Annual Conference

The 40th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Pharmacy Conference was a big success May 22-24.

Almost 300 people attended events over three days. Highlights included the gala dinner and awards night and keynote speakers Alex Sundakov and Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dalliare. We had more exhibitors at our tradeshow than ever before and sponsors stepped up in an unprecedented way. The River Rock Resort and Casino made for a lovely location and they took care of event logistics very smoothly.

The Association was pleased to see all decades of our history represented, from some of our founders through to first-year pharmacy students. While some legacies are new—like those of our New Horizons award recipients Alicia Shanks, Pamela Engar, Julie Foreman, Omar Alasaly and Derek Lee—others continue for years to come—like contributions from Ken McCartney, who was honoured as an Honourary Lifetime Member.

Other award winners included:

Jiae Sophia Lee—Future Leaders Award; Blake Reynolds, Wendy Mays and Shakeel Bhatti—Certificate of Recognition for Service to the Association; Anil Ram—Bowl of Hygeia Award; John Forster-Coull—Ben Gant Innovative Practice Award; Bob Mehr—Achievement Award; Larry Pereira—Friend of Pharmacy Award; and Elaine Chong—Wyeth Apothecary Award.

As we marked such a significant milestone in the history of our association we also began a new partnership. The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC, under the guidance of Janice Moshenko and others at the Continuing Pharmacy Professional Development Group, created an exceptional schedule of educational sessions. We have a diverse group of speakers and offered a range of topics on research, community practice and business strategies.

We also had a strong team of volunteers that worked tirelessly to support our organizers.

The entire event was a fitting marker for our four decades of history. We shared the occasion with colleagues, friends and family. It made us at the association so proud of those that undertook the monumental task of creating the association at its inception and it gives such optimism for the future leaders of our profession. As from the beginning, we are on a path of excellence.

Just as pharmacy practice doesn’t stop, neither does the BCPhA. See you next May at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria!