A five-year investment of $2.5 million by Shoppers Drug Mart aims to help researchers at the University of New Brunswick’s McKenna Institute eliminate barriers in New Brunswick’s health-care system.
The announcement, which was held on Wednesday afternoon at the Wu Conference Centre in Fredericton, N.B., was attended by 30 people, including UNB President and Vice-Chancellor Paul Mazerolle, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard and Shoppers Drug Mart President Jeff Leger.
The McKenna Institute’s executive director, Adrienne O’Pray, said researchers would work on confronting a range of health-care challenges by studying what roles pharmaceutical companies and pharmacists can play in taking pressure off the health-care system.
Researchers will focus on areas such as women’s health, LGBTQ health, mental health, and cardiovascular health.
“When we had our initial brainstorming session, that was definitely top of mind,” said O’Pray. “How do we look at all populations and make sure that everyone’s needs are served?”
Jeff Leger, president of Shoppers Drug Mart, said a pharmacist’s role has been expanding over several years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It had a large explosion in terms of its utility and importance for New Brunswickers during this pandemic when many other avenues of care were not available,” he said.
Mazerolle told the crowd there are many “grand challenges” across New Brunswick that need to be solved, adding that he believes UNB and the McKenna Institute can make a difference through their “outside the box thinking.”
“That’s how we see ourselves making a difference – identifying problems, where researchers, academics and educators can work in partnership with industry and government to truly make a difference,” said Mazerolle.
Frank McKenna, former premier of New Brunswick and namesake behind the institute, said technological advancements are the only way to see real change, especially in crucial areas like health care.
“The Stone Age didn’t end because they ran out of stones; it ended because something better came along, and something better always comes along,” said McKenna.
“Until we unleash the power of innovation and the new digital world we live in, I don’t think that we’re ever going to see the quality of care or the cost of care that we should.”
