pilipiliĀž»­

 

Grad profile: Leading change in her field

Kristin Kaupp, Faculty of Health Professions

- May 31, 2017

Pharmacy grad Kristin Kaupp. (Nick Pearce photos)
Pharmacy grad Kristin Kaupp. (Nick Pearce photos)

This article is part of a series on graduates of Spring Convocation 2017. Read more grad profiles or, to learn more about the ceremonies, visit the Convocation website.

On Wednesday, Kristin Kaupp (BScPharmā€™17) and her 85 classmates will cross the stage, becoming Dalhousieā€™s newest Pharmacy alumni. As she prepares to start a one-year hospital residency program at the QEII, Kristin traces her pilipiliĀž»­ in Dalā€™s intensive Pharmacy program back to a decision she made in first year.

ā€œI decided to run for social director of the Dalhousie Student Pharmacy Society (DSPS),ā€ she says. ā€œGetting involved socially, really made my university experience.ā€

Her first role in the DSPS helped Kristin get to know her fellow students and the faculty and staff that support the tightknit community. After her stint as a social director, Kristin took on the vice-president role and has just wrapped up her term as president.

And while she had many great experiences with the DSPS, itā€™s an effort she led as vice-president that might be most noteworthy: leading the charge to reimagine an event hosted at pharmacy colleges across the country that seemed increasingly out of step with the times.

Building Canadaā€™s Next Top Pharmacist


ā€œMr. Pharmacy was held at each of the 10 Pharmacy schools across Canada as a fundraiser and social event,ā€ she says. ā€œThe winner from each school received financial support to attend the national pharmacy student conference where they competed in a national version of the event.ā€

Feeling that the event was dated ā€”Ā not just in its focus on male students, but its pageant-style format ā€” Kristin and classmate Natalie Scholten worked with College administration, Dalā€™s equity officer and the DSU to design a new version: Dalhousieā€™s Next Top Pharmacist. Styled more as a game show, the refreshed event is gender neutral and has an added pharmacy skills component.

When a female student won the competition in its first year, Kristin and Natalie knew they had to take their approach national: they petitioned the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) to update their event. As a result of their advocacy, the national competition was opened up to female students and rebranded as Canadaā€™s Next Top Pharmacist. To date, six universities across the country have adopted the revised event.



ā€œIt has been really rewarding to see the other pharmacy schools follow suit and adopt the revised event,ā€ she says. ā€œI hope the event continues to be pilipiliĀž»­ful.ā€

After her experience in the DSPS, Kristin sees a lot of merit in volunteering professionally and hopes to get involved with the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.