Lindsay Dixon wins for 'Raise Your Voice' at the Pharmacy Practice + Business Awards
Why she won: It all started in 2020 with a series of videos to combat misinformation circulating around COVID-19. Since then, Lindsay Dixon has posted some 120 videos to her popular Friendly Pharmacy 5 YouTube channel, which reached more than one million views in August 2022 and currently has more than 15,500 subscribers.
Dixon is using her video platform to empower community members to better understand health issues and advocate for their own health through easy to understand, science-based education that their doctors or other healthcare professionals may not have the time or thought to share.
Dixon’s videos have included more than 30 interviews with healthcare experts from around the world, covering topics such as diabetes remission, childhood vaccination, vitamins and supplements, polypharmacy, seasonal affective disorder and more. She also educates people about the pharmacy profession and the value of the pharmacist through appearances on local news and radio.
Q&A with
What do you most enjoy about what you do?
Every video is an opportunity to create change in the mind of the viewer, to help them understand their health better, and to help them value their pharmacist or healthcare provider that much more. Using storytelling to elevate the role of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, by providing evidence-based education on a platform where the public is actively searching for solutions to their health problems, is truly the most rewarding part of this work.
What is your biggest challenge?
There are endless possibilities for this type of platform. I have so many ideas every day about what we could do to reach more people and increase our impact, but at the moment there is a very real limit of both time and resources.
Is there someone who mentored you or served as a role model?
I have been privileged to have had many influential leaders in my life. Most recently, I started working with Heart Pharmacy Group in Victoria, B.C. I cannot say enough good things about them and how they treat their people. In particular, President Rasool Rayani has been an incredible mentor and encourager. We meet for 30 minutes every other week and he always seems to be at least 10 steps ahead of me. When you are trying to do something new, there are times when you really need someone with a big vision to remind you of what’s possible.
What advice would you give a young pharmacist who wants to make a difference in their career?
Ask yourself who you want to reach and how you can best serve those people. Stay focused, be generous and always give more than you take. Go after that thing that interests you, even if it seems unconventional. Choosing something now does not mean that you cannot do other things in the future. Find a mentor who believes in you and commit to getting 1% better every day.
What’s your favourite way to spend time outside of work?
I read books about marketing and the creator economy, or listen to podcasts about innovators in healthcare or digital health while I’m exercising. I read the latest news on Canadian Healthcare Network and plan out videos and infographics. The only way I truly turn this off is when I’m busy with my kids. Aside from learning more about all things content creation, and the future of healthcare, my favorite moments are when I’m surrounded by nature while on some type of adventure with my family.
What’s next for you—any goals or dreams you hope to achieve in the future?
Partnering with other innovators in the healthcare industry, launching an audio podcast of the interviews from the channel and creating online courses with subject matter experts are short-term goals. Eventually, I would love to write a book and create a framework to help pharmacy owners and innovators create their own content and get their message out into the world.