Junine Toy & Kathy Lepik & Linda Akagi & Erin Ready
Junine Toy & Kathy Lepik & Linda Akagi & Erin Ready
Junine Toy (far left in photo):
- Senior Manager of the Drug Treatment Program at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Kathy Lepik (second from right in photo):
- Research Coordinator, Pharmacovigilance Initiative at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Linda Akagi (far right in photo):
- Coordinator of Outreach Pharmacy Programs at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
- HIV Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy
Profile submitted by:
Erin Ready & Junine
Brief description of role or responsibilities
Junine: In addition to her role as Senior Manager of the Drug Treatment Program at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE), Junine is a clinical pharmacist who has specialized in HIV care and antiretroviral therapy at St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy since 2002. As a member of the BCCfE’s Committee for Drug Evaluation and Therapy and co-chair of the Drug Treatment Program’s Data Quality Committee, she’s also involved in guideline development and HIV research at the BCCfE.
Kathy: As the Research Coordinator for the BCCfE Pharmacovigilance Initiative, Kathy is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and responding to adverse reactions to antiretroviral medications in BC. Kathy uses her expertise as a clinical pharmacist to liaise with St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy team to develop safety interventions, disseminate information, and implement measures to optimize the use of antiretrovirals for the treatment and prevention of HIV in BC.
Linda: In her role as Coordinator of Outreach Pharmacy Programs, Linda is a liaison between St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy and the Drug Treatment Program at the BCCfE. She coordinates access of antiretrovirals for the treatment and prevention of HIV across BC and in doing so, utilizes her clinical pharmacy skills to ensure antiretroviral use is safe and appropriate.
Erin Ready: HIV Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy
Describe how the individual or team made a positive contribution to patient care or their pharmacy department:
I consider myself very lucky to work alongside not just one but three wonderful mentors: Junine Toy, Kathy Lepik, and Linda Akagi.
Junine’s enthusiasm and dedication to the field of HIV treatment and prevention is truly contagious.
When I first met Junine in 2014, Junine was my preceptor during my Ambulatory HIV residency rotation at St. Paul’s Hospital. I remember thinking that her passion for patient care was so evident, and it was clear that she truly cared for her patients: she went above and beyond for them, day in and day out. I benefited greatly from her dedication to teaching during that rotation and Junine was without a doubt an inspiration for me to pursue a career in HIV pharmacy at St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy.
Today, Junine has carried her exceptional clinical pharmacy and interpersonal skills into a senior leadership position. Even though she is no longer my preceptor, she is most certainly still my mentor. On a daily basis, I continue to learn from her with respect to clinical decision making, research methods, and program implementation.
Above all else, Junine’s energy is unmatched. I love that I get to collaborate with Junine on research and other projects, because in addition to her mentorship, she is someone who truly makes coming to work fun.
Kathy:
As a resident, I spent an afternoon with Kathy learning about the Pharmacovigilance Initiative at the BCCfE. She explained the program thoroughly and provided real examples of patient safety concerns that had been identified and addressed by the program. Not only do I remember learning so much from the short time I spent with Kathy during residency, I remember thinking that the important work she does with regards to tracking and monitoring adverse reactions to antiretrovirals in BC is so fascinating. It’s exciting to see my students or residents saying the exact same thing after they spend time with Kathy on their rotations!
Working with her over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that Kathy is a prime example of true commitment to excellence in HIV research. I am continuously in awe of her knowledge of epidemiology and research methodology. Her dedication to process is clear: her work is always so well thought-out and thorough. I am truly fortunate to work with Kathy, because I learn so much from her whenever I get to collaborate with her on projects.
One of the things I appreciate most about Kathy is that she always makes time for mentorship, no matter how busy she is. Her mentorship is something I am and always will be so very grateful for.
Linda:
Linda has so much expertise in the field of HIV pharmacy, yet she has always created the space for me to come to her to discuss and review challenging clinical cases. Whenever I’m stumped on a clinical question, I can always turn to Linda for her insight and perspective, which is greatly appreciated. In addition, she routinely takes the time to review interesting cases with me in order to stimulate my learning or share clinical pearls. This learning is invaluable and I don’t think she knows how much I appreciate this!
I’m also inspired by Linda’s involvement with the Canadian HIV and Viral Hepatitis Pharmacists Network (CHAP). From her collaboration on CHAP research projects to her case presentations to her participation in group discussion, she readily shares her knowledge and experience with our HIV pharmacist colleagues across the country. In a specialized field such as HIV, the benefits of this kind of collaboration and commitment to shared learning are far reaching, and I’m certain I’m not the only one who looks up to Linda as a mentor.
I also know I’m not the only one who appreciates learning from Linda, because my students and residents have all had nothing but positive things to say about their time spent with her, learning everything from centralized HIV care and antiretroviral distribution in BC to how the pharmaceutical care process can be applied to provide care to complex patients living with HIV.
Thank you Junine, Kathy, and Linda for your ongoing mentorship and for everything you do for patient care!
Erin: (submitted by Junine)
A few words about my colleague Erin, whom I feel extremely privileged to work with. I have proudly watched Erin’s career grow in the field of HIV. From a bright, curious, and enthusiastic pharmacy resident with a passion for the field, to completion of a Master in Public Health to support her belief in improving patient outcomes, to now becoming the HIV Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy, a key support person for the provincial HIV program.
In her current role, Erin provides clinical support to appreciative HIV specialists and patients, teaches and mentors students, and generously collaborates on research projects. Her gentle warmth, sincerity, intelligence, and thoughtful and detail-oriented approach are deeply appreciated by clinicians, students and myself alike! She has developed into an amazing mentor for the next generation of pharmacists.