Announcing the 2024 Wellspring winners

This year’s winners of the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy’s Wellspring Pharmacy Leadership Awards are Dr. Amy Randell in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Tristan Lai and Alex Tang, both in B.C.

They will be honoured in King City, Ontario on October 8, as part of the Ontario Pharmacists Association’s annual awards ceremony .

The Wellspring Awards provide grants to pharmacists for a wide range of initiatives that foster personal development and leadership through study, experiential learning or mentorship. CFP established these awards to honour the legacy of Barbara A. Wells, an exceptional pharmacy leader and beloved colleague who passed away in 2010.

Dr. Amy Randell will use her Wellspring grant to help pay the tuition for the Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership offered by the University of British Columbia. The 12-month, online program is “designed to prepare pharmacists with leadership aspirations to respond to the profession’s demand for outstanding leaders with a broad perspective of the healthcare system, and a solid understanding of how pharmacy connects with it.”

Randell graduated from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN) School of Pharmacy in 2010 and in 2016 with her MSc (Pharm). She completed her PharmD through the University of Toronto in 2021 while practising in a variety of community settings, including rural, urban and specialty pharmacy. In 2021, she became an instructor in the Pharmacy Technician Diploma Program at Keyin College in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and in March 2022 became a faculty member at the MUN School of Pharmacy. Her growing desire to learn more about professional governance and become more engaged with her profession led her to join the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board, where she has served as the Zone 1 Pharmacist representative since 2021.

Tristan Lai is using his Wellspring grant to complete the LGBTQ+ Leadership Program offered by Harvard University, which helps participants build skills “to navigate complex organizational cultures and…influence and negotiate while embodying inclusive, strategic, and authentic leadership.”

Lai graduated from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2015. He obtained additional prescribing authorization from the Alberta College of Pharmacy in 2017. Lai is currently a lecturer at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, where he is also responsible for building and sustaining the Faculty’s capacity for community-based experiential learning. As a practicing pharmacist, Tristan is experienced in working alongside underserved communities. As an educator, Lai is passionate about fostering and creating inclusive learning spaces that acknowledge, respect and celebrate diverse student identities and experiences. He is committed to the lifelong (un/re)learning of justice by actively engaging in an ongoing reflection of his identities. Tristan’s research interests centre around the health and social care needs of individuals and communities who experience marginalization due to their sex, gender or sexuality.  

Alex Tang will also use his Wellspring grant to complete the LGBTQ+ Leadership Program at Harvard University. He is a lecturer at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, where he is also lead for Non-Direct Patient Care (NDPC) in the Office of Experiential Education. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree in 2014 from the University of British Columbia, and later obtained his Certificate in Travel Health in 2016. In 2024, he obtained his Master of Education degree from the University of Ottawa. As a liaison between NDPC pharmacy practice stakeholders and the Faculty, Tang is responsible for building and sustaining capacity for the NDPC practicum opportunities for the Entry-to-Practice Doctor of Pharmacy program. Prior to joining the Faculty in 2018, he practiced in the outpatient setting as a pharmacy manager on the Sunshine Coast and in the Lower Mainland, where he served as a practice educator for undergraduate student practicums and as a mentor to secondary school students. His current academic endeavours include creating practicum opportunities for students in non-traditional practice settings, and co-leading the PRIDE-RX initiative, which aims to create one of Canada’s first SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression)-inclusive pharmacy curriculum.