2021 Awardee

Introducing the 2021 Afzal Abdool Scholarship Awardee

JORDAN R. RITCHIE

Jordan R. Ritchie is a Bahamian Pharmacy Intern and soon-to-be graduate of The University of Technology, Jamaica who has been in the illustrious industry of Pharmacy for the past thirteen years. Jordan has worked in the role as a pharmacy assistant, pharmacy technician, and now as a pharmacy intern preparing to be licensed by The Bahamas Pharmacy Council. He is an alumnus of Saint Augustine’s College, Nassau, Bahamas where he graduated from High School. He is also an alumnus of Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Psychology. As an advocate for patient care and education, Jordan wished to become a clinical pharmacist and aims to work within the country to aid in the development of pharmaceutical care for his fellow Bahamians. When asked why he chose pharmacy, Jordan states that: “Pharmacy presents an opportunity that few professions can give. It is the amalgamation of medicine, business, and hospitality and so much more in one. Pharmacy gives an opportunity each day to become better at a new skill and to develop in ways that other professions do not allow. From the age of fourteen when I started interning in the pharmacy, I always woke up happy for the opportunity to work in a pharmacy. Pharmacy gives you the opportunities to not only help in the treatment of conditions but also allows you to get to know your patients beyond their conditions. The amount of knowledge I have gained from first working in the pharmacy community is insurmountable and priceless, and yet the profession has so much more to offer and there are so many areas I have yet to learn of. I desire to continue in pharmacy and to advance myself to enhance the level of knowledge I can instill in others and enhance the strength of the healthcare community that I serve.”

Jordan participates in the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists as a Student Member, and was a breakout group leader in the 2021 Student Leadership and Research Symposium. His response upon being selected as the 2021 Afzal Abdool Student Leadership Award is: “It’s humbling to have been selected for this honour, named after an icon of Caribbean Pharmacy. I’m proud to represent The Bahamas, as a pharmacy-intern, and making final preparations to fully join the profession that I love. I want to thank the Abdool family, the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists, my QVS Pharmacy family, and my loved ones who have supported me through this journey. I hope to live up to the potential that is within me, and continue to make an effective impact in this profession.” Congratulations to the 2021 Afzal Abdool Student Leadership Award winner…Jordan Ritchie.