Barbara Wells Appointed Director Of COMPUS

July 19, 2004

OTTAWA — CCOHTA’s Vice-President of CDR and COMPUS, Barb Shea, is pleased to announce the appointment of Barbara Wells as Director of COMPUS, effective July 19, 2004.

The Canadian Optimal Medication Prescribing and Utilization Service, or COMPUS, is a program for promoting best practices in drug prescribing and use that was launched at CCOHTA in March 2004. As Director of COMPUS, Ms. Wells will be responsible for the development and delivery of the program.

“Barbara is taking on an essential role as we move forward with the implementation of COMPUS,” said Ms. Shea. “She is highly respected for her work on many national initiatives. Her exceptional leadership abilities and depth of experience will be an extraordinary advantage for the program, particularly in its initial launch phase.”

Ms. Wells joins CCOHTA from the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA). As the founding Executive Director, she was responsible for a number of initiatives significant to pharmacists and pharmacy stakeholders. Most notable were the development and implementation of a national harmonized drug scheduling system for Canada; the creation of a Mutual Recognition Agreement to support inter-provincial mobility for pharmacists; harmonized licensing competencies and standards of practice for pharmacists across Canada; and the Canadian launch of the “Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites” (VIPPS) accreditation program for pharmacies doing business over the Internet. Ms. Wells oversaw the creation of frameworks for a national regulatory program to recognize specialty pharmacist practices and an international mutual recognition agreement with US regulators. She also served on the Executive of the Canadian Network of National Associations of Regulators.

Prior to joining NAPRA, Ms. Wells was Director of Corporate Affairs for Glaxo Canada. Her background also includes community and hospital practice and senior management experience at the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP). She is a licensed pharmacist and a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Pharmacy.

The Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment provides timely and reliable information for people making evidence-based decisions about health technologies. CCOHTA delivers a health technology assessment program, the Common Drug Review, and COMPUS. CCOHTA is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial ministries of health.

For further information contact: Sandy Fox, Communications Officer for CDR and COMPUS, (613) 226-2553, ext. 233.