Board member Nancy Waite reflects on CFP’s fit in pharmacy

Now several years into her role as a Director on the board of the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy, pharmacist-researcher Nancy Waite, professor and associate director Clinical Education at the University of Waterloo, gives us her take on the ultimate fit and future of the Foundation.

What expertise have you brought to CFP since joining the board?

I’d say it’s my experience and perspective in pharmacy practice research, both as a researcher myself and in being able to understand what’s needed in this space to work with healthcare stakeholders. I’m also cofounder of OPEN (the Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network), which has the same mandate as CFP in terms of helping bring stakeholder and practice researchers together. These organizations complement each other and it’s all about better collaborating together and seeing where our combined expertise will bring us.

What are the challenges and opportunities in practice research as it relates to CFP?

We’re at the stage where everything is changing so quickly and we need to figure out where to do the right research for the right outcomes. It’s about investing in practice research that’s forward-thinking. With such unprecedented growth in pharmacy, it’s a great time to figure out how to go forward. Research dollars are always a challenge as we are competing against and other healthcare researchers. Our Innovation Awards allow us to fund several research projects every year that focus on the research that is needed specifically in pharmacy. Our CFP supporters make this possible. I believe that it’s a small but mighty contribution to research that impacts patient care.

Where do you see CFP’s fit in the future?

As an organization that is neutral, I think the Foundation has a really unique role in bringing people together. We’re already working with pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacy associations and other advocacy groups, creating opportunities for meaningful networking and discussion through our various events. I think we need to do more of that in the future: creating spaces for effective conversations where people come together to tackle pharmacy issues. We’re all so stretched thin right now that we need to think about working better together.