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As part of our ongoing support of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Partners of Canada is proud to bring you the second in a series of features about the new School of Pharmacy at The University of Waterloo.
A medicine garden as a unique way to learn, teach, and reach out to the community.
How do you begin to build a dream? You talk, you think, you “blue sky”. That’s how the University of Waterloo’s new School of Pharmacy began, with a “what if” session between Dr. Jake Thiessen and his team of architects.
During one pivotal discussion, someone from the architecture firm asked Dr. Thiessen what he wanted to accomplish, what his vision was for the school. As they talked about a variety of issues, medicinal plants became a recurring theme -- the fact that 50% of modern medicines have their basis in the plant world.
Within minutes, a unique and exciting idea was born.
“We felt that a Medicine Garden would be a great idea, a place that would showcase these plants, and the discoveries that have sprung from them,” says Dr. Thiessen. “Imagine students being able to see actual growing specimens of the plants that represent the roots of some of today’s most important drugs. We decided to explore the creation of a Medicine Garden that would be unique to our Pharmacy school, a living classroom for students and an attraction for the public.”
The garden will have other important benefits as well. Dr. Thiessen believes that Pharmacy needs to embrace our youth, and try to change what is going on with kids today. He sees the Medicine Garden as a tool that will engage school kids, and help them learn about drugs and how they affect their bodies.
The garden will have other important benefits as well. Dr. Thiessen believes that Pharmacy needs to embrace our youth, and try to change what is going on with kids today. He sees the Medicine Garden as a tool that will engage school kids, and help them learn about drugs and how they affect their bodies.“The medicine garden could plant the seed of interest in Pharmacy, and as the kids get older their interest may become more sophisticated. It’s a wonderful education tool for children.”
Dr. Thiessen was also inspired by a special invitation that came from a centre that caters to kids.
“I was invited to the Children’s Museum, and they wanted to know what Pharmacy was all about. I mentioned the world of zoophrmacognosy – animals interacting with plants in the wild. For example, when chimpanzees get an infection, they go to a special bush, peel back the bark and suck on the exposed branch, and they get better. Humans were not the first pharmacists.”
Laura Manning, Director of Advancement with the Health Sciences Campus and the School of Pharmacy, and a colleague of Dr. Thiessen says “We probably wouldn’t be limited to Rainforest type plants -- we may focus on indigenous Canadian plants. We also have ideas like living “walls”, and a hydroponic section. Once we put our creativity to work there’s no limit to what we could come up with.”
A medicine garden is just one of the fascinating and innovative aspects envisioned for a school that represents the future of Pharmacy.