A long-time Dieppe pharmacist who is a leader in emerging pharmacy practices and known for his outstanding patient care and community involvement has earned one of pharmacy’s highest honours.
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association (NBPA) honoured pharmacist Dennis Abud with the Bowl of Hygeia on Saturday at its Awards Gala held as part of the New Brunswick Pharmacy Conference.
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 profession and to their communities.
Dennis Abud has been helping patients, building his profession and contributing to his community for two decades. A graduate of Dalhousie University in 2000, Dennis became a pharmacy owner in 2004 when he took over the Jean Coutu store in Dieppe. In 2013, he opened a second location in the same community. From the beginning of his career, Dennis has been a leader in this new era of pharmacy practice. He has maintained an active role in his two pharmacies and embraced pharmacists’ expanding scope of practice, including providing injections, treating minor ailments and supporting his staff to provide more specialized care for patients. He has always been quick to use new technology that helps patients, especially when it comes to seniors.
In 2007, he installed the first Parata Max automated vial counting machine in New Brunswick. In 2009, he introduced the first Synmed Automation System for Blister Packs in Atlantic Canada. Dennis has volunteered a significant amount of time to building his profession by serving on the Board of Directors of the New Brunswick Pharmacists Association since 2003, including a stint as President from 2008-10. He currently represents New Brunswick on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Pharmacists Association. He regularly represents the pharmacy profession in media interviews and he and his pharmacy team mentor numerous pharmacy students and other pharmacy professionals at his stores.
He devotes significant time to improving his community, including by serving on the Board of Directors of Expansion Dieppe. He earned Expansion Dieppe’s Business Excellence Award last year. He serves on the Board of the CHU Dumont Foundation and has chaired its Valentine’s Day Gala which raises funds for equipment at the Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre. He’s a regular sponsor of Dieppe’s popular Mercredi Show (free outdoor concerts for Dieppe families), and he’s also a long-time sponsor of the Assumption Life Run that raises money for cancer research.
“New Brunswick pharmacists are committed to their patients, their communities and their profession. It’s important that we recognize those who have made extraordinary contributions to patient care and to the evolution of pharmacy practice,” says Andrew Brillant, President of the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association. “We are incredibly proud of the work done by our award winners, who are shining examples of the valuable work that pharmacists are doing to help patients every single day.”
Approximately 200 New Brunswick pharmacists attended the annual conference at the Delta in Fredericton. The conference includes the annual general meetings of the NBPA, the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists and the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (NB chapter) as well as professional development sessions. New Brunswick Liberal leader Kevin Vickers, a former Sergeant-at-Arms at the House of Commons and Ambassador to Ireland, was the keynote speaker at the conference.