Black pharmacy professionals gather for summit at University of Waterloo

Black professionals are gathering in Waterloo on Friday to increase diversity, find opportunities, and advocate for equity in the pharmaceutical sector.

The Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada Excellence Summit is taking place from Friday to Sunday at the University of Waterloo.

It’s an event that looks to break down boundaries and give Black professionals in the field a place where they can network and share their professional experiences.

Nneka Ezurikem, co-founder of the group and event, owns four Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy stores across the Greater Toronto Area. She noted that the idea for the summit came from hearing about a pattern of experiences in the industry among her Black colleagues.

“Many pharmacists talked about challenges navigating the different career prospects in pharmacy, accessing mentorship for career growth, and finding networking opportunities, especially when they don’t see those that look like them in specific spaces,” said Ezurike.

According to a recent KPMG Canada study, 81 per cent of working professionals in Canada who identify as Black endured some kind of racism or micro-aggression in the workplace in the past year.

“We also want to advocate for pharmacy school curriculums to really reflect Black health to improve Black disparities,” said Ezurike. “Mentorship is another guiding principle of the Black Pharmacy Professionals to really enhance growth and success. And the third is really to improve the health and wellbeing of Black Canadians.”

Ezurike believes it’s vitally important that the pharmacy profession reflects the community that it serves, and that pharmacists and other healthcare professionals understand the health disparity that Black Canadians experience.