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Shoppers Drug Mart gift promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in health care

Faculty of Health Dean Brenda Merritt, Shoppers Drug Mart President Jeff Leger, and Lifemark Health Group President Sonya Lockyer Faculty of Health Dean Brenda Merritt, Shoppers Drug Mart President Jeff Leger, and Lifemark Health Group President Sonya Lockyer

Posted: November 6, 2023

By:聽Mark Campbell

For Giving Power

麻豆传媒鈥檚 Faculty of Health is imagining a future where health care is more diverse, equitable, modern, and respectful, thanks to a transformative gift from Shoppers Drug Mart

Announced in June 2023, a $2.5 million gift from Shoppers Drug Mart 鈥 the largest ever gift to 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Faculty of Health 鈥攚ill support diversity, equity, and inclusion in health education, and research that aligns with Nova Scotia鈥檚聽. The funding will enable innovations that improve access to health care among underserved populations and rural communities across Nova Scotia and beyond.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to support 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Faculty of Health and the advancement of our shared vision and commitment to creating better access to quality health care for Canadians,鈥 says聽Jeff Leger (BScPH鈥95), President of Shoppers Drug Mart.

鈥淭his donation will amplify the important work the聽Faculty of Health聽is doing to identify and fill gaps in the health-care system,鈥 he adds. 鈥淏ut more importantly, it will help fund future generations of health-care professionals from diverse backgrounds. By investing in their future, we鈥檙e investing in a health-care system that better represents the needs of our country.鈥

Breaking down barriers

A portion of the gift will create scholarships for undergraduate students studying pharmacy, physiotherapy, or occupational therapy who identify as Black Nova Scotians or Indigenous, or who are from New Glasgow or North Sydney. The scholarships will help break down existing barriers to health education and increase diversity in the health professions. There will also be bursaries to make rural-area clinical placements more accessible and affordable for students.

Dr. Brenda Merritt, Dean of the Faculty of Health, says the gift reflects the vision Shoppers Drug Mart and 麻豆传媒 share of creating a solid foundation to tackle the increasingly complex health-care challenges facing society.

鈥淲e need more innovative collaborations and more diversity in perspectives to solve them,鈥 says Merritt. 鈥淲e are thankful for the incredible support of Shoppers Drug Mart. This will help spark innovation in teaching, research, and patient-centred care. It will also enable us to create exceptional learning opportunities for our students and strengthen our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. That has the potential to enhance the health and well-being of all Canadians.鈥

Susan Mansour (BScPharm鈥81, MBA鈥90) is the Director of the College of Pharmacy and Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Health. She says the gift will help clear a path to success for students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to have a significant impact on students in the College of Pharmacy,鈥 says Mansour. 鈥淕iven the many pressures on pharmacy students in the current environment, student financial need has skyrocketed in the last few years. The need for pharmacists in the Maritimes is currently high and this gift will generously assist students in earning their degree and starting to contribute to health care.鈥

A smiling man stands at a podium Shoppers Drug Mart President Jeff Leger

Improving health care for everyone

The remainder of the gift will support research that has the twin goals of understanding a bigger role for pharmacists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists and a larger health system that includes them.

Dr. Shaun Boe, Professor and Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Health, is equally enthusiastic about the potential of the Shoppers Drug Mart gift. He believes it will support research that empowers pharmacists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists to provide care in new ways.

鈥淭his is an opportunity for us to help address shortfalls in health care in innovative ways by enabling these professionals to work to the full scope of their practice,鈥 Boe says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to have access to funding so that we can explore how best to do this. I am really looking forward to seeing what this gift makes possible and how the solutions we develop at 麻豆传媒 could be life changing for millions of Canadians.鈥