Join Us for the 2026 OPA and CFP Awards!
This year, the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy will once again host a joint awards ceremony. The awards ceremony will take place at The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, on September 30, 2026.
The ceremony will take place in the evening following the SHARP Symposium. We invite you to join us as we celebrate the brightest and best in the field of pharmacy. The ceremony will feature an elegant evening of food, drinks, music, and connection.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time range: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: The Chelsea Hotel – 33 Gerrard St W, Toronto, ON
OPA and CFP are pleased to offer a special group rate for Symposium and Awards attendees at the Chelsea Hotel. The group rate is available until August 28 (or until available rooms are fully booked).
Peter Zawadzki
Lifetime Achievement Award
Peter Zawadzki has demonstrated commitment to OPA and the pharmacy profession for over four decades. Since joining OPA as a member in 1984, then serving as OPA staff, he became a leading advocate for community pharmacy at a time when private payer reimbursement, preferred provider networks, and mail-order pharmacy challenged the profession of pharmacy.
Peter served on the Boards and Executive Committees of both OPA and CPhA, contributing practical insight on advocacy, reimbursement, and strategic direction. Collaborating with Jeff May and later Justin Bates, Peter helped strengthen national dialogue through the formation of the Pharmacy Advisory Committee on Private Payers, and the Pharmacy and Health Insurance Steering Coalition, building trusted dialogue between pharmacy leaders and insurers.
He spearheaded the joint NPAC/CPhA Reasonable and Customary Suggested Fee Guide on Pharmacist Services, which created a national framework for reimbursement for expanded services. Its acceptance by Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association members in 2017 reflected a major breakthrough in pharmacy-insurer collaboration and affirmed the value pharmacists bring to patient care and sustainable drug plan management.
Peter has been recognized with the OPA Mortar and Pestle Award of Merit, and as a Pharmacy Leader of Today by Pharmacy Business. His career reflects commitment to the advancement of pharmacy practice across Ontario and Canada.
Mark Stephens
Pharmacist of the Year Award
Mark Stephens is a Pharmacist Owner of the Roulston’s Pharmacy Group, located in Southwestern Ontario, and recently celebrated 35 years with the business. Mark joined the company in 1991 as a student intern and began practicing in 1993 after graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Mark has long been recognized as a skilled and caring pharmacist by his patients and peers and is generous with his knowledge when mentoring young professionals.
With an interest in business development and collaboration with other health professionals, Mark has also acted as lead on many of Roulston’s expansions including the Wellness Centre and Roulston’s Delhi which incorporate Medical Professional space.
Previous recognitions include the 2016 OPA Collaborative Service Award, 2017 Simcoe Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award, 2023 Norfolk County Community Development Economic Excellence and Prosperity Award, and the 2024 Paul Harris Fellowship Award awarded by Rotary International.
Mark is extremely honoured to receive this award and would like to thank his family, Kim and Cam for their unwavering love and support. He would also like to thank the Roulston’s Pharmacy team for their ongoing commitment to the vision of Roulston’s and making a difference in patient care.
Aya Al-Kubaisy
Early Career Award
Aya Al-Kubaisy is a pharmacist with experience across community, hospital, and primary care settings in the UK and Ontario. A graduate of Aston University, she brings a strong commitment to patient-centred care, with particular expertise in primary care and geriatric pharmacotherapy.
Since relocating to Ontario in 2024, Aya has been practising with the Hamilton Family Health Team, where she supports complex patient care through medication optimisation and deprescribing.
In addition to her clinical work, Aya is developing DeRxAI, a clinical decision support tool designed to support safer deprescribing in primary care and long-term care. She is committed to advancing the role of pharmacists in primary care and expanding the profession’s contribution to patient care.
Paco Lei
Technician of the Year
Paco is a passionate advocate for the pharmacy technician profession and is dedicated to advancing the
recognition of pharmacy technicians as integral members of the healthcare team. A graduate of
Centennial College’s Pharmacy Technician program, Paco has, since becoming a Registered Pharmacy
Technician in 2023, established himself as an advocate, educator, and emerging leader within Ontario’s
pharmacy profession.
In a remarkably short time, he has built a diverse career spanning public health,
hospital, community, and academic practice, demonstrating the expanding value of pharmacy
technicians across the healthcare system.
Paco currently practices with York Region Public Health while remaining actively engaged in frontline
pharmacy practice through roles at the Transplant Pharmacy at University Health Network, Rexall, and
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. His commitment to practicing across multiple sectors enables him to
bring diverse perspectives to patient care and pharmacy practice.
Beyond direct patient care, Paco serves as a content reviewer for the Canadian Council on Continuing
Education in Pharmacy (CCCEP) and as a pharmacy technician educator at Centennial College and
Humber Polytechnic. Through education, mentorship, and advocacy, he inspires future pharmacy
technicians to embrace expanding scopes of practice, bridge practice settings, and continually elevate
the standard of patient care across Ontario
SHARP Symposium
OPA-CFP Awards Reception
