TORONTO — Sandra Aylward, vice president of professional and regulatory affairs for Lawtons Drugs and Sobeys Pharmacy Group, has been named chairman of the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores (CACDS).

Aylward, who is on the board of Rx Canada, has worked in community pharmacy for more than 25 years as a practitioner and advocate for the profession. At Lawtons/Sobeys, she represents over 200 pharmacies across Canada. She formerly was president of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities and Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.

“Recent history has made the role of CACDS more important than ever before,” she said. “Already we are seeing new opportunities to be better integrated in health care delivery right across the country, and in my capacity as the chair of CACDS we will continue to advocate for a strong and viable pharmacy sector, capable of delivering high-value pharmacy services to our patients.”

“Despite many challenges, the future of pharmacy is bright,” she added. “We are already expanding from an exclusively transaction-based dispensing model to a patient-centered business and practice model. We are providing greater value to the health care system and helping provincial governments address serious health care budget concerns.”

The retail members of CACDS — including traditional chain and banner drug stores as well as supermarket and mass merchandise chains with pharmacies — operate 6,200 pharmacies that dispense 70% of the nation’s prescriptions annually. Aylward will serve as chairman through 2013.