Conference 2012 recap

More than 425 delegates gathered at the London Convention Centre from June 14-16 for three days of networking and education, and to honour outstanding achievements in pharmacy.

• Learn more about this year’s keynote speakers, education sessions, and social events.
• Meet the 2012 OPA Award winners.
• Click here for a list of exhibitors.
• View this year’s photo gallery. 

Keynote speakers

Delegates who woke up early enough to attend this year’s keynote sessions were treated to three informative and entertaining presentations:

• Marshall Moleschi, registrar of the Ontario College of Pharmacists kicked things off on Friday with his presentation, Optimizing the use of regulated pharmacy technicians – a practical example, which looked at a number of ways to integrate regulated technicians into the pharmacy work flow.
• Friday’s second keynote session brought together Constable Dave Goarley of the London Police Service, and London-area pharmacist Jim Semchism to talk about pharmacy safety and security. Constable Goarley explored a number of ways to increase safety and security within the pharmacy setting in advance of a break-in or robbery and detailed what pharmacists and pharmacy staff members should do during and after an incident occurs. Jim Semchism shared his experiences as a victim of a robbery and break-in, and what impact these traumatic events can have on pharmacy staff.
• Saturday got off to an “awesome” start thanks to Neil Pasricha, author of The Book of Awesome, who reminded everyone that life’s awesome things don’t have to be big things, but can be the simple discoveries that make you smile every day. To prove the point, he had delegates write down one awesome thing on a cue card and share it with someone else in the room. 

Check out some of the things OPA delegates think are awesome

Education sessions

Many of the continuing education sessions at this year’s conference had sold out prior to the beginning of the event!

• Close to 150 pharmacists attended a pre-conference session of OPA’s popular Injection and Immunization Training Program. The Association has now provided injection training to more than 600 Ontario pharmacists and counting.
• The inaugural offering of the New and Expectant Mothers Program brought together experts in the fields of pre- and post-natal health to help pharmacists become more knowledgeable about the risk and benefits of medications taken during pregnancy and lactation, and some of the non-drug measures that can be used to treat minor ailments during and after pregnancy.
• A series of business-focused sessions – covering topics such as pharmacy marketing, new professional services and Bill 179 – helped give pharmacists and pharmacy owners the tools and knowledge they need to introduce new services into their practice, leverage those professional services, and support their patients.
• The minor ailments stream was designed to help delegates become more familiar with the various treatment options for ear, nose and throat issues, pain, skin-related issues and common genitourinary/gastrointestinal ailments – some of the most common minor ailments that pharmacists get asked about in the pharmacy.

With more than 20 continuing education sessions, plus six industry-sponsored lunch and learn presentations, there was something to help everyone in their practice or their business at this year’s event.

Social events

The conference networking and social events are always a highlight for delegates, and this year was no exception! Check out the photo gallery to see how much fun this year’s delegates had.

• Thursday’s Welcome Reception was a great way to kick off Conference 2012. Delegates were able to reconnect with old friends and meet new colleagues while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres.
• New for 2012, Loblaw Pharmacy sponsored a Student Reception, which gave student delegates a chance to meet and mingle with other students, representatives from Loblaws and members of the OPA leadership team, including 2012 Board members.
• The Exhibit Hall Wine and Cheese Reception, sponsored by Sandoz Canada Inc.,  on Friday brought out more than 60 exhibitors to share the latest trends and information
• The always-popular Friday Night Social, sponsored by Apotex Inc., was a casual evening filled with good food and fun games. This year’s Olympic theme brought out a number of Canada t-shirts and hockey jerseys, as well as a few other national team shirts. Five lucky pharmacists had the chance to participate in OPA’s own “Own the Podium” trivia game. Congratulations to Holly Meginnis who walked away with the OPA Olympic Cup, $100 cash and a $25 gift card.
• Saturday night’s Gala Awards Banquet, sponsored by Teva Canada Ltd., was a sold-out event. We were pleased to welcome the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, who joined more than 300 delegates for an evening of good food and to watch the 2012 OPA Awards be handed out to honour the outstanding achievements of some of Ontario’s pharmacists. Meet this year’s award recipients here.