Faculty interview with Maria Zhang

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Professor Maria Zhang, a clinician educator both at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. At CAMH, she works as an advanced practice pharmacist, while overseeing the Education Program. At the University of Toronto, she is involved with several programs, including the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program, the International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) Program, and the PharmD for Pharmacists program. I asked her a few questions regarding her work at both CAMH and the faculty.

Grace Athanasiadis (GA): Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Professor Maria Zhang (PZ): The most recent interesting thing that I did, was during a trip to Peru. It was the second part of my honeymoon; the first part was Spain and Portugal. In Peru, we did a 4-day, 3-night hike to Machu Picchu. It was [...] definitely the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. It was a 70-km hike in 4 days, in high altitude. [...] I couldn’t catch my breath, and it was really cold! On the first night, we camped in 5-degree Celsius weather. At that point, both my partner and I were wondering, "What did we just pay to do?" After the first day, though, it was all downhill (literally). Overall, it was a bit tortuous, but a lot of fun. It was very much a once in a lifetime experience in that you should definitely try, but I'm probably not going to repeat it anytime soon.

GA: What interested you to go into the field of pharmacy?

PZ: I applied after my first year of undergrad because I could, and I got in. [...] In terms of my current area of work, I think I was always interested in mental health, and in the “why” people are the way they are. Within the previous pharmacy curriculum, however, there really wasn’t much exposure to mental health. I also remember at the time I was completing my combined BSc/PharmD, Dean Boon came to talk to our small class, and she was trying to spark our interest in research. This was because many pharmacists don't go into research, and this was especially true a few years ago. She explained that as pharmacists, we get so many drug information questions, leading us to look things up. She then posed this question of, "Why don't we, ourselves, generate the answers to these questions?" Her argument was that we get these questions, and therefore know what questions and gaps there are in the literature, so why don’t we fill the gaps instead of using someone else's research? This was really transformative for me. So, my next step was doing my Masters. I did graduate work here at the faculty, and my supervisor was based at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). My masters was a little different, in that it encompassed both teaching and clinical work. This led to my current work, which is exactly that- a blend of both teaching about addictions, and still working at CAMH.

GA: Describe a typical day of work for you

PZ: I think it would be easier to give you a snapshot of a week, because a day doesn’t quite capture it. I’m essentially in a mix of meetings—whether that is at the faculty or at CAMH.

At UofT, depending on the time of year, I am teaching, though my time can also involve my own development, including becoming a better lecturer and professor. On the CAMH side, and that is where I am more frequently, it could relate to leadership, as I am a part of a leadership team, where we set and enact the strategic plan and vision for both our department and our organization. I also represent pharmacy on committees or initiatives. One that has been quite near and dear to me, is the opioid overdose. CAMH has been rolling out a very robust initiative to minimize the number of opioid overdoses in our clients.So, I am heavily involved in that. In addition, there is an important part of being a pharmacist that involves advocacy. As pharmacists, we are always trying to prove our worth. For example, when the opioid overdose initiative started, the first point of contact was, “Can you supply us with naloxone kits?” Certainly, we can supply people with naloxone kits, but the perception of us is still as a distributor, or product-based. Luckily, we were able to advocate for the allocation of resources to an opioid overdose prevention pharmacist. We therefore now have a pharmacist who is focused on doing medication reviews in order to streamline medications, and minimize the risk of overdose to begin with.

So, my work week is a bunch of meetings everywhere, commuting back and forth, and hopefully sitting down and doing some of the work that comes out of those meetings.

GA: What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

PZ: For me, it is seeing the product of my efforts, whatever that may be. It could be a thank you card, or an email from a client or student. So, whenever I can see a tangible result, positive or negative, then I think that at least there is recognition for the work I am doing. Feedback is usually explicit in that, for example, a client tells you, “I thought this naloxone training was going to be such a waste of time, but I have learned so much more.” I have also referred clients wanting to get more involved at CAMH, including sharing their voice and lived experience to our programs. Clients think they are just getting a naloxone kit, but they are also getting an opportunity at the same time. Whether you work in community or in an in-patient setting, you are a point of contact, and can refer clients to resources that benefit them. This is another rewarding aspect of the job, and these are all markers, I guess you could say, of success.

GA: Now, talking more about the other end, what are the most challenging and/or stressful aspects of your position?

PZ: I guess the best word for that is “politicking”. At CAMH, I am much more involved in the politics. This includes thinking about who to include in a particular email thread, and how to craft your e-mails in a way that best achieves your desired outcomes. It is also asking, “Who do I bring to the table to make sure things change and move forward in a positive direction?” You must be intentional in who and what you are talking about. In addition, everyone is working under a constrained budget, whether that is within the faculty, hospital, province, or on a federal level. Once you begin to realize that, and buy into health systems, the less likely you are to have a rosecoloured, or tinted view of health care. Everything boils down to dollars and cents. So, there is a systemic view of why things are the way they are, and it is important to understand and see that. If you need resources for your initiative, then money and resources is the required common denominator when speaking to others. Politicking is frustrating and challenging, but I am also not blind to the fact that it must be done.

G: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

PZ: I am hopeful that in 10 years I will still be doing something I love doing—that it is not pulling teeth to go to work. Also, to know and remember how privileged I am, and to still have that place of gratitude, regardless of what I am doing. I think all of my different internships, and my current position, have sensitized me to the struggles of others, so hopefully I am still cognoscente of that 10 years from now, in whatever position I am doing. Although, I must say, because I have so much exposure from these 2 realms that I am in [both at the faculty and at CAMH], it is hard to imagine what else could be better. I am not wanting for so much more at this point. I am content, and I think I have no reason to complain. As students, and as people, however, you need to be open to opportunities, and I am not closing any doors. Government is really interesting, Public Health is really interesting, Global Health is interesting. I feel like pharmacists are everywhere, and they really can do anything.