Research Community of Practice

Carlo earned his BScPhm (1981) from the University of Toronto, a Hospital Pharmacy Residency (1982) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a PharmD (1984) from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Carlo is the Oncology Pharmacy Clinician Scientist at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre (SOCC). He is an Assistant Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. His research interests include, the role of the pharmacist in prevention and management of cancer treatment related side effects. Carlo leads a Cannabinoid Consultation Service at SOCC to meet the needs of cancer patients interested in using plant derived cannabinoids.

Dr. Naushin Hooda currently serves as a Provincial Pharmacy Education & Residency Coordinator at BC Cancer and Clinical Instructor at the University of British Columbia. She currently holds a BSc (University of Toronto), PharmD (University of Waterloo), MPH (Johns Hopkins University) and GDip-Pharmacoepidemiology (Johns Hopkins University). Her research interests are in pharmacoepidemiology, comparative drug safety and effectiveness, statistical modelling, and knowledge translation with therapeutic interests in personalized medicine using innovative oncology treatments and biomarker analysis.

Michael LeBlanc is Director of Pharmacy Professional Practice for Horizon Health Network, New Brunswick. He is responsible for the development, evaluation and monitoring of clinical pharmacy services. He graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1998 and received his PharmD from Idaho State University in 2009. Michael has been an oncology pharmacist for 25 years with a focus on the prevention and management of cancer-treatment associated toxicities. He is active in practice-based research and providing support for patients receiving oral anticancer medications. Michael is a member of the CAPHO Research Committee, FCAPHO Task Force, ambulatory oncology cpKPI working group, and the CAPHO24 Planning Committee. He is also active in the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists where he gained fellowship status in 2015 and is the current chair of the Board of Trustees for the CSHP Research and Education Foundation.

Tom McFarlane is currently a Clinical Lecturer and a researcher at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy in Kitchener, Ontario, where he created, coordinates, and teaches the oncology portion of the curriculum in the Doctor of Pharmacy program and conducts practice-based research.

Laura Minard is a Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator in Oncology and Hematology at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Laura obtained her BSc from Dalhousie University followed by a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Alberta. She went on to pursue pharmacy training (BSc Pharm) at Dalhousie University and completed an Accredited Canadian Pharmacy Residency at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. She has worked in a variety of outpatient and inpatient oncology units including a pharmacist-led clinic providing education and care to patients with adjuvant/neoadjuvant breast cancer. Most recently, Laura has provided care to inpatients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplant or CAR T-cell therapy. Her research interests include optimizing patient education of oncology medications, management of immune-related adverse events, pharmacist prescribing, and medication management of toxicities associated with CAR T-cell therapy.

Tiffany Nguyen works as the Research Coordinator at Extend Pharmacy and also works with hematology patients in the community. Previously worked in hospital in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and Hematology and has published studies in this area as well as studies on cpKPIs. She enjoys precepting pharmacy residency projects and helping new researchers. She also completed a BCOP and MSc. Epidemiology. Current areas of research include hematology and oncology pharmacists’ role in the community setting.

Kathy graduated from the University of Toronto where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. She later went on to complete a hospital residency program and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Kathy’s area of clinical expertise is in oncology and health systems approach to delivering safe and high-quality care to cancer patients. Kathy has held many leadership roles throughout her career. She was a Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner at St. Michael’s Hospital before joining Ontario Health, Cancer Care Ontario as the provincial Clinical Lead for Safety Initiatives and as the Program Manager for the Systemic Treatment Program. Kathy is currently an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. She is also the Director of the PharmD for Pharmacists Program and the Director of the Office on Continuing Professional Development. Kathy continues to hold the position of provincial Clinical Lead, Safety Initiatives at Ontario Health, Cancer Care Ontario. Kathy is a strong believer in life-long learning and has led multiple initiatives to develop continuing education programs in oncology and biologics. She is also immersed as a learner having recently completed a Master’s program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and other certificate programs on effective teaching and education scholarship. Kathy’s research interests include both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to enhance patient safety, particularly related to oral anticancer medications. Her work has helped to inform policies and quality improvement initiatives provincially.

John is a Clinical Pharmacist with Research experience in Pediatric Cancer, and in interest in Global Health.