2023-2024 Dean's Report

Championing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 

Creating a learning and working environment that fosters belonging and enables students, faculty, and staff to achieve their full potential is fundamental to our individual and collective progress. Reflecting on the past year, our dedication to advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) has enriched our faculty community and the broader healthcare and research landscape 

Sandra Bjelajac Mejia, associate professor (teaching stream), and Lachmi Singh, director of academic programs, planning, and quality assurance at U of T’s Office of the Vice-Provost Academic Programs, launched PharmPath, a program designed to help high school students from underrepresented communities learn about career paths in pharmacy.  

Through a week-long research exploration opportunity organized by the Research Office and STEM Fellowship, high school students were introduced to a new world of possibilities. For many, it was their first time in a university-based lab.

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We were immersed in the world of research, gaining hands-on experience and exploring various facets of scientific inquiry. From touring first-class research facilities to attending lectures and participating in experiments using state-of-the-art equipment, every moment was a step closer to understanding the exciting field of research.

Saniyah Farzeen, Program Participant and Highschool Senior, Don Mills Collegiate Institute

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The Research Office continues to engage faculty, staff, and trainees in the Research Rendezvous initiative. Under the leadership of Associate Professor Sara Guilcher, Academic Lead—Research Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, the initiative is dedicated to identifying growth opportunities and ways to further support EDI in our research environments, operations, and the research we lead.  

Assistant Professor and Indigenous engagement lead Jaris Swidrovich’s research on PrEP has improved knowledge and access to care among Indigenous Peoples, addressing health disparities. The study's results will be implemented directly in the community, working with pharmacists and organizations to enhance HIV preventive care and PrEP access. 

Significantly, our faculty has sought ways to close gaps in transgender healthcare through targeted resources and provider training. Alice Tseng, associate professor (status) and HIV pharmacotherapy specialist at Toronto General Hospital, is leading a clinical trial on drug interactions in trans women living with HIV. The study aims to build evidence on the effective use of newer antiretroviral regimens alongside gender-affirming therapy.  

As Canada’s top-ranked pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences faculty and among the top in the world, we are dedicated to continuous improvement in all aspects of our work—whether in education, research, or operations. Our commitment to excellence fuels our progress, ensuring we meet our goals and deliver on our promise to move science and health. 

This year, we have focused on renewing our PharmD curriculum, with a new three-year program set to start in fall 2025.  This immense, Faculty-wide effort will enable us to build on the strengths of our existing curriculum while also allowing us to leverage emerging education best practices, anticipate future health innovations, and help address province-wide health human resource shortages.  

Over the last year, we have seen a significant expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice in Ontario. Jurisdictions nationwide continue to look to pharmacy professionals for sustainable solutions to building capacity and quality across healthcare. In September, we announced Kathy Vu, Associate Professor – Teaching Stream, as Director of Continuous Professional Development at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, who is building new education programs for practicing pharmacists.

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With a sharpened focus on lifelong learning and the expanding role of pharmacists in healthcare, we are well positioned to offer new programs that will help shape the future of our profession and industry.

Kathy Vu, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream and Director, Continuous Professional Development

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Our students and trainees continue to broaden the scope of their work by presenting their research internationally, showcasing the innovative projects emerging from our program and highlighting our commitment to global academic engagement. 

As part of our atrium revitalization project this spring, the Discovery Pharmacy has a new and improved space on the main floor of our building. Now open and serving the U of T community, this flagship location offers experiential education opportunities for students, prescription services, vaccinations, consultations for common ailments, and interdisciplinary health services. We look forward to our grand opening on September 25, 2024. 

We also welcomed four new faculty members to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy who each bring unique expertise that will enhance and expand our education and research efforts: 

• Jennifer Lake, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream 

• Yufeng Zhao, Assistant Professor – Status, Biomolecular Sciences 

• Lisa McCarthy, Associate Professor, Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences 

• Tim Corson, Professor, Biomolecular Sciences

• Rachel Harding, Assistant Professor Biomolecular Sciences

We’ve seen transformative advancements in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research in the past year. Our focus on AI and automation has driven significant progress and paved the way for exciting future innovations. 

The appointment of GSK chairs—Anna Taddio, professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and senior associate scientist at SickKids, as the GSK Chair in Vaccine Education and Practice-Oriented Tools, and Bowen Li, assistant professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Canada Research Chair in RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics, as the GSK Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery—will advance drug delivery research and enhance vaccine education tools for healthcare professionals. 

Our faculty are also leading in the rapidly evolving fields of nanomedicine and microfluidics. From being used to deliver mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 and targeted cancer therapies, it seems like the potential applications of nanomedicine are limitless. 

However, to fully realize the potential of nanomedicine, scientists need research tools that help them study nanoparticles in a more accurate model. In response, the field of microfluidics—in which tiny amounts of fluid are studied in specialized devices—is growing and allowing researchers to tackle new challenges in fields including medicine, engineering, and pharmacy.   

Hagar Labouta, Assistant Professor - Status, works at the intersection of nanomedicine and microfluidics at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Institute of Biomedical Engineering. Her team uses organ-on-a-chip technology – 3D organ tissue models in a small microfluidic device that mimics human physiology – to understand how nanoparticles interact with their environments in a realistic model. The goal is to design new therapies to help underserved populations, specifically pregnant people.

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For nanomedicine to reach its full potential, we need to have a better understanding of how nanoparticles behave in inherent biological environments, not just when they are separated from the biological environment.

Hagar Labouta, Assistant Professor - Status, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

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I'm Pharmacy Podcast on Innovation

This year’s season of the I’m Pharmacy Podcast focused on the stages of innovation and, importantly, explored what we must and should consider as we create this new future with innovations. Season 4 Episode 6, investigated the ethics of access, probing into who truly owns innovation and whether alternative ways exist to incentivize groundbreaking advancements. Featured guests included Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Associate Professor Alison Thompson and Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Assistant Professor Quinn Grundy.

Our Faculty continues to make meaningful progress in our commitment to building leadership, wellness, and community. We were also profoundly impacted by international events and the protests that took place across our city and campuses. The University is now looking ahead to healing and moving forward together. 

As President Meric Gertler said in his message to the U of T community on July 5, 2024: 

“Members of the U of T community have shared a wide range of views with me and with members of the administration since the encampment began. Some of our colleagues and students have been left feeling frustrated or unwelcome. In the months ahead, we will work to address these harms and find healing in the longer term.” 

Pharmacy Changemakers: New alumni engagement series 

While tensions were high across campus, we also found ways to build connection and community. Launching the Pharmacy Changemakers series offered Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy alumni a valuable platform to connect, explore career paths, and share their experiences. 

Mike Sullivan, CEO and co-founder of Cubic Health, began his term as the 2023-24 Leader-in-Residence, bringing essential business and entrepreneurship insights to our students. His role highlighted the increasing demand for pharmacists in leadership positions as the profession evolves and adapts to new challenges.

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“Pharmacy students and pharmacists have terrific technical skills and competencies, and it’s not a big stretch to feel more comfortable in other areas. I’d like more students to feel like leadership, management, and entrepreneurship can be a path for them. Leadership is for everybody, not just those who fit the stereotype of being extroverted and confident. Some of the best leaders are more introverted, humble, empathetic, and flexible.”

Mike Sullivan, CEO and co-founder of Cubic Health and 2023-24 Leader-in-Residence 
 

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On August 11, we welcomed MPP and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Robin Martin who met with students, teaching faculty, and scientists to learn more about how pharmacists are trained and exciting new research underway in pharmaceuticals sciences. 

“Jurisdictions across Canada have been moving quickly to take advantage of pharmacist training and expertise to broaden pharmacist scope and improve access to and quality of care,” said Lisa Dolovich, pharmacist and Dean of U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “Innovative and future-oriented health education and research programs are crucial to improving health care and meeting patient needs.” 

Held at the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the fifth-annual PRiME symposium, titled “New Frontiers in Precision Medicine: Unleashing the Potential,” featured a diverse lineup of speakers from academia and industry, emphasizing our commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing precision medicine.

We also celebrated milestones like Theodora Udounwa’s convocation as the youngest PharmD graduate. Having navigated global challenges and cultural transitions, she encourages her peers to embrace the journey ahead with grace. Additionally, the Ontario Pharmacy Evidence Network’s decade of research continues to drive system-wide improvements in patient care and pharmacy practice. The 2023 OPEN Summit highlighted the network's ongoing contributions to research and practice innovation. 

This year, the administrative team for the PharmD for Pharmacists program received a prestigious U of T award for implementing FlightPath, an innovative digital tool that addresses time-consuming and outdated systems for tracking student progress. that enriches the educational experience, showcasing our dedication to integrating technology meaningfully. 

The appointment of Assistant Professor Mina Tadrous as a new Canada Research Chair in Real World Evidence and Pharmaceutical Policy highlights the potential of leveraging big data and digital technology to better understand the safety and effectiveness of medications used by patients in real-world conditions. Real-world evidence is becoming increasingly important in making decisions about pharmaceutical and health technology policies, particularly when data from clinical trials is limited or unavailable.  

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This appointment is a great support to my work studying pharmaceutical policy and using big data to look at the real-world evidence behind the policy implications, safety and effectiveness of drugs to better support policy decisions.

Mina Tadrous,
Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Real World Evidence and Pharmaceutical Policy  

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Clinical pharmacist and MScPhm trainee Madelynn Hannah's exploration of TikTok as a platform for disseminating medication information demonstrates the evolving role of digital media in healthcare communication. 

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Our patients are telling us that they are looking up medications on the app, which obviously piques my interest as a pharmacist who is supposed to provide information on medications to these patients. I became really curious about what my patients are actually seeing on the app when they search for information about their medications.

Madelynn Hannah,
Inaugural Fellow in Paediatric Psychopharmacology in the Garry Hurvitz Centre for Brain & Mental Health
at The Hospital for Sick Children and MScPhm trainee. 
 

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New research led by Associate Professor Sara Guilcher found that certain features of e-prescribing software are key in reducing errors and deviations from opioid prescription guidelines. Positive outcomes of using e-prescribing also have the potential to extend more broadly to health systems and administration. But there is a major gap in the literature: how to effectively implement e-prescribing systems in a way that addresses the concerns that physicians may have about integrating new technology into their practices and workflows.  

And what role can professional regulators play in addressing wicked problems like climate change? Professor Zubin Austin received international recognition from the Journal of Medical Regulation for a commentary focused on the role of regulators in addressing a variety of wicked problems. Co-authored by Aly Háji, a lawyer and pharmacist, Regulation of Wicked Problems: Opportunities, Responsibilities, and Threats was selected by the journal’s editorial board to receive the 2023 JMR Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing, which was presented at the Federation of State Medical Boards’ annual meeting. 

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As citizens, professionals, and regulators who are interested in the safety of the public, we all have to start addressing climate change. One of the ways is through climate-conscious practice. Well-intentioned individual efforts to reduce carbon impacts have minimal impact, so this is where regulators can have a role in this wicked problem.

Professor Zubin Austin, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy 

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Five research projects were awarded funding through the recently established Network for Improving Health Systems (NIHS) to study how pharmacists can better support Canada’s overburdened healthcare system. The projects, which represent a partnership between U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, are being funded through the New Initiative and Innovation Awards.  

" I am thrilled to see the broad range of research being funded through these awards, as a result of the collaboration between our two schools. From evaluating prescription services to developing options for pharmacies to become more sustainable, and supporting mental health and addiction services, I’m confident that the research being done across these areas and faculties will impact public health, public health services, and pharmaceutical practices", says France Gagnon, acting dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

• Five new research projects to study pharmacists’ role in health care system 

• What can professional regulators do about society’s biggest problems?  

Students and Learners

Office of Experiential Education

Advancement and Alumni Relations

Alumni

Media Engagement

Research By The Numbers