Recognizing excellence in pharmacy across B.C.
The BCPhA Pharmacy Excellence Awards recognize pharmacists across British Columbia who demonstrate outstanding dedication to their patients, colleagues, and communities. Each year, recipients are honoured for excellence in patient care, innovation, mentorship, and leadership within the profession. Award winners receive a comprehensive recognition package. If you know a pharmacist who deserves to be celebrated, we encourage you to submit a nomination.
The 2026 Winners
This year's BCPhA Pharmacy Excellence Award winners were announced on May 2, 2026:
Award Winners
- Thao Dao — New Practitioner Award
- Joe Frketic — Pharmacy Leadership Award
- Amin Janmohamed — Ben Gant Innovative Practice Award
- Shenaz Lakhani — Pharmacy Leadership Award
- Bernice Lam — Murray Dykeman Mentorship Award
- Akarsha Bhat Mairaje — Collaborative Care Award
- Kerri Moskal — Excellence in Patient Care Award
- Atsushi Sato — Bowl of Hygeia Award
Student Winners
- Esther Lu — Apotex Inc. Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2026
- Thazin Win Maung — Apotex Inc. Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2026
Award categories
Winners are selected in the following categories:
- Excellence in Patient Care Award: This award is presented to a pharmacist who has demonstrated ongoing excellence in patient care in their professional practice.
- Ben Gant Innovative Practice Award: This award is presented to a pharmacist who has demonstrated significant innovation in their respective practice and/or the profession.
- Murray Dykeman Mentorship Award: This award recognizes a pharmacist who has demonstrated outstanding mentorship to those early in their pharmacy career.
- Pharmacy Leadership Award: This award recognizes a pharmacist who has demonstrated commitment to leading the profession and its people forward and has made significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy.
- Collaborative Care Award: This award recognizes a pharmacist who has worked to create strong collaboration with other health-care providers. In doing so, they have promoted the value of pharmacists and have successfully advocated for the role of pharmacists in the primary health-care team.
- New Practitioner Award: This award recognizes a pharmacist within their first five years of practice. The nominee has demonstrated impact and commitment to the pharmacy profession by advancing their practice.
- Bowl of Hygeia Award: A pharmacist with an outstanding record of public and community service.
- Friend of Pharmacy Award: A non-pharmacist who has worked with and promoted the value and role of pharmacists within the health-care team.
Nominate a Pharmacist
Nominations for the 2026 BCPhA Pharmacy Excellence Awards are now closed.
If you would like to submit a nomination for a pharmacist for the 2027 awards, please click the link below.
The nomination form must be completed and submitted in the same sitting. There is no function to save and return to an incomplete form later.
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Provide Clear and Specific Examples |
Use concrete examples to demonstrate how the nominee excels, detailing specific initiatives or patient care improvements. Avoid general statements. |
| Highlight Impactful Outcomes | Emphasize the nominee's positive impact, like enhanced patient outcomes or community contributions, with measurable results. |
| Focus on Relevant Achievements | Tailor responses to the award’s specific criteria (e.g., innovation for the Ben Gant Award), aligning the nominee’s strengths with the award’s purpose. |
| Emphasize Collaboration and Advocacy | Highlight examples of collaboration with other healthcare providers and advocacy for the pharmacy profession. |
| Use Strong Support Letters | Collect impactful support letters from both a health-care peer and a patient, including specific examples and personal stories. |
| Optional Media Clippings | Attach media articles or publications about the nominee’s achievements for added credibility, if available. |
| Verify Eligibility and Requirements | Ensure the nominee’s eligibility and complete all mandatory sections, including necessary documents and letters. |
| Don’t Use Vague Language | Avoid vague praise without examples. Specific achievements are more powerful than general adjectives. |
| Don’t Miss Deadlines or Requirements | Incomplete or late submissions will be disqualified. Ensure all documents are prepared and submitted on time. |
| Don’t Ignore the Award Criteria | Tailor the application to the award’s focus, like mentorship for mentorship awards and innovation for innovation awards. |
| Avoid Repetitive Content | Each answer should provide new insights, as repetition can dilute the impact of the application. |
Examples from Past Submissions
* Names have been changed for privacy reasons.
Quoted by: Ronald, patient
“I met Jody in October 2018 prior to embarking on a trip to Papau New Guinea. As you are aware, travellers should take health precautions before travelling to this country, but I wasn't too worried about it at the time. Until I met Jody! This was my first experience meeting a pharmacist who specializes in travel medicine. Jody was so prepared it blew me away. She explained the types of threats I could run into and provided multiple options for preventative care, in addition to clear instructions for what I should be aware of prior, during and after my trip. She even checked up with me a few weeks after I got back! I have absolute faith I am in good hands.”
Quoted by: Jaden, physician and patient
“I am one who seeks as much information as possible when it comes to pharmaceutical products. Blake is well-informed and up-to-date on all the newest pharmaceuticals. Additionally, he also demonstrates compassion. Eleven years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to take a multitude of medications and had to endure years of side effects from chemotherapy. Blake always made himself available to support me in my personal choices. I would, and have, recommended Blake to family, friends and colleagues because of his expertise, knowledge, compassion and commitment to personal patient care.”
Quoted by: Eric, physician and colleague
“Many of Mary's patients are living with chronic and complex conditions, including HIV/AIDS, substance use and mental health disorders, in addition to social challenges and marginalization, and require a truly interdisciplinary approach to optimize their health and wellness. Mary exemplifies the principles of culturally-safe, equity-informed, patient-centred care, and does not hesitate to act as an advocate for her patients when they experience challenges or barriers to accessing services, while maintaining positive relationships with all partners in their care.”