Outstanding Pharmacy Alumni Award

Sheila Kelcher, Retired Clinical Pharmacist + Faculty Member

When Sheila Kelcher (BSc Pharm 1970) saw a job listing for a male pharmacist upon graduation, she didn’t hesitate to apply. Her successful application got her a job at Woodward’s Downtown Pharmacy, where she worked until the birth of her first child in 1974. Ahead of her time, she was asked back and continued to work at Woodward’s Southgate, part-time, after starting a family. Kelcher worked as a community pharmacist at Woodward’s Southgate until her retirement in 2012, even after it had closed in 1993 and transitioned to The Hudson's Bay Southgate Pharmacy.

But Woodward’s was just the beginning of a life-long career path full of impactful, and unexpected, positions. All the while, Kelcher had an ever-growing presence and impact within the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, humbly leading the profession of pharmacy into the future.

In 1982, Dean Dr. John Bachynsky, now Professor Emeritus, introduced Professional Practice courses to the curriculum to help students develop their dispensing, communication and patient counselling skills. Helen Radchuk, then Professional Practice Coordinator for third year students, invited Kelcher in her role as Chair of the Internship Committee to discuss recent curricular changes relating to pharmacy practice. Following the meeting, Radchuk asked Kelcher to step in at the last minute as a Teacher’s Assistant for a single class, and ended up offering her the position for the remainder of the year. The following year, Radchuk moved on to curriculum development for the first year class, and Kelcher took over teaching the third-year Pharmacy Practice class full-time.

By 1991, the Faculty was under a new Dean, Dr. Richard Moskalyk, now Professor Emeritus, who asked Kelcher to sit on the Pharmaceutical Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) as the Alberta representative, and by 1995, she was President and leading the change from a paper exam to an additional practical exam -- the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) -- which is still administered to pharmacy students at the end of their degrees today. Kelcher helped run the OSCEs at the University of Alberta until her retirement in 2012.

In addition to transforming the pharmacy examinations, Kelcher was also fulfilling a joint position between Pharmacy and Family Medicine at the request of Dean Moskalyk. From 1991 through 2008, Kelcher worked as a clinical pharmacist alongside family physicians in the Family Medicine Clinics at the Misericordia and Grey Nuns hospitals. One of her roles in the position saw her take family medicine residents on home visits to discuss patients’ conditions, medications, and challenges.

“It was a real eye opener for the residents, because many assumed any time a doctor wrote a prescription, the patients got it filled and they took the medication correctly,” says Kelcher. “As pharmacists know, that doesn't always happen.” On one home visit with a couple, Kelcher recalled a candy dish in the middle of the coffee table, full of multi-coloured pills of all shapes and sizes. The students were stunned.

“That position was a catalyst to ensure that physicians understood what an important role a pharmacist can play in patient care,” says Kelcher. “It was the first step into that new era.”

As the program developed, Kelcher was invited to sit and consult on many committees that provided the groundwork for multi disciplinary teams in Alberta that now include pharmacists.

In 2001, Dr. Franco Pasutto, then Dean of the Faculty, now Professor Emeritus, spearheaded an update of the entire pharmacy curriculum, to include at least one full year of experiential education for students during their degree. He asked Kelcher to lead the curriculum planning process. In 2004, with Kelcher at the forefront, the new curriculum was approved, and the first pharmacy class of the new program began their studies. Kelcher says it is the proudest accomplishment of her career to date.

“It has been a wonderful career, it really has,” says Kelcher. “The funny thing is, I never applied for any of the jobs. I would get asked to do something, and say ‘sure, why not?’”

In 2008, Dean Pasutto had Kelcher take his place at convocation. It was the first class to graduate from the new curriculum she had been so instrumental in developing.

“I stood at the podium when that class convocated, and I shook hands with each graduand,” says Kelcher. “It was very special for me. I knew them so well. I could acknowledge each and every one of them by name.”

Years later, Kelcher says that her students are still at the heart of her career.

“The most rewarding part of it all is meeting my pharmacy students that I’ve taught over the years, and having them remember me and be so kind. I feel like over time I did make a difference in a lot of people's lives.”

This year, Kelcher was the recipient of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ 2020 Outstanding Pharmacist Alumni Award, which was presented to her at the virtual White Coat & Awards Ceremony in January 2021.

Dr. K. Wayne Hindmarsh, Retired Hospital Pharmacist, Professor + Dean

Dr. K Wayne Hindmarsh (BSc Pharm, MSc, PhD 1970) was born in Grandview, Manitoba. He completed grades seven to twelve in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where he worked for Fysh Drugs. He then attended the University of Saskatchewan and was awarded his BSc in Pharmacy in 1964. He also received his master's degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1965. Upon graduation, he took a job as a hospital pharmacist at the University Hospital and was a Sessional Lecturer in medicinal chemistry. He married Lois Dies in 1966, and they had two children, Carla and Ryan, and received his PhD from the University of Alberta in 1970.

Dr. Hindmarsh began his career as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Toxicologist in Regina and then switched to academia, taking a job as an Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan. By 1974, he was an Associate Professor, and then became a Full Professor in 1979. He was promoted to Assistant Dean for five years, from 1987 to 1992, and then left Saskatchewan to become Dean of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba from 1992 to 1998.

From 1998 to 2009, Dr. Hindmarsh served as Dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto - Canada's largest Faculty of Pharmacy. Under his leadership, undergraduate enrolment doubled, the number of graduate students tripled, and full-time faculty grew two-fold. The introduction of the Continuous Professional Development and International Pharmacy Graduate programs was a great source of pride for both the Faculty and Dean Hindmarsh. He also directed a very successful building campaign, resulting in the construction of the Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building, a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility.

An expert in clinical forensic toxicology, Dr. Hindmarsh has published extensively in the field of neonatal toxicology, drug-drug interactions, and the development of sensitive analytical techniques for the detection of drugs of abuse and substance abuse. He is a Member of the Drugs and Driving Committee funded by the Department of Justice, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He also served as President of PRIDE (Parent Resources Institute for Drug Education) Canada, a nationwide parents' support group promoting drug awareness among youth from 1985 to 1995. He also developed two resource books: Drugs, What Your Kids Should Know and Too Cool for Drugs.

Dr. Hindmarsh was a member of many organizations and committees. He served as Secretary/Treasurer of AFPC in 1975 and 1976 as well as President in 1977. He has served as a Board Member of CPhA, President of AFPC and as Chair of PEBC. He is a past President of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science and in 1988 was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association for his efforts to curb drug abuse among young people. He has also led a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) project in the Caribbean to establish a regional examination along the lines of PEBC. He received the CPhA Meritorious Service Award in 1989, H. Ward Smith Award for Toxicology Research in 1990, and became a Fellow in the Canadian Society of Forensic Science in 1997. He served as President of AFPC from 1997 to 1998, as Chairman of the MRC Fellowship Committee, as a member of the Saskatchewan Health Research Board and the Manitoba Health Research Council, as well as on the Board of the Grace General Hospital as Vice Chairman.

Dr. Hindmarsh is also a past President of the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy (AFPC) and the recipient of their Special Recognition Award in 2002. He received the CPhA Honourary Life Member in 2003. A long-time supporter of the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy, he was a member of the board for nine years, serving as its President in 2006. He also received the Douglas M. Lucas Award in recognition of excellence in Forensic Science. In 2007, Dr. Hindmarsh received a Centennial Pharmacist Award from the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA). This prestigious honour was awarded to 100 pharmacists who made significant contributions to leading and building CPhA and the profession of pharmacy in Canada over the past 100 years. The Canadian Foundation honoured him for Pharmacy as the 2009 Pillar of Pharmacy recipient.

To celebrate Dean Hindmarsh's final year as Dean, funds raised at the annual golf tournament in 2008 were designated to establish the K. Wayne Hindmarsh Award of Excellence. Dr. Hindmarsh is now the Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP).

At the 2019 White Coat and Awards Ceremony on September 19th, Dr. Hindmarsh was named the 2019 recipient of the Outstanding Pharmacy Alumnus Award by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Alberta and gave the keynote address.

Dr. Robert Foster, Chief Scientific Officer, ContraVir Pharmaceuticals + Adjunct Professor

On rotation at the University of Alberta Hospital as a pharmacy undergrad in 1982, Dr. Robert "Bob" Foster (PharmD '85; PhD, '88) had to find a solo research topic. He stumbled upon pharmacokinetics-a branch of pharmaceutical sciences, in its infancy at the time, that examines the movement of drugs within the body. Thirty-six years and a lifetime of achievements in the field later, he's been recognized with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences' 2018 Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award. But for Foster, accolades were never part of the equation; his curiosity is propelled by the enjoyment of keeping up with an ever-growing field.

"When I graduated, we used synthetic chemistry to create most of our molecules. Things have changed so much, things that we couldn't have ever imagined," says Foster. "That's what I find so exciting, that it's evolving so quickly that most of the names of the drugs I first learned about have disappeared or changed."

Like so many compelling success stories, Foster started out as a one-man operation in his home office. After completing his education, he set out with nothing more than an IKEA desk and filing cabinet to create his own biopharmaceutical company. By the mid-1990s, he had created Voclosporin, an immunosuppressant drug to treat kidney inflammation caused by lupus, and signed a deal with one of the largest Swiss drug companies.

In 2008, Foster saw the funding for his company, Isotechnika, cut significantly and was forced to slow down production to keep the company afloat before finding an alternative partnership five years later and rebranding to Aurinia. He says that in a field like pharmaceutical sciences, learning to be patient is one of the hardest but most critical traits to develop.

"It can be frustrating if you're purely thinking about the business aspect. But if you're thinking about the overall successful program and the health and well-being of the patient, ultimately, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Fifteen years later, Voclosporin has finished recruiting for phase three research, and Foster hopes to see his drug hitting the market as soon as 2020. Though the amount of time and commitment spent on just one creation may be jarring, the average number of years a drug takes to go from the research phase to the pharmacy is 12 years, so it seems Foster is right on schedule.

"Getting the drug to market is vindication," says Foster. "To know that I was able to do that with the right team and the right mix of science and business-to have a success like that-is really cool."

Voclosporin is just one of the many successes Foster has had over his career. In total, the biotech CEO has over 240 patents of which 216 are currently active. In the mid-1990s, Foster developed the Helikit, a breathalyzer-based diagnostic kit used to scan for stomach ulcers that bypassed the need for biopsy. Foster sold the creation in 2006, but it continues to be used in medical labs across the world today.

Now, Foster spends his time as Chief Scientific Officer at ContraVir Pharmaceuticals and as an adjunct professor with the Faculty. It's a far cry from the retail pharmacist he was once on the path to becoming, and he hopes that his story inspires others in the field to use their ingenuity for good.

"Pharmacy overall has so much flexibility and so much potential. You can either choose to be a pharmacist in the traditional sense or you can use it and combine it with any number of things," says Foster. "I really do believe that when it's time to leave this world, we must leave it with something more than what we've taken out of it."

Dr. Donald Perrier, Author, Educator, Retired Professor + Dean

Dr. Donald Perrier is a graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (B.Pharm 1967. and M.Sc. degree 1970); he received his Ph.D. in pharmaceutics from the State University of New York in Buffalo.

He is the co-author of one of the seminal and most influential books on Pharmacokinetics with Milo Gibaldi and is an internationally recognized expert in the area of pharmacokinetics in which he has more than 100 publications and two editions of the textbook.

He served as an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky School of Pharmacy, then the University of Arizona School of Pharmacy. In 1981 Donald Perrier was appointed Dean of Pharmacy at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand and set about improving the situation for the Department of Pharmacy, including initial processes that ultimately were manifested in a change of location to the Adams Building, the transfer from the Faculty of Science to Medicine and a restructured bachelor's degree recognising the increasing importance of clinical pharmacy elements rather than, predominantly, the pharmaceutical sciences.

He subsequently served as the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy University of Toronto from 1986-1998 for two terms and is Dean Emritus. Dean Donald Perrier Award of Professionalism is awarded annually created to commemorate his contribution to the practice of pharmacy, especially his effort in advocating the student role in the profession.

He went on to be Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University Of Kentucky College Of Pharmacy for six years to round out his career in 2007 when he returned to Canada in 2007 for his retirement.

Melissa Hozack, Clinical Pharmacist + Coach

As a practicing clinical pharmacist and co-owner of Pharmasave #304 in Redcliff, Alberta, Melissa embodies the meaning of caring for her patients. In addition to providing excellent pharmacy care to customers, she is an integral member of the local health community in her southern Alberta hometown.

Melissa has played a lead role in helping her clients manage weight loss and the accompanying weight issues that go along with it. As an Ideal Protein Weight loss leader, she has helped more than 600 patients lose more than 25,000 pounds. Many of her patients have been able to reduce or completely eliminate the need for medications they once depended on. Her patients describe her as a great coach, mentor and they say she always treats her patients with "patience, kindness, compassion and respect."

She has won several awards such as the Canadian Commitment to Service and Care Award (2015) and has been invited to speak at several conferences and webinars including Canadian Pharmacists Association Conference (2016) and Alberta Pharmacy Registered Technician's Conference (2016).

Melissa also understands the value of communication in her role as a pharmacist using social media to spread the word about weight loss, healthy living which helps her make connections and build partnerships within her community.

Melissa's genuine care for her community shows how she goes above and beyond and continues to help others realize their potential for a healthy lifestyle.

Ron Pohar, Clinical Pharmacist + Educator

Since graduating from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences more than 20 years ago, Ron has practised as a clinical pharmacist in Edmonton's inner city specializing in the areas of addictions, smoking cessation and mental health. His commitment to helping the marginalized, underserviced and undercared for populations has helped him make significant contributions to patient care and well being.

His work as an educator is impressive - he is one of a handful of champions for tobacco control in the field of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. He believes that pharmacists can play a major role in helping Canadians quit smoking. Ron provided the vision and led the development of a national program, CATALYST - Call to Action on Tobacco Reduction, a Model for the Busy Pharmacist - to educate thousands of pharmacists on smoking cessation counselling.

He also led the design and implementation of all pharmacotherapy resources and supports for the Alberta Health Services Tobacco Reduction Program.

Ron has received several provincial and national awards over his career including the Pharmacy Practice's Commitment to Care Award for Health promotion twice (2002, 2012), the Alberta Pharmacists Association Pharmacy Profile Award (2005) and Volunteer Spirit Award (2005) and the Alberta Pharmacy Centennial Award of Distinction Award (2011) among others.

Rosemary Bacovsky, Pioneer, Advocate, + Retired Pharmacist

After graduating from the Faculty in 1977, Rosemary worked at the Cross Cancer Institute for 10 years where she established a national profile for excellence in oncology practice for her work there.

After returning to school to receive her masters degree in Health Sciences Administration (HSA), she worked for Alberta Health to review its provincial drug plan. Her work led to many of the changes in pharmacy practice today.

Her career took her on path where she worked internationally for countries like Trinidad and Tobago on their public drug program and it also allowed her to set up her own consulting practice.

Rosemary is best known for her advocacy and work to expand the scope of practice for Alberta pharmacists. She felt the profession was ready for a pivotal change and saw the opportunity for pharmacists to expand their role in the area of prescribing. She was part of the working group that created the framework for the expanded scope of practice that became law in 2007.

Rosemary's legacy to the profession is well recognized and she has contributed much to provincial, national and international research and policy making. The legacy is also a physical one as she and her husband donated a valuable mortar and pestle collection to the Faculty's dean's office.

Shirley Heschuk, Retired Faculty Member + Pharmacist

After graduating from the Faculty in 1962, Shirley spent time working as a pharmacist and raising a family. In 1982, she was recruited back to the Faculty to teach pharmacology part-time in the Faculty of Medicine to nursing, rehabilitation medicine, pharmacy and dental students.

That led to a full-time position in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences where she taught law, jurisprudence, ethics, communication skills and over-the-counter medicines. She quickly became a popular professor for her unique teaching skills.

Her expertise in natural health products led to innovative classroom instruction and guest lecturers of all walks including lawyers, nutritionists, naturopaths and government regulators. Her research and expertise in nutrition led to the Faculty's first module on nutrition, still used today.

She was very involved in committees with the Alberta College of Pharmacists including licensing, examination, internship, public affairs, regulatory affairs, registration and the code of ethics committee.

Officially retired since 2007, she remains active in the profession writing and reviewing case studies as well as updating chapters for the Canadian Pharmacists Association on sports nutrition, weight management and special diets.

Michael Bain, Owner/Curator, Castor Pharmacy Museum

Following in his father's footsteps, Michael took over the pharmacy in Castor 43 years ago, where Mike Bain Sr. had started his career in 1946. Michael worked as a pharmacist for 31 years retiring in 2008. Soon after retiring, Michael's hobby of collecting all things pharmaceutical from the past grew into more.

He and his partner Wendy Anhorn transformed the original McDermid Drugs pharmacy, which opened its doors in 1921, into the Castor Pharmacy Museum. The museum is one of three Alberta pharmacies that have preserved pharmacy history.

Mike's one-of-a-kind museum allows visitors to touch and explore many of the items in his collection. The museum offers a unique contribution to pharmacy in Alberta that preserves its legacy and celebrates the history of the profession. His dedication to preserving artifacts and sharing his knowledge with pharmacists and Albertans has helped elevate the pharmacy profile. You will find a wide array of Mike's artifacts on display at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library until the end of October.

Mike also provided much of the content and guided the development of the Faculty's 100 years timeline poster. The poster offers a look at the university buildings that housed pharmacy, its leaders, the curriculum changes, research areas and significant highlights throughout the decades. The 12-foot-long poster hangs outside the dean's office, providing a valuable perspective of our history.

The Alberta College of Pharmacists recognized Mike for his contributions with the APEX Award of Excellence in 2012.

Gregory Eberhart, Registrar, Alberta College of Pharmacy

Greg brings a set of skills and experiences that lead him to take on the role as a prominent leader who has helped shape the advances of the pharmacy profession in Alberta and across Canada.

Over the past 20 years, Greg has maintained strong ties to the Faculty, serving on committees providing feedback on training our future pharmacists so they are prepared for the new scope of practice changes. He has supported our Faculty's research and professional development needs in an effort to bring success to pharmacists in the changing roles in society. His actions include research collaboration as well as helping to acquire Alberta College of Pharmacists' funding for research.

Greg's contributions to our Faculty over the past two decades also include lectures and attending and speaking at student events.

Greg's efforts have helped to bring the Alberta pharmacy practice to the forefront. Alberta pharmacists have the broadest scope of practice nationally. He also led the development of the national requirements for pharmacy practice information systems. The requirements will ensure pharmacists have access to the information and technology they need to comply with the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities' Standards for Pharmacy Practice.

Recognition for his contributions to the profession includes the University Alumni honour award.

Cecilia Laskoski, Hospital Pharmacist + Preceptor

As a clinical pharmacist at the Royal Alexandra hospital, Cecilia's drive to promote excellence in the pharmacy profession has made her an exceptional leader in mentorship and training. Recognition for her compassion and dedication to patient care over the past 40 years includes multiple awards, such as the Alberta College of Pharmacists M. J. Huston Pharmacist of the Year and becoming a fellow of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

Cecilia's lead role in the development of the Faculty's Clinical Placement Program helped set high professional standards for patient safety and optimal patient care for the Faculty's clinical rotations. Her long-standing, unwavering commitment to helping educate our Faculty's student pharmacists as well as nursing and medical residents in hospital pharmacy settings has made her a valuable member of the hospital's clinical team.

Her passion for the pharmacy profession is apparent in her volunteer roles, providing remedial support to our student pharmacists and co-precepting her peers as they take on a preceptor role for the first time.

Cecilia's ongoing exceptional patient care and holistic approach illustrates her desire to help people get their lives back on track.

Dr. John McNeill, Dean + Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia

Dr. McNeill is a Dean Emeritus who served at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia for 11 years. He joined the University in 1971 as an associate professor and chairman in the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Dr. McNeill's research focuses on the effects of drugs on the heart. In particular, he has determined the biochemical mechanisms of action of a number of drugs that increase the strength of each heartbeat.

He has also investigated the effect of diabetes on the heart. His investigations have shown that diabetes causes several biochemical and structural changes in the heart that can affect how the tissue responds to drugs. Importantly, in addition to insulin treatment, Dr. McNeill has found ways of treating the diabetes to prevent the cardiac changes.

Dr. McNeill has spent much of his career as a leader in research and pharmacy education. He also taught and had an interest in both therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse, including alcohol. He has been recognized by the courts of British Columbia and elsewhere as an expert in these areas.

Dr. Franco Pasutto, Dean + Professor Emeritus

Dr. Pasutto served as a Dean at our Faculty for 10 years. His contribution to teaching, administration and research began in 1978. During his 31 years at the Faculty he received numerous teaching awards including the prestigious University of Alberta Rutherford Award.

During his tenure, Dr. Pasutto contributed extensively to the redesign of the curriculum by bringing an integrated modular outcomes-based curriculum to the Faculty in 2004. He also played an important role in advocating for prescribing rights for pharmacists, He worked with the Alberta College of Pharmacists, Alberta Pharmacists' Association and the provincial government in support of the landmark legislation to advance pharmacy practice in Alberta.

Under his leadership Dr. Pasutto oversaw the creation of the entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. The program received approval from several University of Alberta Governance committees and final approval by the Board of Governors five years ago. The program then received initial provincial government approval the following year.

The program's first group of PharmD students took to the classroom in September 2013. This September, the pharmacy community has taken advantage of the new program with practicing pharmacists, who graduated prior to 2014, making up half of the PharmD students.

Nancy Rae, Retired Faculty Member + Pharmacist

Nancy initially applied her studies as a hospital pharmacist at the Whitehorse General Hospital in the Yukon Territory before taking a position at the Red Deer General Hospital as the assistant director of the Pharmacy Department.

From hospital settings, she accepted a clinical assistant professor position with our Faculty. During her 19 years at the Faculty, she influenced generations of pharmacists helping shape many of our current Faculty when they were students under her care.

Nancy purposefully created a teaching environment that was open, positive and conducive to learning through her professionalism and quiet confidence. She provided thorough and thoughtful feedback on clinical skills, using her personal time to provide revisions and suggestions. Recognition for her teaching skills went beyond the university where she took on the role as an Advisory Board member for the Glaxo-Wellcome Pathway Evaluation Program: a national program on career planning for pharmacy students.

While she retired in 2005, her involvement with students continues with her volunteer role as a Standardized Patient in the communication courses. Nancy continues to have an interest in learning as a past president and current active committee member with the University's Edmonton Lifelong Learners Association.