This week marked an important achievement for our Faculty: we resumed our experiential learning rotations for fourth year PharmD students in a virtual, non-direct patient care format. Rotations had been paused since March 16 and since then many of our faculty and staff have been working tirelessly on how to safely restart rotations in a constantly changing environment.

Many students were able to be matched with a rotation in their stated top ten preferences and I was thrilled to see how many faculty members joined as new preceptors. Thank you to the Office of Experiential Education led by Marvin James and to everyone involved for your hard work and collaboration.

Good luck to those students embarking on your first rotation blocks! I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities with an open-mind and readiness to work in new ways.

Restarting onsite and contingency planning

As in many other areas of our lives, the restart and recovery process to be onsite at the university will be more complex and more gradual than the rapid shutdown phase in March. Many of us are eager to return to our building and our work and learning environments but ensuring the safety of our students, faculty and staff will continue to be the primary guiding principle of our planning efforts.   

Last week’s announcement from the Government of Ontario allowing certain businesses and workplaces to reopen mentioned colleges and universities. However, the announcement limits permission to essential construction projects at the university as long as they comply with strict public health measures and operate safely during the COVID-19 outbreak.  

A reminder that the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building remains open only for essential activities that have received authorization to continue onsite. Further information on the university planning will be provided as soon as it is available including opportunities for feedback on how we will implement the various processes facilitating the restart and recovery.

On Friday May 15 from 1-2:15pm there will be a meeting for all tenure appointed, teaching appointed and clinician scientists to discuss contingency planning issues. Please stay tuned for the meeting invitation.

Contingency planning committees and leads

  • NEW Operational contingency planning: Dean Lisa Dolovich; Tina Harvey-Kane, Director of Facilities Management, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

  • Research programs contingency planning: Stéphane Angers, Associate Dean of Research; Mike Folinas, Manager of Research Administration, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
  • Education programs contingency planning:  Sandra Bjelajac Mejia, Interim Director of Professional Programs; Lachmi Singh, Director of Education Programs & Administrative Services, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

Spring Convocation

As previously communicated, The University of Toronto will host a virtual ceremony to celebrate our graduates on Tuesday June 2, 2020 at 12:00 pm (EDT). Students who are graduating in June should visit the Office of Convocation web page for important information including a graduation checklist.

Faculty, staff and students are invited to watch our social media channels in lead-up to June 2 and on the day-of for special content celebrating our extraordinary students and those that help them along the path to success.

Next Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Live Webinar to feature May 21 @ 2pm

Assistant Professor Alison Thompson will host our next live webinar, A global challenge: how do we prioritize access to a COVID-19 vaccine?

As the public conversation about COVID-19 changes from one about what public health experts recommend to the tools we need for sustained recovery, the issues surrounding the global distribution of a yet-to-be created vaccine loom large. Register here

Past Webinars

The Faculty’s first live webinar related to COVID-19 research featuring Assistant Professor Keith Pardee titled “Responding to COVID-19: Fast tracking the development of new diagnostics” is available on our YouTube Channel. 

My thanks on behalf of the entire Faculty goes out to all those working on the front lines in pharmacy and other settings. 

I hope the weekend brings us all an opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy times with family and close ones.

Sincerely,

 

Lisa Dolovich
Dean
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
University of Toronto