PharmD alumnus excited to bring his passion for gender-affirming care to new teaching role

Dylan Moulton

Dylan Moulton is a proud two-time alumnus of the University of Alberta and a pharmacist at Medi Drugs Millcreek in Edmonton. He has taught frequently over the years in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences but is excited to have joined the staff on a more permanent basis as an assistant clinical professor as of July 4.

We caught up with Dylan recently and found out more about his academic interests, his love of teaching and his passion for advocacy for gender-affirming care across the health professions.

Where did you go to school?

I graduated with my PharmD from the U of A’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2019. Prior to that, I completed a bachelor of science degree, also at the U of A.

As a new clinical professor, what do you most fondly recall about your own teachers over the years?

I’ve always had post-secondary lecturing on my radar when considering my future pharmacy career. Because of this, it would not be uncommon for me to reach out to my favourite lecturers to gather their perspectives on academia as a career. It would be fair to say that without these mentors, I would not be sitting in my new office typing this paragraph today!

So many of my instructors supported me, believed in me and listened to my hopes and fears well beyond my time as a student. They gave me the confidence and nudge I needed to take a chance and put myself out there. I am, and will forever be, grateful for their generous contributions of time, energy and compassion. 

What can you tell us about your work as a practising pharmacist?

I am a proud community pharmacist at Medi Drugs Millcreek, a locally owned independent pharmacy in Edmonton. The pharmacy provides care to all members of the community but has a significant focus on providing gender-affirming care to members of the trans and non-binary communities. 

What are you most looking forward to about your new role in the faculty?

I have been guest lecturing with the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for quite a few years now. It started with a couple of annual ADHD lectures in the mental health block and has evolved over the years to include workshops and labs focused on the care of trans and non-binary folks in a pharmacy setting.

In my new role as assistant clinical professor, I am most looking forward to having more time to learn and practise more effective content delivery. I love lecturing, but want to be sure I am utilizing strategies and educational approaches that foster knowledge application. Pharmacists’ brains are filled with valuable knowledge, but if we don’t generate, build and foster the skills required to utilize that knowledge in a patient-friendly way, it can be challenging to make meaningful changes in our patients’ health and quality of life. 

What made you want to teach at the U of A? 

I come from a long line of educators, so I guess you could say that my passion for education is in my blood! I think the real pull toward teaching comes from a desire to support others in achieving excellence. There are so many talented students and professionals throughout all of the faculty’s programs and getting to play even a small role in their professional development is rewarding.

It also means something to get to contribute to my alma mater! I spent eight years learning at the University of Alberta (‘14 BSc and ’19 PharmD) and had wonderful experiences. I look forward to supporting this institution “from the other side” and fostering similar experiences for those entering our programs.    

What courses will you be teaching?

I will be teaching, coordinating and co-coordinating a few different courses in the upcoming academic year, including Skills 3, Pharm 445 (Mental Health Block) in the fall semester and Skills 2, BASE 2 (Jurisprudence) in the winter. I also look forward very much to lecturing throughout the PharmD program on topics related to social determinants of health and gender-affirming care, among others.

Is there a particular specialty, passion or area of interest that you are most looking forward to sharing with your students?

I will be attempting to thread concepts of gender-affirming care, non-assumptive care and culturally safe(r) care throughout all of my courses and lectures. The faculty has already taken numerous steps to integrate these concepts into the curriculum and I am excited to use this momentum to push even further. 

It has been shown that trans and non-binary folks receive sub-par clinical care, and as a result, face poorer health outcomes than those who are not. This is unacceptable and cannot go on. 

Curricular changes in health-care professional education have been highlighted as a potential mitigating factor for these poor health outcomes. By training pharmacists and other health-care professionals to provide care in a non-assumptive, culturally safe(r) and patient-centred way, we can begin to create a health-care system that recognizes and supports all patients. As of now, it does not. 

This is what motivates me. This is what motivates students. And this is how we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.