New Brunswick pharmacists gathered in Saint John on Saturday to pay tribute to the best and brightest in their field.
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association and the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society handed out seven awards to long-time pharmacists and new practitioners.
Ivan Ho and Jim Hutton, co-owners of Kennebecasis Drugs Ltd. since 1973, were both honoured with the Bowl of Hygeia at the Past President’s Dinner and Awards Banquet held as part of the New Brunswick Pharmacy Conference 2012.
The Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. This award recognizes pharmacists who make outstanding contributions to their communities.
“The pharmacists honoured have shown tireless dedication and commitment to their patients, their profession and their communities,” says NBPA President Alistair Bursey. “They have improved the lives of their patients, helped people in their communities and enhanced our profession.”
Ivan Ho has sat for the last five years on the board of directors for Hospice Greater Saint John, which opened the Bobby's Hope House in 2010, a 10-bed facility where patients can go to live and die in dignity in a non-hospital setting. He's also a member of Hospice's grief support team, which offers sessions to help people struggling with the loss of a loved one.
He sits on the board of directors for the Hampton Golf & Country Club, serves on a committee for Dalhousie University's College of Pharmacy, and is a preceptor for its practice experience program as well as one for the New Brunswick Community College's pharmacy technician program. He serves within the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society, was director of the Gondola Point Recreation Council, and is a former soccer coach.
Jim Hutton has sat on the National Drug Advisory Board, was chair of the Atlantic User Committee for Propharm Ltd., served on the board for the Drug Trading Company Ltd., is a past president of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association, and sits on a national panel for the Better Business Bureau of Canada.
In his community, he is a member of the Men's Club of St. David's United Church and has long been heavily involved in organizing its annual art show and sale, and developing its patron program. Over the last 13 years, the art show has raised $60,000 for worthy causes in the local community.
In nominating the two, staff that "the 'Kennebecasis Drugs family' is a result of both Jim and Ivan's dedication to community, staff members, and the integrity with which they operate on a daily basis." Their leadership and contributions to a wide variety of community initiatives have made an outstanding difference to the Greater Saint John area, which will leave a legacy for generations to come.
Approximately 150 pharmacists from across the province attended the annual conference held over the weekend at the Hilton Hotel in Saint John. The conference included the annual general meetings of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association, the NB Chapter of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the New Brunswick Pharmaceutical Society, professional development sessions and a keynote address by Stéphane Robichaud, Chief Executive Officer of the New Brunswick Health Council.