The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Lois Cantin has quietly become one of the most respected individuals within the Canadian pharmaceutical field. The director of pharmacy at the Flin Flon General Hospital holds the title of president for both the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association (MPA) and its Canada-wide counterpart, the National Organization of Professional Regulatory Authorities (NOPRA). "It's an honour to be president of both organizations," says Cantin, who grew up in Southern Manitoba. "They're both great organizations and it's truly an honour to be elected by your peers." Cantin is the only Flin Flonner ever to be elected president of either organization. She is also the first Manitoban president of NAPRA. As president of the groups, Cantin's focus is on helping to develop pharmaceutical regulations designed to protect the public. That means plenty of meetings with government officials and organizations, which in turn means plenty of suitcase packing, but Cantin relishes the duty. "The challenges of being a president are the distances involved and whatnot, and it's a huge amount of work," she says. "I certainly didn't get into this (field) expecting to be president, but that's the way that things unfolded." The highlight of Cantin's time as president has yet to come. On April 27, she will be in Chicago to accept the prestigious Fred T. Mahaffey Award on behalf of the MPA. The award, handed out by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, goes to groups that demonstrate outstanding dedication in the regulation and practice of pharmacy. This is the first time it will be bestowed to a Canadian organization. "It's very, very exciting," says Cantin, who has worked at the hospital for the past 22 years. "It's very much an association award. The credit goes to the staff and everyone who has worked closely with us. Our registrar, Ron Guse, is certainly to be highly commended for his work." Cantin mentioned that one associate likened the Fred T. Mahaffey Award to the Academy Award of the pharmaceutical industry. While she isn't likely to include the famous line "You like me, you really like me," in the acceptance speech, it's clear from her success in the pharmaceutical field that this is just how Cantin's peers feel about her and her hard work.
