On October 1, the UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences welcomed Dr. Lalitha Raman-Wilms as its new Dean. Dr. Raman-Wilms joined us from the University of Manitoba, where she served as Professor and Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. She brings with her an eminent career in research and academic leadership, having also served in various leadership capacities at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
In this Q&A, we had a chance to speak with her about her professional background, her aspirations for the Faculty, and her most recent book recommendation, among other things.
1. What are you most excited about as you step into this new role?
I am most excited about the opportunity to collaborate with our outstanding faculty, staff, students and the broader community to advance pharmaceutical sciences research and the profession. Our Faculty is comprised of highly experienced and dedicated individuals, and has launched numerous impactful research, teaching and educational initiatives, which are outstanding. I think during this next phase, building and strengthening partnerships, both internally at the university and externally within the health sciences sector, will be important for our continued growth and success. I am eager to contribute to sustaining this momentum and supporting efforts that drive meaningful change in pharmacy research and practice. I look forward to continuing our collaboration and discussions to enhance patient care and public health outcomes.
2. What do you see as the biggest opportunities for growth and development within the Faculty?
As a world-leading institution ranked among the best in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, I think that there is a great opportunity to continue to build high-impact, interdisciplinary research in the rapidly evolving life sciences and healthcare sectors. We are also focused on providing excellent training and mentorship to our learners which will support developing their potential as future practitioners, researchers and leaders, preparing them to address ongoing societal needs. As well, the Faculty has exciting opportunities to enhance and increase student accessibility across the province, particularly in rural and underserved communities. It is also an important time for us to work with the university and to further our commitments to Indigenous initiatives, and strategies to address equity and anti-racism, leading to inclusive excellence.
3. Your research and clinical experience have largely focused on older adults in various healthcare settings. What inspired you to work in this area?
Earlier in my career, I had the opportunity to work with older adults in northern Ontario—this work made me acutely aware of the complexity of health issues and the challenges in optimizing drug therapy in this group. As well, addressing the significant and critical drug-related issues faced by older adults can not only increase their and their families’ quality of life, but can significantly decrease hospitalizations and health care costs. It is not uncommon to see older patients taking 20 different medications daily, sometimes without clear evidence to support the regimen, while having the potential to cause harm.
I vividly remember an example, early in my career, while I was working with the health care team to decrease medication use for one 86-year-old gentlemen. He had been non-communicative and bedridden for over a decade, but reduced medication use led to him being mobile, engaged and communicative. In the family’s words, this was a ‘miracle’ for them. This really sparked my awareness of the vital role that pharmacists can play in optimizing medication use, especially when much medication-related harm is preventable. In practice, clinicians continue to identify many barriers to effectively decreasing inappropriate medication use through deprescribing in older adults, including lack of evidence-based information, clarification of responsibilities of team members, and the need for strategies to actively engage patients in shared decision-making about their medications. With aging demographics globally, the World Health Organization and other international groups have placed a greater focus on management of polypharmacy.
4. What role do you envision alumni and development initiatives playing in the long-term success of our Faculty?
Our alumni are our ambassadors; they reflect our successes and, in a way, are an extension of our Faculty’s reach and network. They are also our radar in providing feedback on profession and industry needs and can advise us on our initiatives, while mentoring and supporting our learners. We are also fortunate to have many of our alumni support our students and programs through sponsored scholarships, research and innovative projects. I would say that alumni and development initiatives are essential to the long-term success of our Faculty and as Dean, I enjoy hearing directly from them and value their input.
5. What was your proudest accomplishment as Dean of your previous faculty at the University of Manitoba?
During my seven years as Dean in Manitoba, we accomplished much together. There are numerous things I am proud of—I helped bring in many new and diverse faculty who helped build the research enterprise and development of a new curriculum, as well as leadership in education. We implemented many initiatives to support research such as a formal faculty mentorship program and internal grant funding opportunities. Overall, I would say that I am most proud of the close collaborative partnerships we developed, while moving ahead on important initiatives to support equity and inclusion, and to address reconciliation, all of which I believe has enabled the success of the faculty and the programs.
6. How do you see the role of technology, such as AI, evolving in pharmaceutical education and research?
It's an interesting time with the evolution of technology, such as AI, that can play a transformative role in healthcare and pharmaceutical education and research. AI and machine learning have helped enhance data analytics, speeding up research in areas such as drug delivery. AI’s capabilities for education use are also immense and can increase student engagement through enhanced simulations. While I believe it is important to adequately prepare our students and faculty with the necessary skills to navigate these advanced capabilities, it’s equally important that the limitations of AI’s use are understood—as well as data privacy and ethics of its use. Within education, striking the right balance in how we use it and providing students with clear guidelines is important to mitigate potential harm and plagiarism.
7. What’s one fun fact about yourself that might surprise your colleagues and students?
One fun fact about me that others might find surprising is that I spent years practicing Goju Ryu Karate with my immediate family. We believed that discipline and self-defense were important principles for our daughters to learn, and we practiced together for about 10 years. It was hard work but we finally all achieved our first-degree black belt together, which is something that we’re all proud of! Academic work can be demanding and, for me, spending time in the dojo required complete focus, which enabled me to bring a fresh perspective to my work each day. It also taught me a lot about perseverance and hard work.
8. Do you have a favourite book or movie that inspires you?
I am an avid reader, and enjoy reading both fiction and nonfiction. One of my most recent books that I enjoyed was Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant. Think Again is about the importance of challenging one’s own assumptions and embracing openness to new ideas. Grant, a social scientist and an organizational psychologist, shares evidence from research, discussing the importance of building an open-minded culture focusing on both curiosity and critical thinking for the success of an organization.
9. What’s your favourite way to unwind after a long day?
My favourite way to unwind after a long day usually involves spending time with my family and being surrounded by nature. I have two daughters and connecting with them after work, often by phone, is something I look forward to. I also enjoy spending time at the gym. And now that my husband, John, and I are settled in Vancouver, we have been enjoying walks in Pacific Spirit and hiking on the North Shore with my family (including our grand dog Stanley).
10. What advice would you give to students taking their first step toward a career in the pharmaceutical sciences?
In today’s dynamic and evolving healthcare environment, our graduates have a great opportunity to impact patients’ health and contribute to innovations in life sciences. My advice to them would be to follow their passion, uncover what they care deeply about, and remain curious and openminded as they progress in their career. Staying engaged and building connections with others in their field will be invaluable as they grow both personally and professionally. And of course, especially in the health sciences, life-long learning is important to ensure that they continue to be relevant in their field. A career in pharmaceutical sciences can be extremely fulfilling and taking care of themselves and their wellness is important, so that they can continue to be effective in positively impacting their communities.