NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association’s 2025 Pharmacy Summit is being held from November 9 to 16 under the theme “Patient-Centered Care: Empowering Your Health Journey.” The annual event brings together pharmacy professionals, educators, and industry partners for a week of continuing education, community service, and celebration of excellence in the field.
This year, the association is honouring an all-female slate of award recipients – trailblazers whose leadership, innovation, and compassion have advanced the profession and strengthened patient care across the country. Their achievements span every facet of pharmacy, from education and regulation to public service and entrepreneurship, reflecting the depth and diversity of women’s contributions to health care in The Bahamas.
Honorees include Carleta Carolina of Coral Pharmaceuticals for Wholesale Pharmacy; Laura Pratt-Charlton of Prescription Parlour Pharmacies for Retail Pharmacy Ownership; and Debbie Wilson-Bullard for Pharmacy Technology. Shantia Hield-McBride of the Pharmacy Council, BPA, and CAP will receive the Organizational Leadership Award, while Chargrega McPhee of Comprehensive Pharmacy will be recognized for Pharmacy Education. The Public Service Pharmacy Award will go to Vivienne Lockhart for her work through the Princess Margaret Hospital, BNDA, and Pharmacy Council.
The BPA will also honor exceptional service through Executive Awards to Iguiline Oliver, Wendy Newbold, and Calli Smith; and Support Service Awards to Yvette Ferguson of NAL, Shelly Collymore, and the late Janet Hall, honored posthumously for her legal contributions to the profession. Rounding out the list are the Legacy Trailblazer Award to Gail Cartwright, the Enoch Pedro Roberts Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award to Ann-Marie Roberts, and the President’s Award to former BPA President Michelle Finlayson.
In recognizing the community impact of local pharmacists the summit also highlights the courage of pharmacists who served in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. Among them, Abaco Island Pharmacist, Ted Pearce and Larry Higgs of The Chemist Shoppe, Cecily Stuart, and Mimi Roberts. Stuart and Roberts are remembered for their work alongside US military personnel to prepare and deliver medical supplies to Abaco and Grand Bahama in the days following the storm. Their actions – and those of pharmacists across the devastated islands who chose to stay and serve their communities despite the destruction – reflect the enduring strength and humanity that continue to define the profession.
Through this year’s summit, the Bahamas Pharmaceutical Association not only promotes the advancement of patient-centered care but also honors the women whose leadership has shaped its legacy. Their stories – of perseverance through disaster, innovation in practice, and unwavering service to patients – speak to a profession that is as much about heart as it is about science.
As the summit continues, their example stands as a reminder that the work of a pharmacist extends far beyond the counter. It is found in the homes of Bahamians across every island, in the hands of caretakers and doctors alike, and in the comfort and healing brought to each patient.
