped by bold, thoughtful innovators who are not afraid to disrupt the status quo.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an entry, and for the work you're doing to disrupt and evolve the profession of pharmacy. We're looking forward to working with all of you to continue the momentum.