Pharmacy students get down to business

with material from Mary Stanley, Associate Director, Development & Alumni Affairs, School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy held its first Business Awards Ceremony on April 5. Presented at the ceremony were the Scotiabank Pharmacy Entrepreneurship Award and the Pharmasave Industrial Case Study Competition Award.

The Scotiabank Pharmacy Entrepreneurship Competition provides pharmacy students with the opportunity to create the blueprint necessary to develop a new business start-up. Students are encouraged to pursue new, innovative ventures within the health care industry. In the first year of the competition, twelve contending individuals/ teams submitted comprehensive plans proposing novel enterprises. The top three ventures were then selected to deliver presentations to a panel of stakeholders from various sectors.

The winning venture was MyPharmacyPatient, based on a highly innovative educational platform developed and led by third-year student Peter Pagacz. Peter received the grant prize, which is valued at $15,000.

The annual competition and award is generously sponsored by Scotiabank and Scotia Private Client Group, with professional services provided in-kind by Gowlings and KPMG. Pictured above are (l-r) Elizabeth Heald, Scotia Private Client Group; Peter Pagacz; and Paul Smith, Scotiabank.

The Pharmasave Industrial Case Study Competition Award was also presented during the ceremony. This competition, now in its second year, is an incentivized final examination of the comprehensive core ‘Fundamentals of Business Administration and Management’ program. Teams of pharmacy students were sought as consultants to analyze and offer strategic solutions toward the self-sustainability of the School’s Clinical Capstone program.

After submitting reports, delivering presentations, and defending their proposals to a panel of judges, one winning team, whose members include Mihir Patel, Calvin Poon, Catherine Prochazka, Vanessa Raco, and Alia Thawer, received the $5,000 cash prize, generously sponsored by Pharmasave. Pictured above are (l-r) Mihir Patel, Billy Cheung (Pharmasave), Catherine Prochazka, Alia Thawer, Calvin Poon. Missing is Vanessa Raco.

These competitions represent only a few of the components of the comprehensive business curriculum designed and developed by Dr. Roderick Slavcev, who holds the Shoppers Drug Mart Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship Chair. The business curriculum aligns with the School’s mission to generate graduates with the necessary management skills needed to lead the profession of pharmacy.

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A rundown of campus summer programs

It wouldn't be summer at the university without the many children's camps and programs that will get underway following the Canada Day long weekend.

The Engineering Science Quest camp (and you will know them by the trail of brightly coloured t-shirts) operates in one-week sessions, with various programming aimed at children entering grades 1 through 9. The former “ExXtreme” technology camps, renamed in 2011, are now known as Tesla (for electricity pioneer Nicola Tesla) and Payette (for Canadian astronaut Julie Payette). The technology camps are run out of campus computer labs. ESQ offers programs on the main Waterloo campus as well as several other locations, including Brantford, Chatham, Orangeville, Owen Sound, and Stratford. The camp also has aboriginal community programs that include Aamjiwnaang, Cape Croker, and Walpole Island.

For students grades 10 and up, ESQ has established Catalyst, a summer leadership program that draws on the university's strengths in engineering, science, and innovation.

The university’s other big day camp, Arts Computer Experience, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and campers can expect to enjoy the usual blend of classroom learning and outdoor activities, including opportunities in art, computers, drama, and music. A daily swim is included at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Centre. ACE runs in two-week sessions starting July 3, July 16, July 30, and August 13.

Also on offer is the Leaders-In-Motion (LIM) experience for youth aged 13-17. During the two-week LIM program, participants will enjoy a canoe trip down the Grand River, rock climbing, team building exercises, hands-on leadership opportunities, and an overnight stay in one of the university's residences.

Several other specialized programs are also running in the spring and summer:

• The Ontario Mennonite Music Camp, August 12-24 at Conrad Grebel University College.
• The Peace Camp, July 30-August 3, also at Conrad Grebel University College.
• Waterloo's branch of the Canada-wide Shad Valley program for gifted grade 11 and 12 students, a residential program running July 1 to July 27 and hosted by the Centre for Knowledge Integration.
• The Quantum Cryptography School for Young Students for grade 11 and 12 students, organized by the Institute for Quantum Computing

The Warrior athletics program also offers summer opportunities for the younger generation.

In addition, the Hildegard Marsden Day Nursery and Klemmer Farmhouse Co-operative Nursery will have spaces for smaller children available during the summer.

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