Advocacy, Sustainability, and Scope: Smita Patil on the Future of Pharmacy in Ontario

In this episode of The Pharmacists Are In, Ajit Johal and Dr. John Papastergiou sit down with Smita Patil, Vice President, Retail Member Relations & Professional Affairs at McKesson Canada and candidate for the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA) Board of Directors. Smita shares her 20+ year journey across frontline practice, operations, and government affairs, and how those experiences shape her approach to advocacy today. The conversation explores one of the most pressing challenges facing the profession - balancing scope expansion with sustainable funding. From newly funded vaccines to growing common ailments programs, the discussion dives into what it really takes to implement services at the pharmacy level. Smita emphasizes the importance of interoperability, workforce capacity, and ensuring funding and scope evolve together - not separately. The episode also highlights the role of grassroots advocacy, the importance of OPA membership, and why pharmacists must unify their voice to drive meaningful system-level change. With the OPA election underway, this is a timely and important conversation about leadership, representation, and the future of pharmacy in Ontario and across Canada. Listen in for a pragmatic, frontline-informed perspective on where the profession is heading and how pharmacists can help shape it. This episode is supported by Lampyon Health Communications, an agency at the intersection of health marketing and health education. Through strategic storytelling, education, and digital innovation, Lampyon helps bring important healthcare conversations - like this one - to life for pharmacists and the broader healthcare community.