Dr. Kevin McLaughlin was presented with the Bowl of Hygeia during the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association's hybrid Annual General Meeting and Awards Presentation on Sunday, October 1, 2023.
The Bowl of Hygeia is NBPA's most prestigious award, recognizing a pharmacist whose impact extends beyond professional duties. This award recognizes the valuable contributions pharmacists make, with a special emphasis on community service.
Kevin graduated from the Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy in 2002, completed his hospital residency at the Ottawa Hospital (toxicology on-call program) in 2003, and received his Doctor of Pharmacy (summa cum laude) from the University of Florida in 2009. He became the first clinical pharmacist at the Saint John Regional Hospital medical-surgical ICU, and one of the first pharmacists in NB to obtain prescribing authority and enter a collaborative prescribing practice. “At every opportunity he works to move the needle of New Brunswick pharmacy forward.”
His professional contributions have been substantial, from serving as President of the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students & Interns (CAPSI) to being a member of CPhA’s Pharmacy Workforce Steering Committee, Pharmacy Wellness Task Force, and Pharmacy Workforce Planning Committee. Kevin served on the NBPA Board of Directors from 2020-2023 and became the Association’s first Director of Professional Practice. He authored the Ask Your Pharmacist column for five years, during which time he “made a human connection to New Brunswickers” while addressing topics of importance to pharmacy and patients.
Kevin's energy has also bolstered his local community and many charities, including:
- Fundraising thousands of dollars by running the NYC Marathon with LIVESTRONG... twice, by riding in the 660km ‘Friends for Life’ Bike Rally to raise funds and awareness for people living with HIV, serving at the Area 506 festival with United Way, and participating in the John T. MacMillan Foundation auction and fundraiser
- Volunteering with The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and the 519 Community Center in Toronto’s Gay Village
- Volunteering as an immunizer, from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations people in British Columbia to his entire CrossFit gym in Quispamsis.
Kevin volunteers with the Canadian Red Cross (Emergency Management), Big Brothers & Big Sisters (Mentor Links), and YouCanRideTwo, where he does everything from liaising on-the-ground emergency communications to teaching kids how to ride bikes.
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association is the voice of pharmacists in the province and is committed to providing leadership for the profession and improving the health of New Brunswickers.