Editor’s Message

Is this the year you find your ‘Ikigai?’

In our first issue of 2023, we are very pleased to introduce the winners of our inaugural Pharmacy Practice + Business Awards

What was immediately obvious about our winners (and the majority of the entrants, for that matter) is that each one has found their unique place in the world of pharmacy by following a passion of their own which also meets a specific patient need. Lindsay Dixon, creator of the popular and often-shared Friendly Pharmacy 5 YouTube channel, has the storytelling bug and is compelled to combat misinformation. Fairuz Siraj has a coaching heart and gets excited about helping patients take better control of their health. Dean Elbe is passionate about helping new health practitioners serve adolescents struggling with their mental health to gain the optimal benefits from their medications. Andrew Schonbe believes sexual health information and services should be easily available without judgment to everyone without discrimination. Technician Kayla Ross finds joy in relieving cancer patients and their families of the burden of sorting out drug access and coverage issues. And Jonathan Lu and his Silver Fox Pharmacy team found their purpose during the COVID-19 pandemic by coming alongside overextended long-term care workers to support them, in any and all ways they could, ensuring continuity of care to vulnerable elderly patients.

When someone hits the sweet spot of turning their passion and skills towards a known service gap, that’s when magic happens. Lu refers to this in his profile when he says he strives to meet the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai: doing what you love, are good at, can be paid for and the world needs.

Our Strategy columnist Amy Oliver stressed this very message in her keynote at Pharmacy U Vancouver last November. Oliver spoke in depth about the ideal of pharmacists who combine their passion and their skills in a way that meets a demonstrated societal need.

Readers of this column know that encouraging pharmacists to find their perfect niche in the profession is one of my personal passions. Meeting our award winners has only confirmed my belief that everyone should have the chance to find satisfying, rewarding work that they love—that also benefits their world.

Need inspiration? Come hear Oliver speak at Pharmacy U Toronto, April 1. Or click on the Finding Your Niche or Innovators tabs on our website (CanadianHealthcareNetwork.ca) for reams of ideas. And keep reading in 2023.

VICKI WOOD vwood@ensembleiq.com

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