For this month’s long awaited 2T1 feature we will be interviewing Matt Spilka. Matt Spilka was the previous president of SOAPE, where he worked to motivate his peers to explore the pharmacist’s role both in and out of community pharmacy. Matt is also a finalist in the upcoming business plan competition.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and what were you doing before pharmacy?
Matt: I am from Niagara Falls. Before pharmacy, I did my undergraduate at Western University and did an honours specialization in biology with a minor in pharmacology. As soon as I graduated, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do. I had interviews for medical schools, but never ended up going to those. I ended up working in a pharmacy for 2 years and when I was there, I really enjoyed it, so I applied to pharmacy school at UofT. It’s a huge difference moving from Niagara Falls to Toronto. The biggest difference is that there are so many people living in Toronto – this place is packed. In Niagara Falls, you can walk the streets without having to worry about constantly bumping into people. I definitely miss home, but I don’t think Toronto is all that bad for my future prospects. I have to say, with so many people living here, there are a lot more job opportunities in Toronto than in Niagara Falls. Most of the pharmaceutical companies and consulting firms that I’m interested in have their offices in Toronto. Also, most of my Western university friends live here too.
Outside of studying, what do you like to do for fun?
Matt: Good question. Outside of studying, when I am not completely busy with school, I like to play video games like Rocket League or Overwatch. Before I came to pharmacy school, I got offered a professional spot on an e-sports Overwatch team. Overwatch is a first-person shooter game. I turned it down because I decided to go down the pharmacy path instead. Other than that, I like to work out to stay healthy while dealing with the stress of pharmacy school.
What kind of music do you like?
Matt: I like pretty much anything, especially electronic music like deep house, trance, and techno. I am the stereotypical electronic music fanboy from Western. It really depends though; rap and hip hop can be really good depending on how I am feeling. Pretty much anything other than country!
What are you most proud of/your biggest achievement?
Matt: Good question! I guess I am most proud of getting into
pharmacy school. I wasn’t concerned about my marks when I was applying. For me, it was the interview portion of the application that was a struggle. It was my biggest accomplishment because it helped me grow as a person. I’ve realized that the longer I have been here, the more I have been getting involved with clubs and events that pique my interests. At Western, I wasn’t involved with many extra-curriculars, but here, there are a diverse amount of activities that I enjoy, and that help me with not only my personal development but my professional development. It’s partially because I have a vested interest in pharmacy, partially because I enjoy what I do, and because I have someone who supports me along the way.
If you had a choice to travel to any country in the world, where would you go?
Matt: I haven’t thought about that yet. I think either Egypt or Japan would be amazing. They are two completely different places but both have very beautiful scenery and cultures. I don’t really have any reasons why I would go to these places, specifically; I just know that Egypt is beautiful near the Red Sea and Japan has great food. I’m not too interested in resorts like Mexico or Cuba – these are great vacation and partying spots but not my top choices.
If someone offered you $5 million but you had to work 5 years in an isolated hamlet in the Territories in Canada’s North, would you take the offer, especially with the North having a severe shortage of healthcare workers?
Matt: I hate the cold but is the WiFi good? If I can get even the slightest signal then yeah, of course. To be honest, I’d probably do it for less. I would just consider the amount of money I’d make after graduating and at that point, even $1 million would be worth it. They probably need to pay pharmacists that amount of money to go there!
What is something you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years, after you graduate?
Matt: I don’t want to do community or hospital pharmacy. Currently, I am interested in industry – actually, not just industry, I am interested in doing something with my PharmD in areas where people don’t expect us to be. This could be in
government, lobbying, tech, etc. For example, right now, I am working on a business plan idea with some amazing people. After school, I would like to continue with this project and begin developing an application for pharmacists. I won’t say much about it now, but people will know about it after the competition. To be honest, I want to create something that will address the pervasive problems and inefficiencies plaguing pharmacy practice. Like I said, I really don’t want to work in a community or hospital – as bad as that sounds – but I do want to make changes, be innovative, and create tools that will directly impact those areas. Community Pharmacy is volume-based, historically, it has always been like this – their whole business model revolves around filling prescriptions to meet their bottom-line. I think independents can be a bit better, some look to adopt unique services that benefit their patients and differentiate them from other stores, but they’re still looking to meet their bottom-line. I don’t discount community or hospital, I’ve worked in great places during my EPEs with many great pharmacists, and you definitely see that pharmacists do have an impact on their patients. With that being said, I feel like I would most benefit the profession or general public by doing my work elsewhere. I consider macrolevel problems in everything I do so that will always be my focus.
In your opinion, what do you believe the future of pharmacy should be?
Matt: I can honestly rant for hours about this! Pharmacy needs to change the way it delivers healthcare. You know Pharmacare? Based on the financial projections by the Ministry of Finance, it’s expected to save billions of dollars and you really cannot debate that. It’s going to lower drug prices through bulk buying and other means. There are obviously some drawbacks with Pharmacare – taxes, costs of implementation, and issues with pharmaceutical companies come to mind. When Pharmacare happens – if the pharmacist scope is not sufficiently widened – I think it’s going to kill out a lot of small pharmacies that aren’t near clinics that don’t push out a lot of prescriptions. I think it will force a change in their business models. Essentially, you’ll have 2 different kinds of business models – you will still have those big franchise, chain, and mass merchandiser pharmacies like Shoppers, Rexall, and Walmart dispensing prescriptions under their volume-based model. You will also have smaller pharmacies that will transition to a more service-based model while also still dispensing. For that to happen though, we need our scope to continue expanding with services such as minor ailments prescribing. With the recent announcements, it looks like prescribing for minor ailments will come to Ontario sooner rather than later, but it shouldn’t stop there. Before Pharmacare, pharmacists need to deliver other services to benefit patients or I think the profession will crash and burn. This is all naïve speculation of a student though, but I really believe changes need to be made now, or yesterday even.
Interviewer: William Nguyen 2T1 Monograph Rep
Interviewee: Matt Spilka
Photo Credits: Kendra Hewlett