The BCPhA is governed by a Board of Directors, whose mandate is to set, monitor and review the strategic goals and other policies of the Association.
Each Director serves for a three-year term. Directors may only serve for two consecutive terms. A director's year runs from January 1 to December 31.
You may contact the president or Board members.
Jamie Wigston was re-elected to the BCPhA Board of Directors in 2019. He is a pharmacist at West End Medicine Centre in New Westminster.
Jamie first completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology before completing a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 2013. After graduation, he moved to Vernon in the Okanagan to work for Shoppers Drug Mart. Given that he had already worked as a pharmacy technician with Shoppers for several years, this was a natural next step.
While he always appreciated this position as his first job as a pharmacist, Jamie really thrived once he started working at his current smaller, independent pharmacy in New Westminster.
He enjoys the small town feel of the area (while still being in the city), as well as getting to know his patients by name and learning about their lives.
Jamie is looking forward to playing a larger role in helping shape the pharmacy landscape in BC, as well as continuing to advocate for his profession.
Raised in Northern Alberta, Chris Chiew’s interest in chemistry led him into a part-time job as a pharmacy assistant, encouraged by his Grade 12 chemistry teacher. He enjoyed the patient interactions and worked in the role until he was accepted into the pharmacy program at the University of Alberta.
Shortly after graduating from the pharmacy program at the University of Alberta in 1994, Chris joined London Drugs.
Since then, he has served 26 years, first as a pharmacist, then assistant pharmacy manager, pharmacy manager, and pharmacy operations manager before his current position as General Manager, Pharmacy, of London Drugs.
In addition, Chris also serves on the Board of Directors of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, where he is Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee.
Annette Robinson joined the BCPhA Board of Directors in September 2017 and serves as the board representative for the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
Annette grew up in Powell River and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1984. She worked as relief pharmacist/pharmacy manager for Boots Drug Stores until 1989. She has also worked as a staff pharmacist for a small independent pharmacy in Chilliwack, Locks Pharmacy, for 10 years then took a position with another independent, Nelmes Pharmacy, for 15 years. After Nelmes was sold to Rexall Pharmacy, Annette worked as a pharmacy manager for another 5 years before joining Pharmasave Drugs (Pacific) in 2014 where she was Regional Pharmacy Manager with Pharmasave's Pacific Regional office. She also serves on the College of Pharmacists of BC Discipline Committee.
Annette is a Canadian Diabetes Educator (C.D.E.) certified pharmacist as well as an Insulin Pump and Device trainer. Annette served on the organizing committee for the CDA Professional Conference and Annual Meetings in Vancouver in 2002 and 2007.
Mark Dickson began his pharmacy career in 1991 as a pharmacist at Dawson Creek and District Hospital. After three years of hospital practice, he spent ten years in community practice primarily on Vancouver Island, before joining the Shoppers Drug Mart Regional office in 2004. After completing an MBA at SFU in 2005 Mark joined Pharmasave Drugs where he led the national pharmacy team until 2013.
As a Board Director and then chair of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores from 2009 to 2011, Mark engaged in and led discussions and negotiations with government and industry leaders across the country that continue to shape the pharmacy industry in Canada today. He subsequently served as a Board Director for the Canadian Pharmacists Association from 2015 to 2018.
Recently, Mark led the successful wrap up of the Peoples Drug Mart banner which was completed in 2018. Following this, he and Terra retired to the Okanagan where they split their time between Kelowna and their cabin on Mabel Lake.
Gary Go completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology before completing a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1995, both from the University of British Columbia. He has been a BCPhA member since he graduated and is a participant of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada.
Go worked as a pharmacist in the Lower Mainland and in Victoria before becoming a regional manager, pharmacy operations with Save-on-Foods Pharmacy. He has been in his current role for over 17 years. During that time, he has looked after pharmacies in Alberta, Kootenay, Vancouver Island, Okanagan, Vancouver Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.
Michelle Gray graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1997. She started her career as the Zellers Pharmacy Manager in Cranbrook. She joined a small independent pharmacy, Medicine Centre in Kimberley in 2002 and took on the role of starting a non-sterile compounding service. She went to Houston, Texas to start her compound training with PCCA. Eventually, the independent pharmacy was sold to Shoppers Drug Mart in 2006.
Michelle then became an associate owner of Shoppers Drug Mart for 3 years in Cranbrook. This training was invaluable for her next step in opening her independent compounding pharmacy back in Kimberley in 2013. Gray’s Compounding Pharmacy has been in operation for 8 years now. Michelle is passionate about serving her customers with an in-depth, whole health approach.
When not at work, she enjoys spending time with her 3 kids, exchange student, husband, and dogs. She enjoys the great outdoors from telemark skiing in the winter to hiking and golfing in the summer.
Linda Gutenberg is a pharmacist with 35 years experience at multiple levels of Pharmacy Practice, including community pharmacy in urban and rural settings, Head Office experience with a multi store owner of independent Pharmacies, as well as a corporate chain, and experience working with the BC Pharmacy Association as a staff member.
Linda is currently working in Victoria with the Heart Group of IDA pharmacies, where she enjoys getting back to basics and providing exceptional pharmacy care to the community. Gutenberg is a past board member as well as Past President of the BC Pharmacy Association Board.
Colleen Hogg became an entrepreneur in 1999 when she purchased Cove Pharmacy on Quadra Island, then known as the People's Drug Mart, the first pharmacy established on the rural island community.
As an advocate for not only the pharmacy profession but also access to health-care services for remote communities, Hogg believes success in pharmacy is strongly tied to a passion for helping her community.
Mike Huitema graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Pharmacy in 2007. Growing up with both parents owning various small businesses, Mike has been involved in small community business his whole life. Since graduating from university, he has lived and practiced in Kamloops, where he has been the associate-owner of Shoppers Drug Mart #277 for the past 10 years.
Mike is an active Certified Diabetic Educator and regularly teaches students about diabetes as part of the foot care nurse certification. Mike is particularly passionate about antibiotics and preventing antibiotic resistance. He enjoys giving lectures to student nurses at Thompson Rivers University about antibiotic medications and how to use them responsibly in the health-care setting. For the past 10 years he has been a preceptor in the Structured Practice Education Program (SPEP) with UBC.
He has been involved in the Kamloops community by helping coordinate pharmacists’ response to help those displaced by the 2017 wildfires and raising money for the local YWCA women’s shelter for the past 8 years. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.
Mike started his first term on the BCPhA Board in 2019 as an elected board member.
Upon graduation from the University of British Columbia in 1997, Pindy Janda worked as a frontline pharmacist for more than 20 years, including as pharmacy manager, patient care pharmacists, certified diabetes educator and media spokesperson.
In 2015, Pindy put her skillset to work as a marketing manager for an upstart generic drug company, followed by her current role in as General Manager, Clinical & Specialty Division, at Imperial Distributors Canada Inc.
In this role, Pindy co-created UBC’s first industry-specific pharmacy rotation within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and has since welcomed several practicum students studying specialty pharmacy.
Born and raised in Nanaimo, Kylee Power began her career in pharmacy 15 years ago as a pharmacy assistant. After graduating from Pharmacy at UBC in 2010, she returned to Nanaimo and is currently manager of Central Drugs in Lantzville and a member of the ownership group with The Central Drug Stores Ltd, an independent pharmacy group with 7 locations in the Nanaimo area.
“After giving birth to my second child in February 2020, I returned to work 6 weeks later to join my staff in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. I am amazed at the resilience and willingness to rise to the challenge I have seen from my pharmacy colleagues. I have been motivated by them and the advocacy for the profession I have seen from the BCPHA. As a member of the board, I hope to strengthen the Association’s advocacy for community pharmacy which includes reevaluating reimbursement models, decreasing administrative burden, and expanding services to support pharmacists. As an owner of an independent pharmacy, I recognize how regulatory compliance issues impact pharmacies, minimizing pharmacist's ability to provide the best care possible. I hope through advocacy with the government, pharmacists are able to practice at the top of their profession.”
Greg Wheeler graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1998. Prior to moving to British Columbia from Guelph Ontario, Greg graduated from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Science in BioChemistry.
Greg has been a pharmacy owner for over sixteen years. He previously owned Skaha Pharmacy in Penticton for ten years. Currently, he owns Oliver Pharmacy Remedy’s Rx, City Centre Pharmacy Remedy’s Rx and Rose Valley Pharmacy Remedy’s Rx located in Oliver, Penticton, and West Kelowna, respectively.