Meet Dr. Lisa

BScPharm, PharmD, GCertSH, Certificate in Travel Health™

Proudly serving Pembina Valley since 1999.

Dr. Lisa Zaretzky is a Doctor of Pharmacy with a specialized interest in wellness, sexual health, travel health, pain management, weight loss coaching, mental health, and chronic disease prevention and management.

Dr. Lisa grew up in Pine River, Manitoba, Canada. Her early life was impacted significantly living in the northern part of the province by having a lot of responsibilities towards contributing to the family. Also, living in a somewhat isolated area, taught her how to be extremely resourceful, efficient, and caring for the environment. At a very young age, Lisa decided she was going to become a doctor, but it certainly wasn’t a straight path.

Lisa’s first career was as a draftsperson for her parents’ log home business. The seven years involved in construction taught her many communication skills and an opportunity to travel to places like Japan, where the log homes were being exported. Although there were many rewarding experiences working in the log home industry alongside her parents, Lisa was driven to revisit her childhood dream of becoming a doctor.

Making a difference

With a family of 3 young children, many personal challenges along the way, and redirecting her academics towards pharmacy, Dr. Lisa graduated from University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree. Lisa began her career working at various community pharmacies around the Winnipeg, Manitoba area and even at the Headingley Correctional Institution until the prison riot in 1996. Although extremely interested in community pharmacy, she knew she wanted to experience the other areas of pharmacy practice so later in 1996 Dr. Lisa moved her family to Brandon, Manitoba to work in the mental health sector with adults and seniors. Working in the public area of health taught her much about the gaps in transition of care which excited Lisa about potential opportunities to really make a difference. In 1999, Dr. Lisa moved back into community care and relocated her family to the beautiful Pembina Valley in southern Manitoba.

Making a difference by implementing positive change in personal health or in community health doesn’t happen overnight, and can have many challenges. Dr. Lisa was drawn to become an influencer, which to her meant two things: achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a doctor and starting her own pharmacy.

In 2005, Dr. Lisa opened her Apothecary adjoining a community clinic (her first location) with the focus on clinical care and one-on-one prescription consultations. In spite of having a serious blood clot in her brain in 2008, she began her studies with University of Colorado to obtain her Doctorate training in pharmacy. During the next 5 years, she went in-depth with chronic disease understanding and management; understanding population health and treatment of illness; examining medical research along with the risks and benefits of drug therapy; and most importantly understanding the huge benefits of working together with all health care providers.

After her final six week rotation in bone marrow transplant and cancer treatment, Lisa graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the University of Colorado in 2013. A Doctor of Pharmacy has many opportunities to work in hospitals or in universities, but Dr. Lisa chose to continue using her expanded knowledge in the community in her own pharmacy. Never stopping to learn, she went on to obtain advanced training in Weight Loss Coaching (2016), Diplomatic Credentialing in Pain Management (2016), Nutrition in the Management of Pain (2018), Certification in Travel Health (2019), Palliative Care (2020), in-depth study of mental health drugs (psychiatric pharmacology – 2021), and most recently becoming certified in Sexual Health through the University of Alberta.

#communitylove

Community care and individual health and wellness is complex and ever changing, and keeping up to date with treatment options for her patients is very important to Lisa. The best way to utilize all her skills is through her one on one appointments where Dr. Lisa addresses important health concerns and designs a personalized treatment plan for her patients.

During the last 10 years, Dr. Lisa has also become authorized to administer medications (vaccines) by injection, prescribe medications to quit smoking, for urinary tract infections, and some non-urgent conditions, and to requisition and monitor blood work for her patients. She currently owns and operates her Pharmacy and Wellness Clinic at a new location in Morden, Manitoba. In her beautifully designed building she has many private consultation rooms for herself, other pharmacy services, and special one day clinics. In addition, Dr. Lisa also offers a full range of services through her telehealth platform.

Lisa’s service to the community also extends to leading walking groups, participating in local health fairs, providing vaccinations during the pandemic, informative Instagram and Facebook pages, and leading health talks for support groups.

Dr. Lisa has also maintained a keen interest in education of future health care providers, and is a regular preceptor of students from University of Manitoba and for new pharmacist training to become licensed; and has been an occasional Lecturer at the University of Manitoba. She has also won numerous professional achievement awards, including many annual Life-Long Learning awards, preceptor of the year in 2007, research participation excellence in 2001 and 2002, and contributes frequently to the Pharmacy Practice Journal and the Canadian Pharmacist Journal (CPJ). In 2022, Dr. Lisa was honoured with the Patient Choice award from Pharmacists Manitoba; and in 2023 with the Bonnie Schultz Memorial Award for Pharmacy Practice Excellence from the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba.

Organizations Dr. Lisa, Doctor of Pharmacy, is affiliated with

Awards & Certificates

CPhM - Bonnie Schultz Memorial Award for Pharmacy Practice Excellence

2023

Pharmacist Manitoba - Patient Choice Award

2022

Front Cover Feature in Pharmacy Practice

2022

Certificate in Nutritional Pain Management

Academy of Integrative Pain Management

2018

Certificate in Travel Health

ISTM

June 2019

Professional Achievement

McKesson Canada

2017

Diplomat Credentialing

American Academy of Pain Management

2016

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Remedy’s Rx

2013

Preceptor of the Year Award

University of Manitoba

2007

Life Long Learning - 50+ hours of continuing education credits

College of Pharmacy Manitoba

2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023

Career and Beyond

Throughout her career, Dr. Lisa has seen many patients with chronic diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, strokes, addictions, depression, and anxiety. She has come to believe that there are many ways to help people, that includes prescription medication, supplements, botanicals, Ayurvedic counselling, acupuncture, nutritional coaching, and many others. Her holistic approach to patient care includes things YOU have control over….your lifestyle. Lisa’s ability to carefully listen to your concerns, focus on your needs, and her “detective” style helps her design a customized treatment plan that you can easily follow and live (better) with.

Dr. Lisa continues to research and blog about numerous health and wellness issues, and you can find her active on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. She has three adult children and one grand daughter, and lives above her pharmacy and maintains a unique work/life balance. She enjoys running, pole walking, swimming, kayaking, yoga, strength training, reading, writing, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.

As a pharmacist, Dr. Lisa has a great respect for drugs and understands their place in health and wellness, but knows: “It’s not just about drugs – it’s about life”.

Dr. Lisa subscribes to highest professional and personal vision: “I will do what I can, where I am at, with whatever I have.”