Faculty

Dr. Edwards received his undergraduate pharmacy degree from the University of Toronto in 1978 and completed a residency in hospital pharmacy at Sunnybrook Medical Centre. He graduated from the PharmD program at the State University of New York at Buffalo and joined the Department of Pharmaceutics at Buffalo for post-doctoral training in pharmacokinetics. Dr. Edwards accepted a faculty position in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University in 1983. He was Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice prior to accepting the position as Hallman Director of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo. He also completed a Masters in Public Health at Wayne State University in 2011. His research has focused on the effect of food, beverages, herbal products and other drugs on drug metabolism and disposition. He is the author of more than 85 papers in the biomedical literature including several investigating the mechanism and significance of the interaction between grapefruit juice and prescription medication. He has served on the editorial board of journals such as Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and has been a consultant to a number of government agencies in Canada and the United States.

Nancy was most recently an Associate Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, where she was deeply involved in curricular planning. Prior to this, Nancy was Manager, Department of Pharmacy Practice at the Albany College of Pharmacy. She earned her professional degree from the University of Toronto, and completed her Pharm D and post-doctoral studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. As Associate Director, Practice-Based Education, Nancy is developing the vision, program objectives and long-range plan for practice-based education. She will guide initiatives relating to the co-op experiential program, professional lab courses and post-graduate residency/fellowship programs. Nancy also provides leadership in developing integrated learning opportunities with the satellite McMaster School of Medicine and the UW School of Optometry.

Jake is a former professor and associate dean at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. He earned his B.Sc. (Pharm) degree from the University of Manitoba, and went on to complete a M.Sc. at Manitoba and a Ph.D. at the University of California, San Francisco. Jake’s area of specialization is pharmacokinetics. His research interests include new approaches in cancer treatment and new molecules to treat patients with iron overload. He has broadened his experience and shared his expertise through work with the Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee of the Ontario Ministry of Health, Health Canada’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Bioavailability and Bioequivalence, and the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs. As Director, Jake has overall strategic responsibility for establishing UW’s new School of Pharmacy and implementing a full educational program.

Dr. Foldvari comes to us from the University of Saskatchewan, where she was Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Affairs at the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. As the Canada Research Chair in Bionanotechnology and Nanomedicine, Dr. Foldvari is one of a select group of Canadian scientists who has internationally recognized skills in bionanotechnology, a field targeted for development at the School of Pharmacy. She is also the Associate Director, Research and Graduate Studies, being responsible for establishing, developing and directing the School’s graduate-level research programs. Her research focuses on the development of intelligent delivery systems and biomolecular devices with the goal of developing new, non-invasive technologies to deliver and target therapeutic agents into the body and to diseased tissues, as well as investigating the fundamental properties of these delivery technologies and the cells they target. She has a DPharmSci in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest, Hungary and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Dalhousie University.

Dr. Colleen Maxwell 
Professor
(519) 888-4567 ext. 21396
PHR 7006
colleen.maxwell@uwaterloo.ca

Dr. Maxwell’s primary research interests are in the areas of Pharmacoepidemiology and Aging with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, depression and health services and outcomes research. She is also involved in national and international research examining the health and quality of care needs of older residents within Assisted Living and Long Term Care settings. She holds a cross-appointment in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo and is an Adjunct Scientist with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. Her most recent appointment was as a Professor in the Departments of Community Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Calgary where she continues to hold an Adjunct position. She received her MA in Gerontology and PhD in Health Studies from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo. Her post-doctoral training included a fellowship with the Clinical Epidemiology Unit (Élisabeth-Bruyère Health Centre & University of Ottawa) and a clinical research position with the Drugs Directorate of Health Canada. She has held salary awards from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and her research has received financial support from CIHR, AHFMR, and the Brenda Strafford Chair in Geriatric Medicine. She is a Past President of the Canadian Association for Population Therapeutics and a current board member of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology.

Dr. Schneider received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy in 1987.  He completed a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1990 followed by a Clinical Pharmacy Residency in Family Medicine there in 1991.   Prior to coming to the University of Waterloo, Dr. Schneider served on the faculty of four Family Practice Residency programs and has taught in the colleges of pharmacy, medicine, and nursing of several universities.  Most recently, he was Associate Dean for the College of Pharmacy’s Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  He has been a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist since 1992.  Dr. Schneider’s areas of interest and expertise related to education include curricular assessment as well as interprofessional education.  He is also interested in clinical research centered on chronic disease management, quality of care, and utilization of healthcare teams in patient management. 

Dr. Beazely comes to UW after completing a CIHR post-doctoral fellowship at in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto. His work with one of the premier stroke researchers, and newly appointed Scientific Director of the Robarts Research Institute, John MacDonald, focused on the mechanisms of neuronal damage and death. Dr. Beazely completed his pharmacy degree at the University of Saskatchewan and his doctorate at Purdue University. The Beazely lab will be focused on intracellular signaling pathways in neurons. Specifically, how are excitatory neurotransmitter receptors regulated by intracellular signaling pathways initiated by growth factor receptors and other neurotransmitter receptors? In addition, there will be a focus on the role of cytoskeletal dynamics in the trafficking of receptors in neurons. These findings may lead to novel drug targets in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease) and mental health conditions including schizophrenia and depression. Dr. Beazely is also involved in coordinating the pharmacology portion of the curriculum.

Dr. Chang serves as the Chair of Rural Pharmacy with Gateway Rural Health Research Institute (www.gatewayresearch.ca). Her research interests focus on delivering integrated interprofessional patient care solutions to ensure safe, effective, and efficient medication use, particularly in the rural elderly; amplifying local health care professional capacity; and expanding access to care that leads to defined outcomes and demonstrable impact.  Dr. Chang graduated from the University of Toronto (BScPhm) and Ohio State University (PharmD) with post-doctoral specialty training in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy at Wayne State University. Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, she has served as a front-line clinician, clinical specialist, clinical coordinator, consultant, and educator in diverse settings including acute care, community, and ambulatory care.  She also serves as the Associate Editor of the Canadian Pharmacists Journal.

Dr. Edginton comes to UW from the Systems Biology group at Bayer Technology Services in Leverkusen, Germany. During her doctoral studies at the University of Guelph in environmental toxicology, Dr. Edginton became interested in the study of toxicokinetics. During her tenure at Bayer, Dr. Edginton focused on the development and application of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models and simulation techniques for the guidance of pharmaceutical dosing. More specifically, her research examines how the physiology of sub-populations, particularly children, affects the pharmacokinetics of drugs and how this information can be integrated into PBPK models for the optimization of drug therapy. Dr. Edginton is joining the School of Pharmacy to spearhead the pharmacokinetic educational requirements for both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

Dr. Grindrod joined the School of Pharmacy in January, 2011. Her research interests include the role web technologies play in the delivery of primary care services. She is currently examining the use of social media in community-based pharmacy practice. She is also interested in how community-based health professionals’ perceive electronic interventions for modifying prescribing (e.g., internet-based academic detailing). Dr. Grindrod finished her BSc(Pharm) at the University of Alberta before completing a hospital pharmacy residency at the London Health Sciences Centre in London Ontario and a PharmD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver BC. Prior to coming to the University of Waterloo, Dr. Grindrod was a CIHR and MSFHR funded post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia where she studied pharmacist preferences for clinical pharmacy services.

Dr. Joseph comes to UW after completing a CIHR post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University in Dr. Newgard’s laboratory. Dr. Newgard is the director of a world class diabetes and metabolism research center at Duke University in North Carolina. His work led to the discovery of a novel pathway involved in the regulation of insulin release from pancreatic ß-cells called pyruvate-cycling. Prior to this Dr. Joseph did his PhD at the University of Toronto in Dr. Wheeler’s laboratory looking at the role of the inner mitochondrial membrane protein uncoupling protein-2 in pancreatic ß-cell ATP production and insulin secretion. Dr. Joseph did his Master’s at the University of Toronto in Dr. Brubaker’s laboratory developing novel oral delivery systems for therapeutic peptides. Dr. Joseph’s laboratory at UW will focus on looking at the role of glucose in regulating insulin release from pancreatic ß-cells. For more details on his research program go to his website.

Dr. Nekkar is a Medicinal Chemist by training. He joined UW after a post-doctoral stint at the Scripps Research Institute in Prof. Kelly’s laboratory. During this period he worked on developing methods to synthesize and incorporate backbone modified peptides into natural peptide/protein sequence. Prior to this, Dr. Nekkar graduated with a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of Alberta in Prof. Knaus’s laboratory and went on to finish a post-doctoral training at the same Institution. During this period, he worked extensively on discovering novel anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors and dual inhibitors of COX/lipoxygenases (LOX). In addition, he worked as a Research Scientist at NAEJA Pharmaceuticals, Edmonton. Dr. Nekkar completed an undergraduate and a Master’s degree in Pharmacy from Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS), India. The Nekkar laboratory will be working in the area of Drug Discovery with emphasis on rational design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel organic molecules and peptides/peptidomimics as therapeutic agents.

Dr. Rojas-Fernandez received his BSc(Pharm) from Dalhousie University and went on to earn a PharmD from Wayne State University. He trained in Geriatric Pharmacotherapy in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University and subsequently spent 5 years in academia at Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy. Dr. Rojas-Fernandez comes to UW after 7 years of working in Neuroscience R&D in the Pharmaceutical industry Optimal medication use in older people can be a challenge as exemplified by three common problems encountered in this population: 1) Overuse of medications, 2) Underuse of medications, and, 3) Use of medications that are generally not well suited for use in older people. Additionally, patients sometimes do not fully appreciate the continued need for their medications or experience potentially preventable adverse drug events. These situations can lead to partial or complete non-adherence with long-term medication regimens. The goal of our clinical research program is to enhance the quality of life and care of senior citizens by addressing these issues and optimising (i.e., ensuring the safe and appropriate use of medications) medication use across different care settings. Opportunities for optimising medications in older people will be identified, prioritized, and developed into appropriate clinical research projects. We will utilize various research methods, as appropriate, including population-based methods, patient-level implicit and explicit methods, as well as qualitative methods.

Roderick comes to the UW from the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to his work as a medical liaison for Janssen-Ortho Inc., he completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Toronto in the area of bacteriophage P1 plasmid partition and chromosomal segregation. Roderick's interests are in genetics, molecular biology, virology and technology transfer. His research projects focus on bacteriophage-based biotechnology and include the use of coliphages to design and construct vectors for the development of novel vaccines, pharmaceuticals and gene delivery systems, and the identification and application of novel phage genomic anti-bacterial genes with potential phage therapy applications. Roderick also comes to the UW with an MBA specialized in biotechnology management and commercialization, and is heavily involved in developing and delivering the School of Pharmacy's business curriculum.

Anson comes to UW with broad pharmacy career experience. He earned his B.Sc.Phm degree from the University of Toronto, and went on to complete a B.A. (French) degree at Glendon College, York University, and a MBA at the Schulich School of Business, York University (MBA Exchange: China Europe International Business School, in Shanghai). His career path has taken him through roles in community pharmacy, multinational firms within pharmaceutical industry, and the drug insurance sector of health business management. Anson’s current interests include experiential education in relation to professional competence, as well as drug payer themes in healthcare systems. As Assistant Director, Anson is spearheading the experiential component at the School of Pharmacy, both nationally and internationally, including co-op placements, community service learning initiatives, and clinical placements in the final year.

Dr. Wettig obtained his Ph.D. studying the physical chemistry of novel mixed surfactant/polymer systems with Dr. Ron Verrall in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan. His research interests lie in the general areas of biophysical chemistry and nanotechnology; in particular at the interface of these two broadly defined areas. This research involves aspects of physical chemistry, solution thermodynamics, biochemistry and cell biology applied to the study of self-assembling systems. While self-assembly is a readily recognized tool in the design of systems for drug delivery applications, the use of self-assembly in the so-called “bottom-up” construction of nano-particulate systems for drug delivery applications is an emerging field. A key aspect of this research is the design of novel surface-active compounds (surfactants) that, in addition to providing the desired characteristics of self-assembly and control of particle dimensions on the nanometer size scale, can also provide enhanced pharmaceutical applications such as targeted delivery and/or enhanced bio-distribution of an active compound. For more details on his research program see Dr. Wettig’s Research Website.