Hello,
my name is James Kan and this is my life

About Me

Hi! The name is James. I am currently working as a freelance software developer / locum pharmacist in New Zealand, but I will be starting my internship with Unison on the 1st of November. You can count on me to format my code nicely (I love my vertically lined-up nested code), write insightful reports, and talk to people fairly normally (unlike the guys seen in IT Crowd).

Education

  • 2014
    2016

    Graduate Diploma in IT

    Stemming from my interest in HTML and CSS coding, I have enrolled at Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawkes Bay to seriously pursue programming and database administration (exposure to date include Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server). I scored straight A+ for all completed papers, with 94% being the average score. The papers accomplished are as below

    • Introduction to Object Oriented Programming
    • Advanced Object Oriented Programming
    • Business Application Programming
    • Special Topic Programming
    • Project Management
    • Information Technology Management
    • Database Management Systems
    • Database Administration
  • 2007
    2010

    Bachelor of Pharmacy (upper second-class honours)

    I studied at The University of Auckland. For my elective subject, I pursued the Introduction to Computer Science paper and achieved an A+

Experiences

NOW Internet / EIT
Jul 2015 - Nov 2015
Student Lead Developer
I led a team of five student developers to create a customer portal for NOW Internet. The scope was initially front- and back-ends, but due to a change in circumstances, it was later reduced to front-end.

As the team leader, I learned how to delegate sections of the projects to my teammates and how to keep track of their respective progress. As a student developer, I learned the art of "two-way traffic" between my team and the client.

Although the deliverable was not implemented as NOW Internet's replacement customer portal, the experience has given me insight into the "real world" and shown me the difference between being a programmer and a developer.

The deliverable was formally accepted on the 3rd of November 2015 by NOW Internet, with 96% being the final score.
Andrew Spence Pharmacy
2012 - 2016
Community Pharmacist
I have been working as a sole-charge pharmacist at Andrew Spence Pharmacy in Napier. Similar to my previous employment, I oversee the running of the pharmacy as a whole. My responsibilities involve counselling patients on new medications and ensuring understanding with present medicines, blister-packaging medications for patients where medicine-management difficulty arises, dispensing and checking prescriptions and providing health advice as required.
Tamatea Pharmacy
2010 - 2012
Community Pharmacist
I undertook my internship at Tamatea Pharmacy in Napier in 2011 and continued my employment as a pharmacist in 2012. As part of the daily running of the pharmacy, I was responsible for dispensing and checking prescriptions, counselling patients, giving health advice, helping patients to manage opioid addiction and blister-packaging medications. I was also involved in the Medicines Use Review programme, whereby I paid a visit to selected patients in residence to review their medications and answer any queries they had. The range of activities involved has developed me into an “all-rounder” pharmacist.
Sunshine Pharmacy
2010 - 2012
Online Pharmacy Manager
I was appointed as the webmaster of Sunshine Pharmacy, an online pharmacy based in Gisborne, New Zealand. This position involved updating the database every fortnight, optimising the website's layout, and promoting its SEO position on Google and other major search engines.
Grafton Hostel
2010
Computer Technician
I worked as a part-time computer technician at Grafton Halls of Residence in Auckland. My responsibilities included troubleshooting computer and network problems. I enjoyed the challenges this brought and the opportunity to work with a variety of people.
New Zealand
2009 - Present
NZCRS Webmaster
I am the webmaster of the New Zealand Controlled Release Society Local Chapter (NZCRS) website, whereby I ensure the web pages are up-to-date with the latest content. This includes upcoming NZCRS workshops, notices, and minutes from meetings.

This year (2016), I rebuilt the website using Foundation and AngularJS, giving a modern impression to a now responsive single-page application (SPA) website.
University of Auckland
2009 - 2010
Summer Research Student
I worked on a summer studentship research project at the University of Auckland. The objective was to investigate the risk of prostate cancer based on the patients’ genetic makeup and dietary intake. Findings were submitted to Discipline of Nutrition and Cancer Society of New Zealand at the University and presented at Nutrigenomics international conference.
School of Pharmacy
2009
APSA Webmaster
I established the new Auckland Pharmacy Students' Association (APSA) website in 2009 and was subsequently appointed as the association's webmaster. The major roles I undertook included website administration, liaison with the publication managers, and troubleshooting of technical issues that the association faced.
University of Auckland
2008 - 2009
Summer Research Student
My summer studentship research involved a project at the University of Auckland, in which the susceptibility of enlisted patients to glaucoma was investigated based on their genetic makeup. Findings were presented and accepted by the Department of Ophthalmology at the University.
University of Auckland
2007 - 2009
UALUG Webmaster
During the two-year tenure, I was the web designer and the webmaster for the University of Auckland Linux User Group website. My responsibility was to update the web pages as required.
Howick College
2006 - 2007
Ingham House Webmaster
I was the webmaster for the Ingham house, whereby I played a role in re-designing all the web pages and updating the website on a regular basis.

Contact

Available upon request
inbox [at] james.kiwi.nz
jameskst
Let's go for a bike ride

Essential Skills

HTML
CSS
Bootstrap
Foundation
Javascript
AJAX
NodeJS
AngularJS
PHP
C#
Entity Framework
LINQ
Java
SQL
Agile
Beginner
Proficient
Expert
Master

Life Skills

Pharmaceutical
Communication
Problem Solving
Public Speaking
Sense of Humour
Cycling
Badminton
Swimming
Cooking
Skiing
I see
I know something
Sure, let me explain
Legendary

Languages

English
Mandarin
Cantonese
Malay

Paper co-published

Karunasinghe N, Han D, Goudie M, Zhu S, Bishop K, Wang A, Duan H, Lange K, Ko S, Medhora R, Kan S, Masters J, Ferguson L. (2012) Prostate disease risk factors among a New Zealand cohort. J Nutrigenet Nutrigenomics 2012 (5), 339–351 | DOI: 10.1159/000346279

Hobbies

Road Cycling
Badminton
Toastmasters
Critical Thinking
Phenomenology

What am I doing these days?

I am developing a custom SQL query designer service that is targeted at pharmacy owners who wish to find out specific information about their business that is otherwise not available via the normal reporting function.

I am also developing a PHP / MySQL dynamic website complemented with a C# application for a pharmacy outlet based in New Zealand. The planning process involved coming up with wireframes, user stories, and UML diagrams, while the execution phase takes into account MVC and TDD during the development process. The major foundation work has been laid, with efforts now concentrated on refactoring the minor details.

When I am not messing around with coding, you can find me out cycling on the road in Hawkes Bay or doing a bit of cooking. On top of that, I recently cycled from Napier to Mahia (170km) in September, stayed a night there, and cycled back to Napier the next day!

Profile photo credit goes to Tsumei.com