One is on his third career.

One is part of a body that oversees that career.

Vernon's Brad Adams and 91大黄鸭's Steven Hopp were among nine provincial community pharmacists and two pharmacy students honoured at the BC Pharmacy Association's annual awards gala May 2 in Victoria.

"These pharmacists represent the best qualities of the profession, and are selected based on their impact to patient care, their communities, their innovation, and their dedication to helping peers grow," said the association in a release.

Hopp was honoured with the Murray Dykeman Mentorship Award for how he helps raise the next generation of pharmacists.

A University of British Columbia graduate of 2002, Hopp honed his skills as a staff pharmacist for Shoppers Drug Mart for the first few years in Penticton, until he had an opportunity to become associate owner of a store in Osoyoos.

Soon after, he put his name forward to be part of the company鈥檚 B.C. Peers Committee, a group of eight associate owners that represented their colleagues throughout the province. Hopp was elected to represent the Okanagan region, which had about 25 stores.

鈥淚 was on the committee for seven years and my job was to meet on a regular basis with senior leadership and advocate for our associates," said Hopp, owner of two pharmacies including Rutland Medical Pharmacy. "I鈥檝e always been a person who likes to get involved, and I tend to gravitate towards opportunities to try to make things better for others."

From 2018 to 2024, Hopp served as an elected Board Member for the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia, including as chair during his second term. Here, he learned about the regulatory body鈥檚 focus on patient safety and access to care.

Adams, from Salmon Arm, is a former chef and former mortgage broker. He is one of the recipients of the New Practitioner Award, for excellence in his first five years of practicing pharmacy.

At the Vernon Village Green Centre Save-On-Foods Pharmacy where he now works as manager, Adams is still wearing his chef鈥檚 uniform: his white coat, his kitchen clogs; and the work is precise, requiring extreme accuracy and perfection, each step just as important as the last. Like in the kitchen.

鈥淏eing a chef was a high-effort, a high-anxiety, and high-speed kind of career,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut even so, the risks and rewards are a little different when it comes to health care. They鈥檙e not leaving with a bad meal. The work must be taken seriously. It can make life-changing differences to people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

He left the kitchen to become a mortgage broker, and then returned to university to study to become a pharmacist.

After receiving his PharmD, Adams accepted a position at Save-On-Foods pharmacy in Vernon, where he was quickly promoted to pharmacy manager. Under his management, Adams has been seeking opportunities to embrace the full scope of pharmacy services, and to apply more clinical skills in everyday practice.

鈥淒uring a practicum at Lakeside Pharmacy 91大黄鸭, I learned the difference a great team of clinicians can make for patients," he said. "Though I鈥檓 now practicing somewhere else, I have tried to follow their mentorship in my practice. I still turn to the pharmacists at Lakeside when I need it."

This year's award winners are from all over British Columbia, including Prince Rupert, Williams Lake, Fort St. John, 91大黄鸭, Vernon, Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

Full articles on the winners can be found on , a publication regarding pharmacy and industry news, profiles on B.C. pharmacists, information on research developments and new products.