Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy expands Discovery Pharmacy: Construction underway for new space and atrium revitalization

Image: Artist rendering of the proposed Discovery Pharmacy space. (Arcadis IBI Group)

Construction for a new Discovery Pharmacy space is underway in the atrium of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building. The Faculty is also revitalizing the building’s atrium to provide comfortable and functional furniture for studying, socializing, or for patients waiting for an appointment or prescription.

As part of U of T’s on-campus healthcare services, the Discovery Pharmacy officially opened in 2022 in a smaller space on the Faculty’s third floor. The pharmacy is fully accredited by the Ontario College of Pharmacists. It provides prescription medication services and professional pharmacy services, including medication consultations, vaccinations, minor illness prescriptions, and opioid overdose prevention training. These services are provided to the U of T community, including faculty, staff, and students.

In addition to providing much-needed health services, the Discovery Pharmacy is also an experiential education site for pharmacy students. Students learn alongside practising pharmacists in an active clinical setting based in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building. Pharmacists and students also undertake research projects to evaluate and improve their services and the broader profession, including evaluating a student-led vaccination clinic and a student-led naloxone training program.

“Pharmacy's role has evolved beyond medication dispensing, as healthcare organizations strive to build modern and integrated systems that optimize medication use for health improvement.”

“Pharmacy's role has evolved beyond medication dispensing, as healthcare organizations strive to build modern and integrated systems that optimize medication use for health improvement,” says Lisa Dolovich, professor and dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “Ontario pharmacists now engage in a broad range of patient-centered clinical activities across various healthcare settings, and the Discovery Pharmacy is helping to prepare future pharmacists while providing high-quality care to the U of T community.”

The new Discovery Pharmacy space will be modular and adaptable to a range of education and clinical activities. A central retail and interaction area will also be used as a learning and teaching space and for larger-scale seasonal vaccine clinics. Consultation rooms that support patient privacy during appointments are also part of the design. Once the new space opens, it will be the hub for pharmacist-patient interactions while the current Discovery Pharmacy space on the Faculty building’s third floor will be maintained as the pharmacy dispensary, separating the clinical and technical practice of pharmacy.

“It’s exciting to start this next phase of the Discovery Pharmacy taking off. This new physical space will support our mission to innovate and advance practice, which will lay the foundation for present and future collaborative care,” says Jonathan Nhan, pharmacist lead at the Discovery Pharmacy. “This space will inspire new thinking and approaches to provide accessible and sustainable healthcare to our community.”

Revitalized atrium space

An architectural icon in Toronto, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy building sits at the northwest corner of College and Queen’s Park, a gateway to U of T’s St. George campus that also connects the university to Toronto’s renowned Discovery District.

“The goal of renewing and refreshing the space is to offer more opportunities for connections, collaboration, and learning beyond traditional classroom settings.”

“The main floor atrium is the first experience people have when entering our unique building,” says Dolovich. “The goal of renewing and refreshing the space is to offer more opportunities for connections, collaboration, and learning beyond traditional classroom settings. This refresh will create a welcoming, exciting, and comfortable space.”

Plantings and the addition of a rich color palette will enliven the atrium. They will be carefully incorporated into the design, infusing the space with natural beauty and contributing to a healthier atmosphere. The design will ensure that the space remains flexible and can be reconfigured to support student club events, presentations and announcements, and larger Faculty events.

The project team expects construction to be completed in late spring 2024. Re-opening plans will be shared once construction is complete.

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