RxA’s Trusted Partners in Health Spring Professional Development Conference

Dianne Balon is the Senior Vice President, Government at Alberta Blue Cross, bringing over 35 years of experience in health policy, partnerships, and system leadership. She has been instrumental in shaping the Alberta Blue Cross Pharmaceutical Services Provider Agreement and works closely with government and pharmacy partners to improve access to high-quality care across Alberta. Passionate about prevention and wellness, Dianne is a strong advocate for proactive, patient-centred approaches to health. 

PRESENTATION: From Coverage to Care: Partnering with Pharmacists to Improve Health Outcomes

Dr. Isha Chahal is a Pharmacy Solutions and Partnerships Manager at MedEssist, where she works closely with pharmacy organizations to design and implement technology solutions that align with real-world pharmacy operations. Her role focuses on identifying operational gaps, improving clinical workflows, and enabling pharmacies to deliver care more efficiently at scale. 

She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the University of Toronto and is a Registered Pharmacist in Ontario. With over six years of experience in community pharmacy, Isha brings a deep understanding of frontline pharmacy practice, complemented by her work as a clinical pharmacist and coverage navigation consultant at ClaimSecure, where she supported patients and providers navigating specialty therapies. 

Isha has been directly involved in advancing pharmacy-led care models, including helping facilitate the opening of one of Ontario’s first Pharmacy-led Clinics. She has also served as a Project Manager at an interdisciplinary clinic, leading initiatives focused on pharmacy management tools, preventative care programs, and contributing to the development of a telehealth platform supporting both clinical and patient-facing workflows. 

At MedEssist, Isha bridges clinical expertise with operational and technological strategy, partnering with pharmacies and enterprise teams to build practical, scalable solutions that support the evolving role of pharmacies as care delivery hubs. 

PRESENTATION: Implementation & Impact: Medi-scribe, MedEssist and MedMe in the Pharmacy Environment 

Dr. Angel Chu is an Infectious Diseases consultant at the Foothills Medical Centre and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is also the medical director of the Calgary STI Clinic. Dr. Chu has a special interest in vaccine-preventable diseases and immunizations and is a former Vice-Chair of Immunize Canada.

PRESENTATION: Meningococcal and Yellow Fever Vaccination

PharmD, ACPR

After completing her hospital pharmacy residency, Dr. Gill worked at Covenant Health and Alberta Health Services. Dr. Gill’s practice has included Virtual Hospital, Internal Medicine, and Inpatient Pulmonary Services. In 2023, Dr. Gill started as an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In her practice, she sees patients with anemia on a weekly basis.

PRESENTATION: COPD Care: Making Every Breath Easier

Ajit Johal has been providing immunizations and clinical education since 2012. As a community pharmacist, he is a highly accessible and trusted provider of immunization services. In 2018, he founded Immunize.io, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of taking our best shot at immunizing the world. Through this platform, Ajit has led numerous innovative vaccination initiatives to address vaccine hesitancy and improve access locally, nationally, and globally. Ajit is widely recognized for his leadership in vaccine education and implementation. His work has garnered national and international acclaim, culminating in his recognition as the inaugural recipient of the Innovations in Vaccines Award (2024). He was also featured on the cover of Pharmacy Business Practice Magazine for his exemplary contributions through Immunize.io.

PRESENTATIONS:

The Business of Prevention: Building High-Impact Immunization Services in Community Pharmacy

Influenza: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Lessons from Canada’s Worst Flu Season in 15 years – and What Alberta Pharmacists Can Do Next 

Pharmacist Connie Marshall graduated from Memorial University, Faculty of Pharmacy in 1997.
Early in her career, Connie was a staff pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager and then clinical pharmacist. As her career continued, she also held senior management positions with Walmart Canada at their corporate headquarters in Ontario.

In 2019, Connie moved back to NL to join Murphy Healthcare as their Regional Pharmacy Operations Manager for NL. In September 2022, Connie rejoined IPG Health, now known as Omnicom Health, (a global health marketing and communications company) as the Director of Expert Content.

Connie has been a certified diabetes educator (CDE) since 2001, injection-trained since 2012, and a smoking cessation advocate throughout her career. Connie maintains practice licensure and regularly performs relief work to remain engaged in pharmacy practice.

PRESENTATION: ZONNIC Nicotine Pouches: A Valuable Addition to Your Smoking Cessation Practice

Carlene Oleksyn is a pharmacist, an author and an educator in the continuing medical education space. She has been featured as an innovator in the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy and is a past recipient of the M. J. Huston Pharmacist of Distinction award for her continued leadership. She is passionate about the prevention of disease and our role as health care professionals in protecting our patients. She can be found at colekPharm.com and Mint Health + Drugs where she is a partner and Manager of Operations Practice and Leadership Development.

PRESENTATION: Shingles Prevention in Practice: Risk, Opportunity, and Navigating Complex Scenarios

Rick has been involved in continuing education since graduating in Pharmacy in 1996. He continues to develop and create, review and critique CE, and deliver and present continuing education to all forms of health care providers. 

He has been involved in creating and presenting continuing education programs for over 20 years, especially in diabetes. He has been a certified diabetes educator since 1998 and has been involved in providing education to both patients and other allied healthcare professionals. Rick has learned with experience what pharmacists need from their continuing education, and believes it assists him in creating or reviewing projects. He is familiar with the requirements for accreditation and ensuring that all final projects are of the highest quality. He has also been involved on the steering committee for the 2018 Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines and is a current co-author for Chapter 9 (Monitoring) within that publication. In 2024, Rick was awarded the prestigious Certified Diabetes Educator of the Year from Diabetes Canada. 

PRESENTATIONS:

Counting More Than Pills: Helping Patients Count Sheep 

Obesity Management in Community Pharmacy. What’s the Skinny? 

Bio Coming soon!

PRESENTATION: Implementation & Impact: Medi-scribe, MedEssist and MedMe in the Pharmacy Environment 

Brad Willsey began his pharmacy career at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital before moving on to the Royal Alexandra and University of Alberta hospitals in Edmonton. He assumed leadership responsibilities at both facilities. After 10 years in hospital practice, Brad earned his master’s degree in business administration at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, but was drawn back to Alberta where he shifted gears to community pharmacy practice. He and a partner owned a pharmacy that provided innovative services to seniors. 

Brad also has experience with pharmacy regulation. While practising as a pharmacist, Brad served a total of 12 years on the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association and Alberta College of Pharmacy Councils, including terms as president for each organization. 

Brad began his tenure as Registrar and CEO of the Alberta College of Pharmacy on January 1, 2025. 

PRESENTATION: Regulatory Opportunities in an Evolving Healthcare Landscape 

Lawrence is a 2020 PharmD Graduate from the University of Alberta and the founder and CEO of Medi-scribe, an Alberta based software platform to assist pharmacists with streamlining clinical documentation. 

Prior to launching Medi-scribe, Lawrence obtained his APA in 2020 and has worked in a variety of settings across B.C. and Alberta. Lawrence was manager and director for 2 pharmacies in B.C. and helped the BCPhA with the launch of Minor Ailment Contraception Prescribing (MACS). From the early beginnings of going pharmacy to pharmacy gaining feedback from front line pharmacists, Medi-scribe is now a widely used software to standardize and digitize patient care services in Alberta.  

PRESENTATION: Implementation & Impact: Medi-scribe, MedEssist and MedMe in the Pharmacy Environment 

Molly Yang’s leadership and work in pharmacy education, consulting, and research has focused on adult immunizations, respiratory health, diabetes, and harm reduction. As Senior Director of Pharmacy Innovation & Professional Affairs at Wholehealth, an independent pharmacy banner, she leads clinical programs for >300 independent pharmacies nationwide. Molly is also a co-founder of VaxCare Innovations, a non-profit focused on supporting healthcare providers with tech solutions to drive adult immunization awareness and uptake. Molly received the 2023 Preceptor of the Year and Emerging Leader in Pharmacy Practice Awards at the University of Toronto. She also received OPA’s New Practitioner of the Year Award in 2024, and the 2025 Rising Star Award from Pharmacy Practice and Business Magazine.

PRESENTATION: Preventing More Than Infection: Vaccination as a Cardio-protective Strategy