Women in Pharmacy: Q&A with Shivali Sharma

Shivali Sharma (BSc Pharm with Distinction 2004) leads by example when she calls on women to take on leadership roles in their careers. She is a pharmacist, business owner, preceptor, women’s health advocate, spouse, and mother.

Shivali has served as Shoppers Drug Marts’ Chair of Women in Leadership for Associates Committee, Community Investment Committee, and Lead Captain for its Growing Women’s Health campaign. She also mentors and teaches pharmacy students as a preceptor. Shivali says women’s ability to provide compassion, support, empathy, and to build deep and meaningful connections, is exactly what the world needs right now—in health care, and beyond. 

What made you choose the profession of pharmacy? 

It was during high school. I remember learning about careers in pharmacy during a Chemistry class in Grade 11. I always enjoyed sciences, and health care was of great interest to me at the time. It was then that I became interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy. It appeared to be a balanced career that had a future of many opportunities, that also provided a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. My parents were an incredible source of support for me, always pushing and encouraging me to achieve my goals.  

Tell me a bit about your career journey. 

I graduated in 2004 and started my career as a community pharmacist with Safeway Pharmacy. I stayed with Safeway until 2009. After having given birth to my first child, and returning from maternity leave, it was then that I realized that it was time for a change in my career. My family was growing, my priorities were shifting, and I needed to position myself to better meet both the needs of my career and my family.  

What are you doing now? 

In a leap of faith in the fall of 2009, I took an opportunity with Shoppers Drug Mart to become a  franchisee/Associate Owner. Having limited business acumen, I anticipated this to be quite the challenge, with a steep learning curve, but one that I was excited to take on. I haven’t looked back since. I have owned and operated three locations in the last 11 years, and am currently a multi-store owner operating Shoppers Drug Mart 2377, Mactaggart Ridge and 2379, and 104th Street and Jasper Ave. I have a loving husband and two wonderful children ages 12 and 9 years old. 

What about your role is most important to you? 

This role, and the opportunities it has presented for me in my career, has been amazingly fulfilling. To begin, I have been able to practice pharmacy and fully embrace our scope of practice, creating a practice focused on delivering high quality clinical services with a full roster of prescribing pharmacists, to being on the front-line of the global pandemic, striving to meet the needs of our patients and healthcare system. In addition to my pharmacy practice, I have had the privilege to be a preceptor site at both my locations, mentoring and learning from our amazing students from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Throughout my career with Shoppers Drug Mart, I have served on a number of committees, including Chair of our Women in Leadership for Associates Committee, Community Investment Committee, and lead captain for our Growing Women’s Health campaign, where I was able to work directly with a local charity, supporting women and children fleeing domestic violence. All of these roles have served a deeper and greater purpose for me, both personally and professionally. My current position not only allows me to provide leadership to my store teams, but it provides me opportunities that challenge my mind and allow me to serve the community on a more meaningful level.  

What does it mean to you to be a woman in pharmacy?

There has never been a better time to be a woman in pharmacy. The world needs women leaders now more than ever, and I truly believe that every single graduating female pharmacist is already equipped to lead in their own capacity. The women that I have been fortunate to have worked with, my colleagues, peers and fellow pharmacists, have been such an inspiration for me. Our ability as women to provide compassion, support, empathy and to build deep and meaningful connections is exactly what the world needs right now. 

What advice would you give to women who are just starting out in their pharmacy careers? 

For the women that are starting out their careers: do not hold yourself back. You have chosen a field that has endless possibilities and opportunities, including those that you may have never imagined or thought you would be capable of. I am here to tell you, ‘never say never’. I never thought I would be a pharmacy business owner upon graduation. That was never a goal for me. But here I am, so grateful that I took that leap of faith in 2009, taking the opportunity that forever changed my life on so many  levels. Take the opportunities that come your way—don’t turn them down—and don’t ever underestimate yourself. You’ll be amazed at how you will grow and what you will learn about yourself, and about the world when you open your mind to opportunities.  

I have a saying that hangs framed on the wall of my office. It reads ‘Great things never came from comfort zones’. Make yourself uncomfortable, challenge your way of thinking and behaving, and have the courage and the confidence to take on new opportunities. You may fall a couple times, and face disappointments along the way, I can attest to the fact that the journey is never easy, but this is where the magic happens. This is where you will find your spark, and your reason for choosing the career that you did.