The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA), Canada's national professional body for pharmacists, has appointed Anu Sharda as vice-president of strategic payor partnerships in a newly created role designed to strengthen collaboration between pharmacy and payors across the Canadian health-care system.

Benefits Canada reported that Sharda will lead CPhA's work to bring together perspectives from insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, employers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, technology partners, and broader health-care stakeholders to support more coordinated approaches to patient care.

The role has been created at a time when pharmacists across Canada are taking on an increasingly central function within the health-care system, moving beyond dispensing into areas including patient assessment, medication management, and primary care support. The expansion of pharmacist scope of practice across Canadian provinces has accelerated demand for more structured engagement between pharmacy associations and the organisations that fund and administer drug and health benefits.

Sharda brings extensive experience across pharmacy, payors, and health-system strategy, with a strong track record of building effective partnerships across complex health-care ecosystems.

Sharda said: "As pharmacists take on an increasingly central role in Canada's health-care system, stronger collaboration among payors, pharmacy and health-care partners is essential. I look forward to working with insurers and PBMs, alongside manufacturers, technology vendors and other stakeholders, to address barriers, improve consistency and support timely access to care for patients."

A core focus of the role will be simplifying processes and reducing administrative burden across the pharmacy and payor landscape, challenges that have long affected the efficiency of drug benefit delivery in Canada. Sharda's remit will extend to engaging pharmaceutical manufacturers and technology partners alongside traditional payor relationships, reflecting the broadening scope of what coordinated pharmacy care requires in practice.

The newly created position marks a strategic shift within CPhA toward deeper institutional engagement with the payor community, an area that has historically operated with limited formal coordination between pharmacy associations and the organisations that fund and administer drug benefits on behalf of employers and insurers.

For professional associations operating at the intersection of clinical practice and health-system policy, the appointment illustrates a broader trend toward creating dedicated executive functions focused on external stakeholder alignment, as associations take on more active roles in shaping how professional services are funded, accessed, and integrated within national health systems.

Read the full announcement of Anu Sharda's appointment at the Canadian Pharmacists Association.