A Message from the Dean
Pharmacy practice continues to evolve in dynamic and demanding ways. Our graduates must navigate complex clinical decisions, lead interprofessional teams, advocate for diverse communities, and adapt to rapidly evolving healthcare systems. To prepare students to be practice ready, pharmacy education must meet learners where they are, respect the diverse paths they take through our programs, and ensure that their educational experience prepares them with not only the knowledge, but also the skills to apply their knowledge in practice.
This issue of the Dean's Spotlight explores how our Faculty is advancing two interconnected strategic commitments: Creating Flexibility for Learners and Enhancing Experiential Education. These themes are closely connected. Flexibility means designing programs that accommodate working professionals, creating pathways that honour Indigenous knowledge systems, and leveraging technology to enable learning anytime, anywhere. Experiential education ensures that learning is authentic, immersive, and grounded in real practice, that includes working with patients, learning from communities, and engaging with virtual simulations that mirror clinical complexity.
Together, they help shape how students learn and prepare to serve patients and communities. Flexibility expands access and removes some historic barriers that have excluded some from the profession. Enhanced experiential education ensures graduates can practice with cultural humility, and gain clinical competence and confidence starting early in our programs. The intersection of these two themes creates opportunities to thoughtfully re-examine how pharmacy education can continue to evolve.
This issue features four programs exemplifying our integrated strategy: the Pharmacists Clinic, which bridges classroom learning and clinical practice; Learning from the Land, an immersive course with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders; a Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership for practicing pharmacists; and GENRx, an AI platform enabling virtual patient practice.
Each represents a commitment to meeting students where they are and preparing them for where they're going. As you read these stories, we hope to share how our efforts to create flexibility and expand opportunities for experiential education can work together to not only enhance our programs, but create better-prepared practitioners, and ultimately, supporting better care for the patients and communities they will serve.
Lalitha Raman-Wilms
Dean
From clinic to classroom: Pharmacists clinic integration reshapes pharmacy education
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has formally integrated the Pharmacists Clinic (the Clinic) and Integration Activities (IA) teams, creating a seamless connection between real-world practice and academic learning.
When pharmacy students step into their IA sessions today, they're learning from pharmacists who, just hours earlier, may have been counseling patients, collaborating with physicians, or solving complex medication management challenges in real clinical settings.
Building the bridge: How the integration model emerged
The integration began two summers ago. What started as a strategic initiative evolved into a comprehensive model where all clinicians hold formal roles as "Clinic IA Leads," bringing front-line experience directly into the classroom. The Clinic and IA team now function as a unified system where clinical expertise flows directly into academic instruction.
"This integration allows clinicians to use their practice experience to create more authentic experiences for students," explains Jillian Reardon, Clinician and Lecturer. "They have been of service to patients and other healthcare practitioners, but now they're able to share the practice lens with students in a formal, integrated way."
By establishing these formal roles, the Faculty has transformed what were once informal connections into a structured framework that ensures students consistently benefit from the insights of practicing pharmacists.
Bidirectional benefits: Student learning and clinician growth
By splitting time between clinic and classroom, clinicians bring current, contextually relevant insights to students. This bidirectional benefit strengthens the program: clinicians gain deeper understanding of student learning, enabling them to be better preceptors, while students access real-world expertise that bridges theory and practice.
In IA sessions, students rotate through various activities—case sessions, tutorials, and skills labs—enhanced by direct involvement of practicing clinicians. Recent student feedback highlights the tangible benefits:
"The clinicians are always effective at conveying constructive feedback in an easy-to-understand way, displaying genuine enthusiasm and approachability. They show us the realism of what we'll actually encounter in practice, go out of their way to help, and make us feel comfortable tackling even the most difficult scenarios we're learning."
This feedback demonstrates how the integration creates a supportive environment where students feel comfortable tackling challenging scenarios while gaining realistic insights into their future profession.
"Clinicians are part of the Faculty as lecturers, but they never really had a formal teaching role before," explains Dr. Theresa Charrois, Associate Dean, Practice Innovation, Professor of Teaching. "This is about leveraging connections within different units in the Faculty and using the Clinic to support student learning." The formalization of these teaching roles has created pathways for clinicians to engage with research initiatives and academic partnerships previously less accessible within the Faculty, while simultaneously providing professional development opportunities they can apply to their own practice settings.
A distinctive model: Implications for pharmacy education
While other Canadian pharmacy schools have established clinics, the UBC Faculty has developed a distinctive framework that formally integrates clinical practice with academic instruction. This model creates dual benefits: practicing pharmacists gain professional development opportunities they can apply to their own settings, extending impact into the broader pharmacy community, while clinicians now have formal pathways to engage with research initiatives and academic partnerships previously less accessible within the Faculty.
The framework represents a new paradigm recognizing the important connection between practice and learning. This integration highlights how professional education can support multiple goals simultaneously: enhancing student learning, providing clinician professional development, strengthening faculty connections, while creating a more robust educational ecosystem.
For the pharmacy profession more broadly, this framework offers a blueprint for how academic institutions can maintain strong connections to practice while advancing their educational mission. As students move through their three years of IA sessions, the connection to the real world of pharmacy ensures they are academically prepared and professionally grounded, ready to contribute meaningfully to patient care from day one.
To learn more about the Pharmacists Clinic and its services, visit pharmsci.ubc.ca/pharmacists-clinic.
Learning from the land: How pharmacy students are discovering health through Indigenous knowledge
In May 2025, six pharmacy students gathered at the University of British Columbia's xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden to participate in an unprecedented month-long immersive course where Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and expert community members would guide their learning directly from the land. For faculty supervisors Dr. Jason Min and Dr. Larry Leung, who designed this land- and place-based program, the moment reflected years of careful relationship-building and a fundamental reimagining of pharmacy education.
"Typical pharmacy education, while rigorous, has limited opportunities for students to learn from the communities they'll serve and the holistic understanding of health maintained for millennia," Min explains. "This program invites a different way of learning; one that centers Indigenous knowledge systems, sees the land as teacher, and understands that health involves connection to community and culture. This vision exemplifies two pillars of the Faculty's strategic direction: creating genuine flexibility for learners by offering an innovative pathway that honours diverse ways of knowing, and enhancing experiential education through immersive, hands-on learning that prepares students for the complex realities of contemporary healthcare.
A different kind of classroom
The program's structure is distinctive: over May, students participated in fourteen activities spanning Indigenous medicine gardens, cedar harvesting, traditional medicine workshops, sharing circles with Elders and community members, and visits to urban Indigenous-led primary care clinics. Before beginning, students completed non-disclosure agreements and consent forms, acknowledging the sacred nature of the knowledge they would access and committing to approach it with respect and care.
"This isn't about extracting information," Min emphasizes. "It's about honouring the knowledge shared and building relationships. Our students needed to understand from day one that patients bring different worldviews of health and specifically in the context of Indigenous health, students were being invited into sacred learning that comes with responsibilities."
The initial cohort of six students, including two self-identified Indigenous students, brought diverse perspectives that enriched the learning community.
The land speaks
At xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden, students returned multiple times throughout May, learning to identify traditional medicines through sensory engagement—the texture of devil's club leaves, the scent of cedar. They participated in tea-making, salve preparation, and harvesting according to protocol, discovering that pharmacy has roots far deeper than the modern compounding lab.
"I thought I understood what a medicinal plant was," one student reflected. "But I'd only ever seen them as chemical constituents on a page. In this course, I learned their names in Indigenous languages. I learned their relationships to the ecosystem and how they grow according to purpose. I learned that you don't just take. You give back, you steward the resource, you participate in ceremony, and you maintain reciprocity."
Students also participated in traditional cedar harvesting led by Knowledge Keepers, learning about sustainability and harvesting protocols. Their efforts support future cedar weaving activities while deepening their understanding of cedar's central role in Coast Salish culture.
Bridging knowledge systems
Dr. Larry Leung, who participated in many of these experiences, observed profound shifts in how students understood their future role as pharmacists.
"What we witnessed was deeply meaningful," Leung reflects. "Students arrived with a Western, biomedical understanding. Through experiences with Knowledge Keepers, ceremonies, and traditional medicines, they developed a holistic understanding integrating physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of health. They began to see themselves not just as medication experts, but as bridges between knowledge systems."
Students engaged in hands-on workshops on traditional medicine identification and preparation with Knowledge Keepers, supported by online modules for foundational knowledge. At Lu'ma Medical Centre, they witnessed how these practices integrate with contemporary urban healthcare, seeing firsthand how pharmacists can honour Indigenous healing alongside Western medicine.
Listening to community
Perhaps the most powerful learning came not from doing, but from listening. On May 7th, students participated in a talking circle with two Gitxsan Nation members. In this sacred space of shared dialogue, students learned about clan systems, longhouse living, and the devastating impacts of intergenerational trauma on community health and substance use.
"The talking circle changed everything for me," one student wrote. "I realized that patient struggles with health aren't just individual choices—they're rooted in colonialism, residential schools, and systematic cultural destruction. My role as a pharmacist is to understand this context, be trusted, and help heal by acknowledging historical harm."
This understanding of health as inseparable from social justice was reinforced through optional participation in a Red Dress event on May 5th, where under Knowledge Keeper Katherine Cooper's guidance, students learned about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and the red dress as a symbol of absence and advocacy. The experience underscored that healthcare professionals have a responsibility to advocate for the communities they serve, not just treat individual patients.
Transformation and integration
Throughout the month, students processed their experiences through written reflections. By the final presentation day on May 29th, the transformation was evident: they now understood health as interconnected and holistic, saw themselves as learners in ongoing relationship with Indigenous knowledge, and recognized their responsibility to land and community.
Expanding impact
The pilot's success has led to immediate expansion plans. The 2026 offering will enroll twelve students and, in an innovative interprofessional collaborative way, include post-graduate pharmacy residents and family medicine residents learning together.
"The enthusiasm from both our community partners and our students has been overwhelming," Min notes. "Knowledge Keepers have told us they see this as an opportunity to share wisdom with future healthcare providers who will serve their communities. Students have told us this was the most meaningful educational experience of their pharmacy training. That tells us we're on the right track and now we can look at ways to refine and sustain this work."
For Leung, the program represents a model that could transform health professions education broadly. "We're not just teaching students about Indigenous health but exposing them to Indigenous pedagogies. Land-based learning, ceremony, reciprocity, holistic understanding. These aren't add-ons to pharmacy education. They're fundamental to preparing practitioners who can serve diverse communities with cultural humility and genuine partnership."
A new pathway forward
As one student wrote in their final reflection: "I came into pharmacy school thinking I'd learn to be an expert in medications. This course taught me that expertise means more than just knowing the drugs, it's recognizing what you don't know, honouring those who hold different knowledge, and understanding that sometimes the best medicine for that person comes from relationship with land, with community, and with the medicines that have sustained people for thousands of years."
In the xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden, medicinal plants continue to grow, waiting for the next cohort of students who will arrive with open hands and open hearts, ready to learn from the land. And in that learning, pharmacy education itself is being transformed. One student, one ceremony, one relationship at a time.
Leading from where you are: How pharmacists are building leadership skills without leaving the workplace
Many pharmacists step into leadership roles without formal training to navigate complex healthcare environments. UBC's Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership (GDPL) addresses this gap, offering a work-integrated pathway for working pharmacists to build leadership competencies while remaining in their current roles.
Designing for real life
The GDPL was built around a core principle: working professionals need flexibility without sacrificing rigor. The part-time, fully online program runs eleven months while pharmacists continue their careers, with every assignment designed for immediate workplace application and relevance.
Who comes to learn
The inaugural cohort of Fall 2025 comprised hospital pharmacists, community pharmacists, clinical specialists, and early-career professionals who developed leadership skills in the field.
"The program gave me practical tools I could use immediately," one graduate reflects. "I'd learn something and apply it in a meeting the next day."
Learning that transforms practice
Students report more effective communication, stronger conflict resolution, and strategic thinking. These shifts translate to real outcomes: graduates apply learning to meaningful workplace challenges, from implementing new services to leading organizational change.
"The project-based structure was invaluable," one graduate explains. "Each assignment became an opportunity to apply learning directly to real workplace challenges, making it far more meaningful than traditional coursework."
"Leadership education doesn't just prepare people for future roles," Dr. Aaron Beedle, Associate Dean at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, observes. "It transforms how they show up in their current roles. Students become more effective, more confident, more strategic. And they build a network of peers they can turn to long after graduation."
The flexibility that makes it possible
The program blends asynchronous learning with synchronous sessions for real-time engagement. Pharmacists can pursue advanced education without relocating or stepping away from their organizations—whether working night shifts or balancing professional and caregiving responsibilities. It builds community through discussion forums, group projects, and cohort-based learning that strengthens understanding through diverse perspectives across regions and settings.
Building the future of pharmacy leadership
The first GDPL cohort's graduation in Fall 2025 marked a milestone. These pharmacists returned to workplaces with enhanced capabilities and greater confidence. Some have advanced into new roles; others have launched initiatives within their organizations. All report feeling better equipped to navigate contemporary pharmacy practice.
For graduates, the diploma is more than a credential; it's an investment in themselves and the profession, demonstrating that working professionals don't have to choose between career growth and life responsibilities. As the next cohort begins, the message is clear: leadership is developed through learning, reflection, and practice. With the right program design, it can be cultivated without stepping away from the career and community you've built.
To learn more about the GDPL, visit pharmsci.ubc.ca/programs/graduate-diploma-pharmacy-leadership.
Transforming clinical competence development through virtual innovation: The GENRx story
Pharmacy students need substantial hands-on practice interacting with patients before entering clinical practice. Traditional learning methods offer limited opportunities to develop essential skills like patient interviews and history taking in a safe environment. The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, in partnership with the UBC Cloud Innovation Centre (CIC), launched GENRx—a web-based AI platform designed to address this gap and transform how students build critical clinical competencies.
Meeting students where they are
GENRx represents a fundamental shift in pharmacy education, offering students flexibility to practice patient interactions anytime, anywhere, at their own pace—a crucial advantage in a demanding program.
"GENRx removes the constraints of time and location," explains Fong Chan, Co-Assistant Director of the E2P PharmD Program and Associate Professor of Teaching. "Students can practice at night before an exam or review challenging cases multiple times. This flexibility supports diverse learning styles and personal circumstances."
The platform allows students to engage with virtual patients across diverse clinical scenarios, from routine medication reviews to complex chronic disease management. They can repeat interactions, experiment with different communication approaches, and build confidence without real-world pressure. As Jamie Yuen, Assistant Director of the Pharmacists Clinic, Clinical Pharmacist and Lecturer, notes: "In traditional clinical rotations, students often get one chance to conduct a patient interview with the same person. With GENRx, they can practice the same scenario multiple times, refining their approach and learning from each iteration. This repetition builds both competence and confidence."
Authentic patient practice at unlimited scale
While flexibility enhances access, GENRx's true innovation is its ability to provide authentic experiential education mirroring real-world clinical practice. The platform uses generative AI to create dynamic, responsive virtual patients who react naturally to student questions and clinical decisions.
Students engage in realistic conversations, gathering patient histories, identifying medication-related problems, and developing care plans. These are all skills that are fundamental to pharmacy practice but challenging to master without extensive hands-on experience.
"Experiential learning has always been pharmacy education's cornerstone, but we're limited by clinical placements and standardized patient sessions," Chan notes. "GENRx doesn't replace those invaluable in-person experiences, but enhances them by giving students a foundation of practice before clinical settings. They arrive better prepared, more confident, and ready to make the most of their time with real patients."
The platform's AI-driven patients can present with inconsistencies in their stories, forget to mention important symptoms, or provide information in non-linear ways, just like real patients. This authenticity challenges students to develop critical thinking skills and adapt their communication strategies in real-time.
Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. One fourth-year pharmacy student shared: "GENRx helped me practice asking open-ended questions and really listening to patient responses. I could try different approaches and see what worked best. When I started my hospital rotation, I felt so much more prepared for actual patient conversations."
A model for health professions education
The success of GENRx aligns directly with the Faculty's strategic commitment to educational innovation and learner-centered design. By leveraging emerging technologies to address longstanding educational challenges, the project exemplifies how the Faculty is creating more flexible, accessible, and effective learning experiences.
"This project emerged from our strategic focus on enhancing experiential education while also recognizing that we need to meet students where they are," Yuen explains. "GENRx does both. It provides hands-on learning opportunities while offering the flexibility that today's students need to succeed."
GENRx's potential extends beyond pharmacy to other health professions at UBC. The Faculty is exploring how this flexible, AI-enhanced approach could enhance existing learning strategies across health professions and continuing professional development.
For educators, GENRx offers tools to upload custom patient cases, track student progress, and provide targeted feedback, creating opportunities for more personalized, data-informed teaching.
Empowering the next generation of pharmacists
As GENRx evolves, the team incorporates student feedback to enhance platform capabilities. Future developments include voice-based interactions for natural conversations, expanded case libraries, and integration with other learning technologies.
"We're just beginning to understand the full potential of AI-enhanced simulation in healthcare education," Chan reflects. "What excites me most is how GENRx empowers students to take ownership of their learning. They can identify their own areas for growth, practice deliberately, and track their progress over time. That kind of agency is transformative."
Supported by UBC Vancouver students through the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, GENRx demonstrates the Faculty's commitment to innovation that prepares pharmacists for exceptional patient care in complex healthcare settings.
"Ultimately, this is about better patient outcomes," Yuen emphasizes. "When our students graduate with stronger clinical skills and greater confidence, they're better equipped to serve their communities. GENRx is an investment in both our students and the patients they'll care for throughout their careers."
Visit pharmsci.ubc.ca/genrx to learn more.
Excellence through integration
The four innovations featured in this issue—clinic integration, Learning from the Land, the Graduate Diploma, and GENRx—embody our commitment to flexibility and experiential education. What unites them is a shared belief: excellent pharmacy practice requires more than technical knowledge. It demands the ability to integrate theory with practice, honour diverse ways of knowing, lead with purpose, and communicate with empathy.
Looking forward, we are excited about these new initiatives. Innovation in pharmacy education is about integration—bringing together the best of what we know about learning, practice, justice, and care. Together, we advance a shared commitment to prepare our students to effectively serve all people with equity, caring and excellence in care.