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

Sandra Aylward

Aylward will serve as chairman from through 2013, CACDS said. In her current role as vice president at Lawtons/Sobeys, she represents a network of more than 200 pharmacies across Canada.

According to CACDS, Aylward has worked exclusively in community pharmacy for more than 25 years as a practitioner and as an advocate for the role and value of pharmacy.

Besides her work with CACDS, Aylward is also on the board of directors of Rx Canada. The association said that in the past she advanced the role of community pharmacy in the
delivery of health care services to patients as president of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities and the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.

"Recent history has made the role of CACDS more important than ever before. 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," Aylward said in a statement.

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.

"Despite many challenges, the future of pharmacy is bright," Aylward 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."