Vision

Our vision is to build a pharmacy workforce that is:

• equipped to handle unexpected disasters or emergencies (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, floods, fires, etc.).
• confident to lead their communities through disasters and emergencies.
• trained in disaster planning and emergency management.

Mission

To equip pharmacists, technicians, pharmacies, and pharmacy organizations with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead, prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and emergencies.

Position Statement

Disaster Pharmacy Solutions acknowledge pharmacists and pharmacy staff are on the frontline of providing ongoing and accessible healthcare to people impacted by disasters. We are committed to preparing the global pharmacy workforce to lead in their capacity for all type of disasters and emergencies.

We take an all-hazard approach to disaster management which is an integrated approach focuses on the capabilities, skills, and knowledge required for the full spectrum of disasters and emergencies. We base our leadership on the adaptive leadership framework that mobilizes people to confront and make progress on difficult realities.

We are inclusive of all people and professions and would love to partner with you. Together we can make our communities safer and strengthen our ability to withstand crises.

Meet The Team

Kaitlyn Watson, PhD

Dr. Watson, an Australian registered pharmacist, is a globally acknowledged disaster pharmacist researcher. As the Founder & CEO of Disaster Pharmacy Solutions, she delivers disaster management and emergency preparedness training to the pharmacy workforce through engaging table-top exercises. Kaitlyn authored the foundational book ‘Disaster and Emergency Pharmacy: A Guide to Preparation and Management,’ published by Routledge in 2022.

Kaitlyn, an Australian registered pharmacist, has gained global recognition for her teaching expertise, holding a Fellowship with the Higher Education Academy. With a focus on disasters, primary healthcare, and pharmacy practice, she champions the effective integration of pharmacists in disaster health management within the industry. Kaitlyn is dedicated to delivering evidence-based research showcasing the valuable contributions of pharmacists during disasters and their versatile roles in maximizing their professional scope. Explore her latest publications and research on her Google Scholar Profile.

Dr. Watson is currently living and working in North America with a focus on furthering pharmacy practice and advocating for pharmacists in disaster planning and emergency management.

Some of the organizations Dr. Watson has worked with:

• World Health Organization: Regional Office of Europe
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Department of Emergency Preparedness and Planning
• Commonwealth Pharmacists Association
• Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists
• Canadian Pharmacists Association
• Alberta Pharmacists Association
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Society of Hospital Pharmacists Australia
• Towards International Medical Equity (TIME), University of Queensland
• Queensland University of Technology
• Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta
• Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
  Canadian Emergency Preparedness and Climate Adaptation Convention

Dr. Elizabeth (Libby) McCourt is an experienced disaster preparedness researcher and pharmacist. Her research focuses on how the pharmacy workforce can be better prepared for disasters and how primary and tertiary care can be better integrated in their disaster preparedness and response. Libby is the secretary of the World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) Primary Healthcare special interest group. Libby was the co-designer and co-lead of disaster preparedness workshops for the Australian pharmacy workforce. These workshops use an evolving disaster scenario and tabletop exercises to increase the disaster preparedness of pharmacists. These workshops have been run at

Australian pharmacy conferences (The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, Medicines Management Conference 2019) and within an undergraduate interprofessional education teaching unit for clinical health science students at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane Australia.

Libby has experience working as a pharmacist in the aftermath of disasters and has worked in health and education sectors in Australia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the Solomon Islands. Dr McCourt’s experiences in these settings have developed her research interest in disaster preparedness, public health, and pharmacy practice in resource poor settings. Libby has used her experience as a disaster expert and pharmacist to assist in the planning and development of disaster and business continuity plans for Australian hospital pharmacies. Libby’s aim is to assist in developing a more prepared pharmacy workforce that is integrated into disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.

Some of the organizations Dr. McCourt has worked with:

• Queensland Health
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
• Commonwealth Pharmacists Association
• Society of Hospital Pharmacists Australia
• Queensland University of Technology
• Towards International Medical Equity (TIME), University of Queensland
• CASPPER (Collaboration of Australians and Sri Lankans for Pharmacy Practice, Education and Research)