Pharmacy Check-in: Ivy Lam
Ivy Lam, RPh (she/her)
Pharmacy Innovation Lead
CASCADES Canada
Toronto, ON
Ivy Lam earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto before starting as a perioperative pharmacist at St Joseph’s Health Center. She went on to establish the pharmacist role in the Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital, a pilot project founded by the Canadian Blood Services.
Her concerns for environmental issues led her to join Unity Health Toronto’s Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) and the Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment (CAPhE), working together with other health-care professionals to tackle sustainability issues in health care.
Currently, she is working with the incredible team at CASCADES, a pan-Canadian initiative funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, to support transitioning Canada’s health-care community towards high-quality, low-carbon and climate resilient care.
Q&A with Ivy
We caught up with Ivy during Pharmacy Appreciation Month to talk about her role in pharmacy innovation, her passion for environmental sustainability and how the profession has the power to reduce the carbon footprint of the health-care system.
This year’s Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM) theme is “The power of pharmacy.” What does that mean to you?
As medicines account for approximately 25% of all greenhouse gases in health care, pharmacists are in an excellent position to respond to the climate crisis. Pharmacists working in all fields, including in community, hospital, industry, academia, associations and regulators, can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, and collectively have the power to move the needle towards lower carbon care.
One of the most exciting things about a career in pharmacy is the variety of roles pharmacists take on and the impact they can have in so many different ways. Tell us about your role and what makes it unique?
As the Pharmacy Innovation Lead, I develop, review and spread sustainability resources in pharmacy and prescribing activities. I am also tasked with finding new ways pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and prescribers are reducing the carbon footprint in their workplaces and spreading those ideas across the country. An example of this is the work we have been doing with Dr. Valeria Stoynova, MD, and Dr. Celia Culley, PharmD, from British Columbia spreading low-carbon inhaler content from their Critical Air Project. I have spoken to clinicians from several provinces interested in implementing their own inhaler projects. There are still only a limited number of formal opportunities that focus on sustainability in health care and being able to connect health-care professionals across Canada makes this role unique.
What inspired you to take on this role? What makes it rewarding?
Working in hospitals, the amount of waste produced is shocking. While reducing waste is only a small part of what we can do to improve the carbon footprint of our health-care institutions, it is the most visible thing that made me question what we are doing. The most rewarding part of this role is collaborating with individuals who are making or want to make a difference.
What is one practice area where you feel pharmacists could increase their role that would lead to better patient outcomes?
Pharmacists have a fantastic opportunity during medication reviews to deprescribe medications. Deliberate, appropriate deprescribing has patient care, cost and environmental benefits. There are tools and guidelines that have been developed to help pharmacists deprescribe, which we compiled in the upcoming CASCADES Canada Medication Optimization for Sustainability to Reduce Environmental Impacts in Inpatient Settings playbook. Keep an eye out on the social media accounts (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram) or subscribe to the newsletter for its release.
What is one thing you wish all patients knew about what pharmacists can do?
Patients should be aware that they can bring back unused and expired medications to pharmacies for disposal as opposed to disposing of medication down municipal drains or in garbage destined for landfill. Metered dose inhalers are particularly important to return because they contain a powerful greenhouse gas that is best managed by incineration to avoid the contents escaping into the atmosphere.
What makes you proud to be a pharmacist?
Meeting passionate pharmacists and pharmacy technicians involved in sustainability has made me proud to be a member of the profession. There is a movement by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians around the globe looking at ways to tackle various climate change issues in their workplaces. In Canada, the Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment is focused on research, education, partnerships and communication in climate mitigation, adaptation, operations, and supply chain management. The Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists recently started a Sustainability Implementation Task Force aimed at improving sustainability in hospital pharmacies. It makes me hopeful to be amongst these forward thinkers.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your practice, or about anything else that is important to you?
I encourage pharmacy students, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to reach out to their local associations and colleges to express their interest in sustainability. For those with the capacity to volunteer, consider joining organizations like the Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment or your institutional green committee. For actions you can take as an individual clinician, CASCADES Canada has resources targeting high-impact areas in pharmacy and prescribing. We always want to hear about new environmental quality improvement projects that are underway. Whether your work is ready to be spread across the country or you are just getting started and need help estimating the environmental impact of your project, feel free to contact me at any stage in your sustainability journey.
