BPPC summit at UW aims to transform Canada’s pharmacy sector

Pharmacists from across the country gathered at the University of Waterloo on Saturday for the BPPC Excellence Summit. Hannah Schmidt reports.

Pharmacy interns, technicians and students from across the country gathered at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy on Saturday for the BPPC Excellence Summit. The event, hosted by the Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (BPPC), aims to foster mentorship, promote diversity and advocate for equity within the pharmacy sector.

“I think this is the first of many more conferences to come and it’s really exciting [to see] the turnout that we’ve had today,” said organizer and pharmacist Nneka Ezurike.

The BPPC, a community-driven, volunteer-led, non-profit organization, was established in 2023 to support Black pharmacy professionals across Canada.

According to Ezurike, the pharmacy industry in Canada has long grappled with challenges related to equity and representation. The BPPC Summit aims to address these gaps by fostering discussions on career advancement, leadership and systemic change.

“These challenges actually resonated with me and I was actually shocked about how widespread it was across the community,” she said.

Advocates like Ezurike emphasize that addressing inequities in pharmacy benefits both professionals and the public they serve.

“The population of Black Canadians is increasing every year, and I think the pharmacy profession really needs to be reflective of the community it serves,” said Ezurike. “There is a huge underrepresentation of professionals across the board and I think that’s why folks needed this organization to help address those issues and also to make pharmacists and health professionals more aware of the health disparities that Black Canadians face and to be better equipped to provide culturally appropriate care.”

As the BPPC continues its work, Ezurike says initiatives like the Excellence Summit highlight the growing momentum behind calls for change in the pharmacy sector.

“We want to work with stakeholders to reduce the barriers that Black pharmacists have currently and really also work with schools to increase their change to the curriculum to address Black health.”