MisterPharmacist finds his niche in downtown Toronto

Alex Mihaila came by his now trademarked moniker quite naturally. “People would call me MisterPharmacist across the counter and it stuck . . . and it came with this whole image of personalized care,” says the pharmacist-owner of a pharmacy by the same name in Toronto’s downtown core. Since launching his independent pharmacy during the pandemic, Mihaila has been delivering on his mission to provide highly personalized care. “During COVID, I was able to find a retail space that was more affordable and it was the perfect time to show that pharmacists are on the frontlines and extremely valuable members of the healthcare team,” he says. “Plus, I didn’t have the constraints of a big box store so I was able to get COVID tests quickly and be available for questions at all times.”Since then, Mihaila has evolved his pharmacy into a hybrid model, offering a brick-and-mortar presence with an online component for medication ordering that he plans to keep growing over time. Read: Celebrating our 2024 award winnersOnce patients register online, they can upload their prescriptions and get them delivered for free within three hours, provided they are in the pharmacy’s delivery zones. The pharmacy also offers minor ailment prescribing, vaccinations and immunizations among other services. “There’s a personal touch because my patients can text me and get responses quickly and so feel like they’re being heard,” he says, noting that as long as he’s awake he’s answering messages. “My goal is to serve people who don’t have time to go to the pharmacy or are too sick to come—I want them to know there are other options where we are removing barriers and providing better access.”In addition to his staff of two pharmacy technicians and two part-time pharmacists, Mihaila uses three delivery services to ensure he can provide optimal care to his patients. “I do a lot of personal deliveries myself, especially for new customers, as I like to put a face to the name,” he says.Read: The prescription for a joyful pharmacy practicePatients also get to see MisterPharmacist on social media where he spends at least 10 hours a week providing education videos, memes and posts. “I’m on Instagram and TikTok trying to figure out what resonates with people and there’s a lot of work and studying to be done on that front which I thoroughly enjoy,” he says. “I think people need to know more about what pharmacists do and social media is a good way to do that.”Of course, balancing social media with a full-time day job can be challenging, he admits. “At one point I was pumping out four or five pieces of content a week,” he says. “Then there is the engagement part of things as you can’t just post and disappea. . . you have to engage people so they get to know you.” Going forward, he says he will be putting a lot of emphasis on educating people around pharmacists and minor ailments in future posts and reels. Raised in Montreal, Mihaila spent time working in industry and chain pharmacies before launching his own business. He says these experiences gave him a better understanding of the challenges in the pharmaceutical and retail pharmacy sectors and insights on how he wanted to manage his own business. “I know we can’t be everything for everyone, but my whole idea is to provide care first and profit later.”

MisterPharmacist finds his niche in downtown Toronto

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