Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

10/01/2026

“Through my future work, I hope to continue contributing to improving the healthcare system to better respond to the health needs of marginalized older adults.”

In our latest Faces of : Amanda Yee, a PhD student, is exploring how to optimize medication care for older adults experiencing homelessness to inform clinical practice and improve health outcomes. Working with Professor Lisa Dolovich, she brings together her interests in geriatric care and health equity, drawing on perspectives from people with lived experience to inform and strengthen her research.

📖 Read more:

PhD student Amanda Yee, working with Professor Lisa Dolovich, is exploring how to optimize medication care for older adults experiencing homelessness, with the goal of informing clinical practice and improving health outcomes.

09/29/2026

Congratulations to our 2025–26 Experiential Learning 1 (EL1) Preceptors of the Year! 🎉

These awards recognize six pharmacists for their exceptional teaching, mentorship and support during first-year students’ community pharmacy placements.

Over 160 hours, students take part in day-to-day pharmacy practice and begin applying what they’ve learned in the classroom to patient care. This year’s recipients help make that first experience a meaningful one.

Congratulations to:
🌟 Christopher Chan
🌟 George Hanna
🌟 Lisa Levine
🌟 John Cheng
🌟 Faiza Ahmad
🌟 Jamie Av (not pictured)

🔗 Learn more about this year’s recipients:

The student-nominated awards recognize six EL1 preceptors for their exceptional mentorship and support of PharmD students during their first community pharmacy placement.

09/28/2026

Our 2025–26 Dean’s Report is now live! 🎉

At a time of extraordinary change in pharmacy and health care, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto is meeting the moment with purpose and preparing for what comes next.

This year’s report celebrates the people and progress shaping our Faculty, from preparing the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists to advancing discoveries that improve lives and strengthening the partnerships that drive our impact.

Explore the stories, achievements and people behind a remarkable year at : https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/2025-2026-deans-report

09/25/2026

Induction day > graduation day > now.

💊 Pharmacy school changed my life. It’s not just the PharmD degree, but the “phamily” I built along the way.
Get involved, join clubs, & meet new people, because really, it’s a small world out there 🌎

Learn more about UofT’s 3-Year PharmD by hitting the link in bio 🔗

09/25/2026

September 25 is , a chance to celebrate the impact of pharmacists on health and health care around the world.

This year’s theme, “Empowering pharmacists for healthier futures,” recognizes the importance of giving pharmacists the support and opportunities they need to strengthen care.

Across our Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy community at the University of Toronto, we see that impact taking many forms, from supporting vaccination efforts and providing care in communities, to generating evidence that informs medication use and health policy, advancing new therapies and technologies, and educating the next generation of pharmacy leaders.

Today, we celebrate the pharmacists in our community and the many people whose work in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences is helping move science and health forward.

Happy World Pharmacists Day! 🌎 🎉

| International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP)

09/25/2026

09/25/2026

09/24/2026

“People who want to work in health care want to make a difference in people’s lives. I bring that perspective to every table, every government discussion, every conversation with a supplier so I can focus and fight for the right outcome that will help patients.”

Congratulations to Christine Donaldson, inaugural recipient of the Women in Leadership Alumni Award!

As president and CEO of HealthPRO Canada, Christine works with health system and government leaders to strengthen Canada’s health care supply chain and improve access to essential medicines. Grounded in her pharmacy education, she brings a patient-centred perspective to decisions affecting care across the country.

She also continues to mentor future pharmacists and inspire more women to pursue leadership roles.

Read more about Christine’s career and impact:

Women in Leadership Alumni Award recipient Christine Donaldson has centred patient care throughout a career spanning education, pharmacy management and national health care leadership.

09/23/2026

“As a pharmacist, I love to help patients on an individual level and provide them with the best care I can, but I’m also very excited to do work that impacts care for all patients through research and quality improvement.”

Congratulations to Erin Chung, recipient of the 2026 Emerging Leader in Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Award!

A therapeutic drug monitoring coordinator and neonatal intensive care unit pharmacist at SickKids, Erin combines clinical care with research to improve medication dosing for infants and children. Her research contributed to a precision dosing app now used at SickKids and helping to inform care at other hospitals.

Read more about Erin’s work:

Emerging Leader in Pharmaceutical Sciences Alumni Award recipient Erin Chung balances clinical care and research to improve precision dosing.

09/22/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Alumni Awards recipients! 🎉

Representing leadership across pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical sciences, health care, research, entrepreneurship and community service, this year’s recipients reflect the wide-reaching impact of our alumni within their professions and beyond.

This year also marks the introduction of two new award categories: the Women in Leadership Award and the Leadership in Entrepreneurship Award, recognizing alumni who are advancing outcomes for women and leading through innovation.

Learn more about our 2026 recipients and their achievements: https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/news-announcements/congratulations-2026-alumni-awards-recipients

09/21/2026

Congratulations to our 2025–26 EPE-2 Preceptors of the Year! 🎉

These student-nominated awards recognize preceptors who go above and beyond to provide exceptional teaching, mentorship and support during students’ experiential education.

Through placements in hospital and community pharmacy settings, this year’s recipients help students connect classroom learning to practice, build confidence and develop their clinical judgment.

Congratulations to:
🌟 Nadia Filippetto
🌟 Carrie Ng
🌟 Sabina Kapoor
🌟 Jenna Melanson
🌟 Eileen Liang
🌟 Justin Lee

🔗 Learn more about this year’s recipients:

The student-nominated awards recognize six preceptors for their exceptional commitment, mentorship and support of PharmD students during their experiential education.

09/15/2026

“It’s always been important to me to be involved with research that is meant to be used and have direct impact.”

For Hannah Girdler, pursuing a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences is an opportunity to bring her interests in global health and equity to emerging biomedical technologies.

Supervised by Professor Jillian Kohler, Hannah will contribute to the Mitochondrial Innovation Initiative, a University of Toronto led collaboration working to advance mitochondrial health. Her research will examine policies that can support public trust and equitable global access to new health technologies.

Read more about Hannah’s path to pharmaceutical sciences: https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/news-announcements/incoming-phd-student-brings-equity-lens-emerging-biomedical-technologies

Hannah Girdler, with supervisor Jillian Kohler, brings background in global health and equity to study public trust and accessibility.

09/14/2026

“During the early years of my undergraduate degree, I didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to do. The work placements allowed me to explore different fields and learn what kinds of things I like. It helped me to realize that I really liked working in a lab, doing research, and being responsible for a project.”

For Yanni Li, undergraduate co-op experiences helped turn uncertainty about her future into a passion for pharmaceutical research.

Now pursuing a master’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences under the supervision of Associate Professor Carolyn Cummins, Yanni is studying how plaque forms in blood vessels, with the goal of identifying new ways to help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Read more about Yanni’s journey: https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/news-announcements/undergraduate-work-placement-inspires-student-pursue-pharmaceutical-science

Lab experience helped Yanni Li uncover her passion for research, which she is now pursuing through a master’s degree at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

09/11/2026

“I think it’s really exciting to know that I’ll have an education that allows me to move between industry, hospital, community, or even teaching. There are many places to go as you grow as a person throughout your pharmacy career.”

Just a few weeks into the three-year program, Daniel Della Rossa (2T9) is already looking ahead to the many directions his pharmacy education could take him.

A recipient of a Dean’s Admission Scholarship, Daniel was drawn to pharmacy’s expanding scope of practice and the opportunity to combine his interests in science, research and patient care. While he currently has his sights set on hospital pharmacy, he is excited to explore new possibilities as he learns and grows alongside the profession.

Read more about Daniel’s journey: https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/news-announcements/pharmd-student-finds-right-combination-science-patient-care-and-opportunity-leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy

Daniel Della Rossa begins his PharmD journey with an open mind, a passion for patient care, and an eagerness to grow alongside the profession.

09/11/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Professors of the Year! 🎉

As voted by our and PharmD for Pharmacists students, these awards recognize and celebrate excellence in teaching.

⭐ Class of 2T7: Henry Halapy
⭐ Class of 2T8: Andrea Swanson
⭐ Class of 2T8-3Y: Jennifer Lake
⭐ PharmD for Pharmacists: Scott Walker

🔗 Read more about this year's recipients ⬇️

Four professors at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy have been chosen as the 2025 Professors of the Year.

09/10/2026

“Why not take the step when what I’ve dreamed of is within grasp?”

For PharmD student Farin Liravi (2T9), that step meant overcoming self-doubt to pursue her longtime goal of studying at the University of Toronto.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo, Farin gained research experience related to antimicrobial resistance, volunteered in community pharmacies and became involved in student leadership. These experiences strengthened her interest in pharmacy and helped prepare her to take the next step.

In August, Farin began the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy's three-year program with a Dean’s Admission Scholarship and a new mindset about embracing challenges and believing in herself.

Read more about Farin’s journey: https://www.pharmacy.utoronto.ca/news-announcements/incoming-pharmd-student-embraces-positive-mindset-tackle-fears

Farin Liravi found the confidence to move beyond self-doubt and pursue her dream of studying pharmacy at U of T.

09/09/2026

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Joseph Brown who has received a Connaught New Researcher Award from the University of Toronto.

The award will support a project to develop a self-driving lab that combines artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics to identify antimicrobial peptides with therapeutic potential.

By accelerating how candidate peptides are designed and tested, the research could help identify peptides for use in novel antimicrobials against gram-negative bacteria, which are often highly resistant to antibiotics.

Read more:

Funding will support Brown lab’s flagship project developing self-driving lab to identify potential antimicrobial peptides.

09/09/2026

Associate Professor Bowen Li joined Lindsey Deluce on CTV Your Morning to discuss his team’s breakthrough tRNA research and its potential to lead to new treatments for thousands of genetic diseases.

Watch the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57VxFtx2KI

University of Toronto |

Researchers at the University of Toronto have made an exciting brea...

09/09/2026

Meet Suman and Alexa, this year’s PSGSA co-presidents, and find out how well they really know each other! 🤩

09/08/2026

And just like that, we’re back. 🤩

Welcome to our new and returning , and PharmD for Pharmacists students!

Wishing everyone a great start to the fall term! 💙

08/26/2026

New findings from Canada’s Drug Agency - L'Agence des médicaments du Canada's Appropriate Use Key Topics Initiative are helping identify priority medication-use issues with the potential to make a meaningful impact on Canada’s health system over the next five years.

Developed in partnership with deprescribing.org, the work was authored by Associate Professor Lisa McCarthy, with Wade Thompson, Alexa Muir and Christine Rodriguez.

Read more ⬇

Our Appropriate Use Program – in partnership with deprescribing.org – is pleased to share findings from its Appropriate Use Key Topics Initiative, which aimed to develop a prioritized list of topics related to the appropriate use of prescription medications in Canada.

The initiative was undertaken in 2 phases:

• Through a targeted Environmental Scan and consultations with a pan-Canadian Appropriate Use Topics Discussion Group, we identified a comprehensive list of 25 key topics related to the appropriate use of prescription medications across all care settings.
• Building on this work, a modified Delphi process was undertaken with a multidisciplinary panel of experts to prioritize the topics based on their relative importance within primary and long-term care settings.
• Topics ranked most important, included antihyperglycemics, antimicrobial resistance, antipsychotic use among older adults, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, opioid misuse and overuse, prescription stimulants, and polypharmacy.

Findings from the Appropriate Use Key Topics Initiative will help inform our future work in appropriate use and support other organizations with priority setting in this area.

• Review the Environmental Scan report:https://www.cda-amc.ca/sites/default/files/corporate/corp_committees/Expert_Panel-Appropriate_Use/AU_Key_Topics_Initiative_Environmental_Scan_Report.pdf
• Review the modified Delphi process report:https://www.cda-amc.ca/sites/default/files/corporate/corp_committees/Expert_Panel-Appropriate_Use/AU_Key_Topics_Initiative_Topic_Prioritization_Report.pdf
• Learn more about appropriate use: https://www.cda-amc.ca/background

--

Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer, dans le cadre de notre programme d’utilisation appropriée mené en partenariat avec deprescribing.org, les conclusions de notre initiative visant à dresser une liste hiérarchisée des principaux thèmes liés à l’utilisation appropriée des médicaments d’ordonnance au Canada.
Cette initiative s’est déroulée en deux phases :

· Après avoir mené une analyse de l’environnement ciblée et consulté un groupe de discussion pancanadien sur les thèmes liés à l’utilisation appropriée des médicaments d’ordonnance, nous avons dressé une liste exhaustive de 25 thèmes principaux relatifs à l’utilisation appropriée des médicaments d’ordonnance dans tous les milieux de soins.
· Dans la foulée de ces travaux, une méthode Delphi modifiée a été utilisée par un groupe d’expertise pluridisciplinaire afin de hiérarchiser les thèmes en fonction de leur importance relative dans les milieux de soins primaires et de soins de longue durée.
· Parmi les thèmes jugés les plus importants figuraient les antihyperglycémiques, la résistance aux antimicrobiens, l’utilisation des antipsychotiques chez les personnes âgées, les agonistes du récepteur du peptide-1 de type glucagon, le mésusage et la surutilisation d’opioïdes, les stimulants vendus sur ordonnance et la polypharmacie.

Les conclusions de l’initiative contribueront à orienter nos travaux futurs en matière d’utilisation appropriée, et aideront d’autres organisations à définir leurs propres priorités dans ce domaine.

• Pour consulter le rapport d’analyse de l’environnement : https://www.cda-amc.ca/sites/default/files/corporate/corp_committees/Expert_Panel-Appropriate_Use/AU_Key_Topics_Initiative_Environmental_Scan_Report.pdf.
• Pour consulter le rapport sur la méthode Delphi modifiée : https://www.cda-amc.ca/sites/default/files/corporate/corp_committees/Expert_Panel-Appropriate_Use/AU_Key_Topics_Initiative_Topic_Prioritization_Report.pdf.
• Pour en savoir plus sur l’utilisation appropriée : https://www.cda-amc.ca/fr/utilisation-appropriee.

08/21/2026

Best wishes, 2T9s! 💙✨ Go make it a year to remember.

08/17/2026

Welcome to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, PharmD Class of 2T9! 💙

We’re passing the mic to some of the faculty and staff you’ll get to know during your first few weeks.

We’re so glad you’re here. Here’s to an exciting first week and the start of what’s ahead!

 

08/14/2026

For 10 weeks, four undergraduate students from across Canada joined research teams at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy through the Amgen Scholars Canada Program at the University of Toronto, gaining hands-on experience while exploring graduate studies and careers in science.

From Huntington’s disease and gene therapeutics to eye disease and the use of virtual reality simulation in medication safety and education, this year’s scholars contributed to research across a diverse range of fields.

Along the way, they built research and professional skills, connected with fellow scholars and researchers, and attended the National Amgen Scholars Program Symposium at Harvard University.

Read more:

Amgen program provides undergraduate students with opportunities to explore graduate studies and science careers.

08/11/2026

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Jaris Swidrovich, who has been named one of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ 2026 Emerging Leaders in Health Sciences.

This national recognition celebrates emerging leaders whose talent, innovation and impact are helping shape the future of health sciences in Canada.

A Two-Spirit member of Yellow Quill First Nation, Assistant Professor Swidrovich is a pharmacist and scholar whose work advances Indigenous health and health sciences through education, research and policy. They are also the founder of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada and a leader in advancing reconciliation, cultural safety and Indigenous excellence across the profession.

“I'm deeply honoured to be recognized as a CAHS Emerging Leader. This recognition reflects the many mentors, collaborators, students, and Indigenous communities who have shaped my journey. It motivates me to continue advancing Indigenous-led research, education, and policy that strengthens health systems and creates opportunities for future generations.”

Congratulations, Assistant Professor Swidrovich!

Read more: https://cahs-acss.ca/2026-emerging-leaders-selection-2026-des-chefs-de-files-emergents/