People
October 2, 2025Christina’s passion for advancing patient care
Christina Ma, Director, Pharmacy Services - Pharmacist-Led Chronic Disease Management Programs, joined Shoppers Drug Mart almost four years ago. Having spent nearly five years working as a community pharmacist, supporting patients with mental health issues, those living with HIV, and older adults with unique health needs, she came to Shoppers for the opportunity to help make it easier for patients to access the care they need, when and where it’s most convenient for them.
Her first role was with Central Pharmacy Services, helping to centralize prescription filling to free up more time for pharmacists to spend with their patients face-to-face, something she knew from her own experience to be so valuable. “When a patient is diagnosed with a long-term health problem, they sometimes need more time to talk through the disease to understand the risks and to understand how to properly manage their condition and their medication,” explains Christina. “Patients with diabetes, for example, may not realize that if not managed properly diabetes can lead to significant health complications such as heart attack, stroke, vision loss. Enabling pharmacists to spend more time supporting patients like this is so important.”
The pharmacist's role has evolved from transactional to encompass episodic, longitudinal and preventative care. “It’s more than just dispensing,” Christina states. “Pharmacists now play a much bigger role in patients' overall health, from acute interventions to chronic disease management.” This shift has led to easier access to local care and relieves pressure on the healthcare system. “When pharmacists can treat acute issues like UTIs and actively manage chronic diseases like diabetes, it provides continuous patient support and ensures proactive care. It’s a win-win, addressing both immediate and long-term health needs, freeing up family doctors for complex cases, and easing overall burden on the healthcare system,” Christina explains.
In her current role, Christina is helping to develop pharmacist-led chronic disease management programs. “We are seeing more and more patients with conditions like diabetes and hypertension,” shares Christina. “Providing pharmacists with the right tools and programs allows them to support their patients in truly meaningful ways.”
The team continues to test and learn from pilot programs across our network of pharmacies to find innovative and accessible ways to care for patients living with chronic conditions.
Christina’s dedication to helping others continues to be the driving force behind everything she does. "As a pharmacist, seeing my advice improve a patient’s health was rewarding,” she shares. “Knowing that the work I am doing now could help thousands - even millions - is incredibly powerful and keeps me motivated to find more ways to advance patient care.”