Each One, Teach One

“My vision for the Black Pharmacy Students’ Association (BPSA) is to increase representation and engagement of Black pharmacists in the profession. With the BPSA, I’d like to ensure that Black pharmacy students engage in leadership-building activities, professional development and mentorship. I want to provide su cient resources to BPSA members so they’re cognizant of these opportunities and are using them for career growth. I see the BPSA making the biggest impact when it comes to increasing the number of future Black pharmacists. Initiatives centred around that goal include: Pharmacy School 101 webinars, a career series highlighting Black pharmacists and our mentorship program, which pairs a pharmacy student with an undergraduate student to mentor, as well as a practising pharmacist to be mentored by. ese initiatives will inspire Black students and show that there’s a space for them in the profession.” —

RAYMOND OTIENO, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK PHARMACY STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION, AS TOLD TO TARWINDER RAI

Molecular Impact

Partnership and Potential

New quantum technology hub brings together Alberta’s world-leading expertise

Whether we’re aware of it or not, quantum technology a ects the way we all live in the world. It allows us to measure even the smallest things with more precision, add layers of security to our communications and puzzle through complex problems normal computers aren’t able to solve. Pharmaceutical sciences is no exception.

To bolster this potential-packed area, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and University of Lethbridge formed the Quantum City partnership, creating a hub to advance progress in quantum technology. e hub received $23 million in funding from the Government of Alberta in 2022.

“ e U of A houses world-leading expertise in quantum research and technology, including areas with immediate commercial potential, such as quantum sensing,” says Elan MacDonald, vice-president of external relations. “ e Quantum City partnership accelerates research and its potential to revolutionize industries and create thousands of jobs.” e provincial funding builds on what’s already an area of strength in Alberta, says the U of A’s Lindsay LeBlanc, who sits on the board of Quantum Alberta, an organization that brings together academic and industry experts to help elevate quantum research and commercialization in Alberta.

In the pharmaceutical industry, quantum computing could allow for complex multi-atom chemical calculations to be er predict which drugs would be most e ective against certain diseases. A recent McKinsey & Company report stated, “Given its focus on molecular formations, pharma as an industry is a natural candidate for quantum computing,” with its biggest impact in discovery phases.

— ADRIANNA MACPHERSON

Timely Care

Hypogonadism Is Real — and Treatable Guidelines to help pharmacists treat testosterone deficiency in aging men

A pair of University of Alberta pharmacy professors have published guidelines to help pharmacists support men experiencing a common but underdiagnosed problem that's called late-onset hypogonadism.

Also sometimes called “manopause,” this medical condition refers to men’s declining testosterone levels. Unlike women’s menopause, which usually occurs over a few years in the 50s, men’s sex hormones may start to drop as early as the late 20s, with symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain and low libido progressing gradually over decades.

“People think, ‘I’m just under stress,’” says lead author Cheryl Sadowski, professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Low testosterone is not the first thing that comes to mind for patients or their physicians.” e new guidelines, developed by Sadowski and co-author Nathan Beahm, were published in the Canadian Pharmacists Journal to give pharmacists the tools to screen patients, address risk factors, initiate lab testing and work with physicians to manage treatment.

Pharmacists can help men understand that their symptoms aren’t just a normal part of aging and that they may be treatable, says Beahm, a clinical assistant professor. e evidence indicates that 50 per cent of men will experience symptoms at some time during their lives, but more study is needed to determine the exact prevalence.

Ultimately, the researchers say they hope taboos around talking about men’s sexual health will fall away. “In geriatrics, we talk about a lot of things that you could say are uncomfortable, but we try to take care of all aspects of health for the patient,” said Sadowski. “We have to start the discussion.” — GILLIAN RUTHERFORD

Connecting with Care

Pharmacy care is changing, and the way we meet with patients is, too

Virtual care in pharmacy practice is an important and empowering tool. It provides access to care for people who have di culty visiting their pharmacy in person — like seniors, people with mobility issues, patients staying home due to illness, or people who live in remote areas. COVID-19 hastened changes already underway. e Alberta College of Pharmacy’s (ACP) Standards of Practice for Virtual Care were implemented recently for all pharmacies in the province, replacing the previous guidelines from 2021.

“Virtual care can be a valuable tool that optimizes and complements inperson care,” says Je Whissell, Deputy Registrar, ACP. It’s opening the door to more in-depth and precise care than ever before. “New technologies are constantly emerging, and lead to changes in patients’ expectations of their health-care team,” Whissell says. “Wearable technology like smartwatches is becoming more common, which makes it easier for people to track their health and share that data with their health-care providers.” But burgeoning tech doesn’t mean your next visit with a pharmacist will happen over FaceTime.

Whissell says that pharmacy teams have to consider the limitations of technology when providing virtual care. For example, in a virtual se ing it’s harder to pick up on a patient’s non-verbal cues and pharmacists aren’t able to undertake necessary physical exams. en there’s the ma er of ensuring secure platforms. Pharmacists are duty-bound to proceed virtually only when they have access to a patient’s provincial electronic health record and can take reasonable steps to protect their privacy and confidentiality. Pharmacists have to make sure their tech connection is sound and may not record the encounter.

Patients can look forward to a balance between in-person and virtual care as the la er becomes more common. In the end, Whissell says, it’s about connecting. “Pharmacists’ ability to routinely engage with patients in-person is fundamental to the practice of pharmacy.”

— KALYNA HENNIG EPP

Online

2022 Alumni Award Winner

Robert Foster, ’79 BSc, ’82 BSc(Pharm), ’85 PharmD, ’88 PhD is a scientist, businessman and inventor whose discovery o ers hope for millions of people su ering from a complex autoimmune condition. Voclosporin, commercially known as Lupkynis, is based on a drug molecule he discovered. One of few made-in-Canada drugs to receive FDA approval, it’s the first oral treatment for lupusrelated kidney diseases. Foster le academia to become an entrepreneur and his first business, Isotechnika Pharma, focused on anti-rejection drugs for transplant patients. Foster holds approximately 170 patents and now heads Hepion Pharmaceuticals, which is developing therapies for several liver conditions. Foster maintains strong ties with the U of A, where he remains an adjunct professor to pharmacy students. More at ualberta.ca/pharmacy.

Numbers

The number of donors to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences during 2021/22

CONTAINMENT LEVEL 3 LAB

Suiting Up

Canada should be much be er prepared for the next bug with pandemic potential, thanks to new federal funding e U of A is set to receive nearly $11.5 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to expand its Containment Level 3 laboratories. e funding is among $127 million given to eight research facilities across the country to bolster Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector. e U of A has a long history of infectious disease research. is new funding will allow researchers to remain at the forefront while supporting the needs of the Canadian pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

The University of Alberta will soon have more capacity to study the world’s most dangerous pathogens — and develop the vaccines and treatments needed to combat them.

“To continue protecting the health and safety of Canadians, Canada’s post-secondary institutions and research hospitals require innovative research spaces and biocontainment facilities like the eight state-of-the-art facilities announced today,” says François-Philippe Champagne, federal minister of innovation, science and industry.

At the U of A, funds will be used to upgrade lab suites, updating them with new equipment such as incubators, biocontainment hoods and freezers to study some of the world’s deadliest pathogens. e expanded facilities will be used by cross-faculty research teams, focused on managing the impact of infection.

— GILLIAN RUTHERFORD