By: Allison Currie
Growing up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Dr. Emily Johnston knew she wanted to work in healthcare, and found she deeply connected with the relationships that pharmacists can build with their patients, the level of support they can offer in their patients’ everyday lives and their accessibility in the community.
Following that connection, Dr. Johnston graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Dalhousie University in 2008 and began her career as a community pharmacist in Calgary, Alberta, before returning to Halifax to work as the manager of a Loblaws Pharmacy in Dartmouth for eight years.
During this time, she also completed her Doctor of Pharmacy through the University of Florida and transitioned to her current role as a Clinical Pharmacist in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Halifax Infirmary.
Dr. Johnston spends much of her time in the Trauma Unit, caring for various orthopedic surgery patients and their medication-related needs during their hospital stay and works closely with the Orthopedic Research team, focusing on post-operative pain control.
“I am most passionate about helping patients manage their pain in a way that they feel in control”, says Dr. Johnston. “I am very much an advocate for patients to be incorporated into the decisions around their medications. I want to help patients and healthcare providers feel more connected.”
Her interest in managing pain was the catalyst for the launch of Pain Coach Inc., which is software in development for personalized post-operative pain management. It helps patients educate and advocate for themselves, to better integrate into their healthcare team. The innovative idea led to Dr. Johnston being named a One to Watch award winner at the recent Tech Forward Awards.
It’s that drive to innovate, combined with her passion and experience, that make Dr. Johnston the perfect fit for the role of Pharmacist, Innovation Champion with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub.
The Pharmacist, Innovation Champion is a role model and mentor, providing mentorship, advice and guidance to increase curiosity, entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialization for the Nova Scotia Health teams.
"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Emily Johnston to this important role at the at the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub,” said Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy, Vice President, Research, Innovation & Discovery and Innovation Partnerships. “We are focused on activating the right people, ideas, technologies and products to make things better, and Dr. Johnston’s innovative spirit and wealth of expertise promise to bring tangible solutions and transformative change to our healthcare system."
Dr. Johnston is looking forward to her role in helping to shape the future of healthcare in Nova Scotia in her new role and acting as a mentor to others.
“It took one of my role models believing in me before I began to believe in myself as a founder and business owner,” says Dr. Johnston. “I think everyone can experience self-doubt when trying something new. Having a role model to connect with, learn from and who makes space for you has been integral to my journey and I hope to pay that forward to others.”
Learn more about Dr. Emily Johnston, her role, and meet other members of the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub community.
At the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, we fuel innovators at every step of their journey to power breakthroughs in health. If you have an idea for health innovation, contact our team today. We can help take your work to the next level.
