Pharmacy Appreciation Month is celebrated each March as a time to highlight the growing role pharmacy professionals play in our healthcare system and thank them for their extraordinary efforts. Pharmacists are the most accessible health professional and serve a vital role as part of the healthcare team. At Charlton Health, we are fortunate to have a team of dedicated, knowledgeable, and caring professionals who have great passion for their profession. It gives us great pleasure to educate patients on their specialty medications and the conditions they treat. Some of our pharmacists are involved in teaching at the University of Toronto, writing journal articles, serving on committees of the Ontario College of Pharmacists, and lecturing to health professionals across Canada.
The Canadian Pharmacists Association has launched a contest called #MyFavePharm. They are asking the public to share with them why they love their pharmacy team. Those who complete and submit nomination forms before 11:59pm ET on March 21 will be entered into a draw for an opportunity to win a tablet for both them and their favourite pharmacy team member! Open to residents of Canada. Enter here: #MyFavePharm contest
Pharmacists work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, community pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, and the pharmaceutical industry providing medical information and conducting research. They are educators in universities and colleges, and often conduct presentations for the public. Pharmacists usually complete an undergraduate degree in science followed by four years at a faculty of pharmacy along with an internship. Graduates obtain a PharmD designation which is a clinical doctorate in pharmacy. At Charlton Health we are proud to support the education of future pharmacists by offering internship placements to students completing their final year of study.
Carolyn Whiskin is the Pharmacy Manager for Charlton Health. Carolyn specializes in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, pharmaceutical compounding, women’s health, pain, and smoking cessation. Carolyn has won provincial and national awards for her commitment to patient care and public service.
Kunal Bhatt, RPh, PharmD, HBSc is a staff pharmacist for Charlton Health. As a 2020 PharmD graduate from the University of Toronto, Kunal possesses a diverse range of experiences from working in hospital and community pharmacy settings. Kunal was heavily invested in contributing to the efforts against COVID-19 by administering upwards of 5000 COVID-19 vaccines at William Osler Health System’s vaccination clinics.