Phi Lambda Sigma
2405 Wesbrook Mall V6T1Z3 Vancouver, BC, Canada

UBC PLS is seeking dedicated individuals currently in Years 2 or 3 of the UBC PharmD Program to join our Leadership Team for the upcoming year. If you would like the opportunity to develop your leadership skills and contribute to an ever-expanding society of Pharmacy Leaders, then become a PLS Executive! If interested, please either email us at [email protected] or contact one of the current PLS Executives to express your interest and we will provide you with further instructions. Deadline: January 8th, 2021

Chartering of New Chapter On Friday, November 27th, 2020, we, the Epsilon Nu Chapter at the University of British Columbia, were officially chartered under Phi Lambda Sigma. This was a momentous occasion! Not only did it mark the start of a new honour society within the UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, but we are also honoured to be the first International Chapter of PLS and first PLS Chapter in Canada.... We were also fortunate to be joined by members from the PLS National Office in the States, including: Dr. Brandon Jennings, Executive Director of PLS Dr. Jordan Ballou, the current National President of PLS Dr. Caroline Sasser, a representative from the PLS International Affairs Committee Member Initiation Our inaugural cohort of PLS members were subsequently inducted, taking an oath to work for the advancement of pharmacy through leadership and service. Members inducted: Michael Coughtrie Gloria Chan Patricia Gerber Alyssa Low Anna Noël Travis Orange Marion Pearson Parkash Ragsdale Members absent (to be inducted at our next ceremony): Chris Duke Sandra Jarvis-Selinger Alan Low The ceremony served as recognition of the hard work and dedication of those who were uniquely involved in the establishment of this Chapter. Installation of Chapter Officers Lastly, our inaugural Chapter Officers were officially installed: President: Alyssa Low Vice President: Gloria Chan Secretary: Anna Noël Treasurer: Travis Orange On behalf of our Executive Team, we would like to extend a huge thank you to our Dean, Dr. Michael Coughtrie as well as our Faculty Advisors, Dr. Patricia Gerber, Dr. Marion Pearson, and Ms. Parkash Ragsdale for their mentorship and continued support of this Chapter. We would also like to thank Dr. Alan Low and Dr. Robert Sindelar for their advice and guidance in the early stages of our chartering process. Special thanks to Dr. Robert Sindelar for delivering an inspirational speech as our Keynote Speaker. Thanks also to Dr. Jordan Ballou for officiating our Inaugural Charter Ceremony and to everyone who attended. We are excited to celebrate this significant milestone for our Chapter. Looking forward to what the future holds for PLS here at UBC!

Phi Lambda Sigma is proud to congratulate 3 third year pharmacy students, @Manrubby Dhillon, @Randeep Dhillon, and @Ria Garg, on their commendable efforts to brighten the days of seniors in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Social Solidarity in Isolation Initiative (SSII)! The SSII started as a collaboration between the CAPSI Advocacy and Outreach committees in July 2020. They aimed to provide residents of long term care facilities with virtual companions...hip, in an effort to prevent social isolation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of pharmacy student volunteers, they hosted virtual activities such as video calls and virtual sing-alongs to promote engagement and prevent feelings of isolation. Moving forward, they hope to expand their initiative to a larger number of facilities and organize innovative stress-reducing virtual activities for residents. It is their goal to support vulnerable members of our community, as they aim to prevent negative mental health impacts secondary to social isolation. Once again, congratulations on your accomplishments and we look forward to seeing more from @CAPSI UBC collaborations in the future! Do you know someone you think should be featured? Let us know by messaging PLS on Facebook or emailing [email protected]. Non-PLS members are also welcome to nominate or be featured and remember, no accomplishment is too small!

*LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT* Phi Lambda Sigma would like to congratulate Brayden Zaharia for his hard work and commitment to creating a positive learning environment through P-TALC! Brayden is the founder of the Pharmacy Teaching and Learning Club (P-TALC). P-TALC holds events and releases free supplemental learning materials developed by fellow students with the goal of reducing stress and promoting improved learning outcomes. Brayden recognized early on in the PharmD program tha...t there exists a culture of support between pharmacy students of each year, often seen when students share note packages or learning tools that they found useful while learning a given topic themselves. P-TALC is his way of both celebrating and focusing the efforts of those who work to foster this community by bringing them together with a shared purpose. Brayden also hopes to provide more opportunities for members to get involved, to strengthen the club’s relationship with the faculty and to begin investigating pathways for P-TALC expansion to other schools across Canada! We look forward to seeing his future achievements and watching P-TALC grow and thrive, congratulations again to Brayden! Do you know someone you think should be featured? Let us know by messaging PLS on Facebook or emailing [email protected]. Non-PLS members are also welcome to nominate or be featured and remember, no accomplishment is too small!

Now, let’s meet the student members of our PLS Charter Team! Alyssa Low is in her fourth year of the UBC PharmD Program and is currently serving as our Chapter’s President. She continues to be inspired by the leadership exhibited by students in the UBC Pharmacy Program and looks forward to creating new ways to support student initiatives.

Hope everyone had an amazing first day of (virtual) class! We understand things may look a little different this year, but we believe that the ability to persevere through difficult times is an important quality that a leader and healthcare professional should possess and we are confident that we can rise to the challenge together Keep an eye out for us at UBC Pharmacy Undergraduate Society (PhUS) Clubs Night next Wednesday from 5:30-8pm PST and stay tuned for more details about our Virtual Info Night to learn more about PLS and meet some of our current members