The need for pharmacist-led humanitarian aid is pressing around the globe, yet there are few structured programs in Canada that actively support and encourage pharmacists to volunteer their services. Anthony Lau, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Emergency Medicine at Vancouver General Hospital, intends to change that.

With funding from the Wellspring Award, Lau’s journey will begin with the Pharmacy Leadership Academy program, an online leadership development program available through the ASHP Foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland. The program builds leadership skills in advocacy, program development and mentoring, among other areas.

Next, Lau will create a network of volunteer pharmacists for humanitarian aid, with the goal of training 20 Canadian pharmacists over the next five years. He also hopes to partner with healthcare organizations to implement pharmacy capacity-building initiatives in at least two resource-limited countries. “This initiative will empower Canadian pharmacists to take on leadership roles in international humanitarian work and integrate pharmacy practice into multidisciplinary global aid efforts,” wrote Lau in his Wellspring application.