EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is in a unique position at the University of Toronto. As the only Faculty of Pharmacy in Ontario, we are an integral part of our profession’s historical roots and developments, and an inextricable link to the people of this province. Thereby we have significant opportunities and great responsibilities to develop and deliver leading-edge academic programs, to make these programs accessible to increased numbers of qualified students, to advance the practice of pharmacy to meet evolving needs, and to make significant contributions to the discovery and dissemination of pharmaceutical knowledge. The Faculty has been successful in its educational endeavors and, over the past 5 years, has seized opportunities that allow for educational program expansion and faculty increase. With increased faculty numbers we have been able to increase our undergraduate enrolment by >50%, with a further increase planned for 2005, resulting in a doubling of the number of students since 1998. Our undergraduate professional programs (B.Sc.Phm. and post-baccalaureate Pharm.D.) are strong and considered among the best in our country. Although they are also competitive with the better U.S. programs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to compare our programs with theirs because the U.S. schools have now all converted to an entry-level Pharm.D. program – i.e., the bachelors programs no longer exist. One of the primary differences between their entry-level Pharm.D. and our B.Sc.Phm. program is in the clerkship programs. Our post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. differs from entry-level in that it provides practicing pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to be advanced practitioners. The Faculty has also taken major steps over the past 5 years in its research and graduate programs. Our numbers of graduate faculty and students have increased substantially since our last strategic plan, and our graduate program was recently rated as ‘Good Quality’. Graduate student numbers have increased significantly since 1998. In the 1998-99 academic term there were 25 Ph.D. and 41 M.Sc. students registered. As of October 2003, there are 63 Ph.D. and 50 M.Sc. students. A recent report by the VicePresident, Research, indicates that Pharmacy researchers attract more research dollars per FTE faculty than any other Faculty on campus. We have increased our interdisciplinary research. One notable factor has been the development of the Molecular Design and Information Technology Centre. With funding from OIT and in-kind support by Tripos and SGI, this $7 million supercomputing centre is now a reality. The pharmacy group of researchers now has a facility that allows for interaction with researchers in Medicine, the Department of Chemistry, the teaching hospitals, and others outside the University of Toronto. What are our plans for the future? Within this strategic planning period, we will take resolute steps to maintain our leading role in Pharmacy in North America as measured by research, education and breadth of its programs. The highlights are as follows:
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New research initiatives in the future will include a major expansion of research in medicinal chemistry through additional hires and the development of various interdisciplinary programs that build on the concepts of drug discovery. We will also launch a major emphasis in the area of clinical pharmacy that is focused on patientoriented drug therapy outcomes. New educational efforts in the future will include a part-time program for the postbaccalaureate Pharm.D. program. A similar program will be introduced in our graduate department for individuals wishing to pursue a flextime Ph.D. Furthermore, we have our sights set on changing our B.Sc.Phm. degree to an entry-level Pharm.D. curriculum and on developing a new program framework that sets a quality standard for pharmacy education in Canada. In conjunction with this, we are also considering companion programs for practicing pharmacists wishing to upgrade their B.Sc.Phm. degree. To strategically increase our contact with alumni, the profession, the scientific community and the public, we plan to increase our outreach by establishing an Office of Continuing Education and an Office of Communication. Following a thorough process of self-study and strategic planning, we believe that we have responded to the Stepping UP directives by addressing the key priorities. The Faculty has identified three Goals which relate to our Mission and that of the University. Goal 1: 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 To be an internationally recognized pre-eminent center for innovation and discovery in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences. We plan to create a pharmacy-led drug design/medicinal chemistry platform for interdisciplinary research and education. We plan to establish clinical/pharmacy practice research within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. We plan to strengthen and sustain new and existing interdisciplinary collaborative platforms, both pharmacy-initiated and partner-initiated. We plan to develop the Institute for Drug Research (IDR) interdisciplinary platform. We plan to examine our graduate department in an attempt to realign the OCGS fields to more accurately reflect the research mission of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and to pursue new, sustainable sources of stipends for graduate students. We plan to establish a flextime Ph.D. program. We plan to streamline research processes in order to facilitate faculty and their research programs.
1.6 1.7
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Goal 2:
To lead the nation in offering the most innovative and leading-edge educational programs in pharmacy, making these programs accessible to a greater number of qualified applicants. We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning. We plan to replace our B.Sc.Phm program and develop a new entry-level Pharm.D. curricular framework that sets a quality standard (benchmark) for pharmacy education in Canada. In conjunction with the entry-level Pharm.D., we plan to develop companion programs for alumni, practicing pharmacists, and students who will be enrolled in the Faculty during the transition. We plan to develop post-Pharm.D. fellowships and specialized residency programs that will create advanced practitioners when the current postbaccalaureate Pharm.D. degree is unavailable due to the transition to an entry-level degree. We plan to establish a Co-op Year for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry stream of the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (a joint program with the Faculty of Arts and Science). We plan to explore the possibility of establishing a satellite campus for our professional program. To broaden and strengthen relationships with alumni, industry and the pharmacy community. We plan to provide leadership and innovation in education that will benefit pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice, and the public. We plan to position our Faculty as an authoritative voice in matters pertaining to pharmacy education and practice, the pharmaceutical sciences and the profession of pharmacy.
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
2.5 2.6 Goal 3: 3.1 3.2
Our strategic plan meets the criteria outlined for AIF funding. Briefly, our first Goal provides a number of opportunities for enhancing interdisciplinarity. Student experience will be enhanced through a number of the items listed under our second Goal and we will be connecting the University with the broader community through terms of public policy and outreach through initiatives outlined in Goal 3. INTRODUCTION Our Self-Study documentation revealed a number of opportunities for the Stepping UP strategic planning exercise. Our challenge is to be a leader among the world’s best public teaching and research universities in discovery, preservation and sharing of knowledge through teaching and research and a commitment to excellence and equity. If the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is to be a leader what are some of the issues that must be addressed? It is a fact that we do have an excellent program. An external review stated:
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“the current undergraduate program is extremely strong and could, indeed be viewed in the top one or two programs in Canada; the Toronto program would likely be extremely competitive to the better U.S. schoolsi (at least to the point of completion of comparable clerkship programs). The Pharm.D. program is also strong and meets the expectation of an effective program”. What makes the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy different from our peer institutions and what should our next steps include? A comparison with the top five U.S.ii and two of our Canadian research intensive schoolsiii indicates Toronto has the largest undergraduate student body, yet the lowest number of tenure faculty, thus more students/FTE. While our numbers of tenure faculty (25.5) are slightly lower than Montreal and British Columbia, they are significantly behind the top American counterparts. They have faculty numbers ranging between 60 and 80+. None of these schools have the undergraduate enrolment of Toronto. While we are fortunate to have a number of well trained practicing pharmacy clinicians in our teaching hospitals, our accreditation report suggests this may not be the best means of delivering our program: “A vital component of the undergraduate program is the structured practical experience program. Fundamental to the success of this component of the program is a solid core of clinical pharmacy/practice-based faculty. The Faculty has been effective in developing and maintaining a quality offering, with the current enrolment (120/per year at the time of this report) using non-tenure practice faculty. With the proposed expanded enrolment, there will be a greater strain if quality is to be maintained. In turn, there will be a much higher demand for qualified practice faculty. Efforts should be made to facilitate the recruitment and retention of qualified practice faculty. This would be more readily achieved by offering tenure-track appointments”. If we are going to maintain our position as one of the best pharmacy faculties, we must increase our tenure-track clinical pharmacy/practice-based appointments. The tenure track faculty could then collaborate with pharmacy clinician/researchers in the hospitals and other health care facilities creating a significant cluster which would increase our practice research portfolio. Our undergraduate program, according to external reviewers, is strong yet it is difficult to compare with the U.S. programs since they are all entry-level, Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs. Included in their programs is more clinical experiential training and more elective offerings. A limitation of our current program is the fact it is highly structured, with little flexibility, and students have little opportunity to select elective
Comparison with the international schools of pharmacy, other than the United States is not relevant since pharmacy practice and curricula are significantly different ii Top US schools: University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), Purdue University, University of Texas, Ohio State University and University of Michigan iii Canadian research intensive pharmacy schools: Montreal and British Columbia
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courses that are relevant to their personal interests in the profession or narrower fields of study in a chosen discipline. Changes, such as these, are difficult to incorporate into the current B.Sc.Phm. program since there is a need to include Arts and Science building blocks within the first year, leaving little time for alternatives. In this strategic plan we are suggesting that we explore the development of an entry-level Pharm.D. program. An external review, by Speedie and Hill, reported our excellent B.Sc.Phm. program would be in a position to transition into a patient-focused generalist Pharm.D. program. Our program is strongly grounded in the goal of optimizing use of medications through the pharmaceutical care model of practice. This model reflects the contemporary template to pharmacy practice and education. A change to the entry-level Pharm.D. at the University of Toronto would require attention to faculty hires within the clinical/pharmacy practice area, as discussed above. The demand for our full-time post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program has decreased substantially. Several contributing factors are responsible for this decline, not the least of which is the fact that the U.S. schools have developed part-time programs which allow practicing pharmacists the opportunity to upgrade their degree to the Pharm.D. Our ebased, part-time program will begin in September 2004. The number of applications for this part-time program has been encouraging and should provide stable funding for this program and perhaps other initiatives within the strategic plan. At the present time, the demand for pharmacists is significant. Due to manpower demands, pharmacies are experiencing difficulty in hiring adequate numbers of qualified pharmacists. They, in turn, face the daily pressures of prescription volumes and the lack of time to provide essential direct patient care. Our Faculty contributed up to 40% of those who received their provincial license in 1990 and 1995. In 2002, this percentage had decreased to 30%. Recognizing an urgent need, we sought solutions and ultimately developed the International Pharmacy Graduate (IPG) program through provincial government support. This exemplary program has provided education modules, which assist in raising the competency levels of foreign pharmacy graduates, before they apply for licensure in Ontario. It is considered a model for other provinces and even other professions. We plan to continue with this program which may provide some financial support for other strategic initiatives. The Faculty is also exploring the possibility of a satellite school to increase the number of graduates in Ontario. Our graduate program recently received a ‘good quality’ rating. We have more Ph.D. students than either the University of Montreal or the University of British Columbia. In fact, since 1998, we have more than doubled the number of Ph.D. students. Funding, for our graduate students, however, is an issue as our numbers continue to increase. Our international student numbers are currently low and this, as well as a number of other minor issues, is being addressed. Our last external review indicated: “an increased focus on Ph.D. training is desirable. The M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in the pharmaceutical sciences will need to increase their productivity, especially of Ph.D. graduates, in order to compete with the best of their kind
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offered in Canada and North America. Productivity should be increased by increasing the faculty complement”. While the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is not departmentalized, the faculty numbers and complexity of programs has reached a critical stage and Divisionalization may be warranted. For the successful fostering of clinical pharmacy practice and research, a Division of Pharmacy Practice may be an appropriate mechanism to champion this goal with a Division Head reporting to the Dean. Other Divisions may also offer advantages in promoting the research interests of the faculty. A successful Faculty must have adequate administrative support staff to ensure optimal functioning of the unit. Pharmacy spends fewer staff dollars/FTE than the Faculties of Nursing, Dentistry or Medicine. Recognizing our significant increase in enrolment and the importance of student experience “beyond the classroom”, we must maintain a high level of student services through strategic support staff hires. There is also a need for adequate support staff for the research activities within the Faculty. MEETING THE CRITERIA Our strategic initiatives address the criteria of the Academic Initiatives Fund, as outlined in the May 7, 2004 memorandum from the Vice-President and Provost, Vivek Goel, and are addressed on page 28. STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS Faculty, staff, and professional association representatives met on two separate occasions (full-day sessions) to discuss strategic initiatives in relation to the ‘Stepping UP’ document. An additional two half-day meetings with graduate faculty and graduate students and numerous sub-committee meetings over the last several months supplemented these sessions. A Strategic Planning Committee met on a bi-weekly basis to refine the goals and objectives identified by the faculty at large. While it was difficult to include our undergraduate students in the planning process, we plan to hold a ‘town hall session’ with them early in the fall of 2004. Faculty and staff were challenged to develop goals that were deliverable during a time of fiscal restraint, goals that would move us up the ladder in our desire to be one of the leading Pharmacy Faculties in North America, and to develop goals for which we can be accountable. The Provost’s paper ‘Stepping UP – A framework for academic planning at the University of Toronto: 2004-2010’ guided our discussions. MISSION The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is committed to internationally significant innovation in the discovery and mobilization of pharmaceutical knowledge in the pursuit of health.
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VISION The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy will be a pre-eminent center for pharmaceutical knowledge and practice, through advancements in research, teaching and service. TEACHING/RESEARCH FOCUS Drugs – Discovery, Development, Delivery and Utilization: Optimizing Drug Therapy for a Multiculturally Diverse Society. It is with pride that we look back on the accomplishments resulting from our last academic plan, developed in response to ‘Raising Our Sights’. The number of faculty has increased and includes 10 new tenure stream hires; funding was secured for three Chair positions (GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, F. Norman Hughes Chair in Pharmacoeconomics and the Murray B. Koffler Chair in Pharmacy Management) and one Professorship (the Ontario College of Pharmacists Professorship in Pharmacy Practice); our student intake for the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program has increased by >50%, the number of Ph.D. students has more than doubled, the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences was approved with three streams – Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Pharmacy), Pharmacology/Toxicology (Medicine) and Biotechnology (Mississauga campus); an e-based part-time post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program received approval; and we continued to be successful in fund-raising. In addition, we are into a major building project which involves many hours of planning with significant input by a number of faculty and staff. Our faculty complement, while smaller than that at other major schools in Canada and the five leading schools in the U.S., are highly qualified and very successful. The report from the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) had the following comment: “faculty members include a group of high quality research scientists with backgrounds in pharmacy, medicine and related sciences. Each has gained a national or international reputation in his/her respective field and is very active in pursuit of scholarly works. Individual faculty members have excellent records in attracting research funding and are active in training of graduate students, including those seeking the Ph.D. degree. There is also a strong group of practitioner faculty who play a significant role in the delivery of the pharmaceutical care-based curriculums of the baccalaureate and Pharm.D. programs”. Income generated as a result of the expansion of our existing programs provided the budget infusion needed to hire new faculty which has greatly enhanced our teaching and research output. This has definitely helped to raise the status of our Faculty, both nationally and internationally. Unfortunately expenditure reductions have significantly slowed the hiring process. The Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto has the largest student body of all Canadian schools and is larger than the majority of the U.S. schools, yet our tenure stream numbers are lower than all schools to which we should be
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compared. It is important to re-evaluate our faculty and administrative staff requirements in order that the quality of our educational programs is not compromised. The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is situated uniquely and centrally in the multicultural and ethnically diverse metropolis of Toronto. This affords numerous opportunities as well as significant responsibilities. Our student body, faculty and staff reflect the diverse, multicultural mosaic of the context within which we function. The Faculty’s interface with this immediate context, and beyond, is dynamic. We look inwardly and celebrate our diversity and we look outwardly to both seize opportunities and to gauge our effectiveness. We are committed to responsibly providing: • • A uniqueness in the University of Toronto as a Faculty that has in-depth knowledge about culture and language as factors that shape the use of medicines; An undergraduate curriculum that is patient-centered, and an increasingly expanded core experiential component of that curriculum in which students are exposed to/involved in the care of patients from the multicultural GTA community; Inclusion of a recognition of language (and, to a lesser extent, cultural) issues in several undergraduate courses; A major successful multicultural initiative in the International Pharmacy Graduate program; A range of research activity (especially, but not exclusively, in the Social and Administrative Pharmacy and Professional Practice areas) that would provide a springboard to a broad multidisciplinary collaborative research program networking across many groups in the University of Toronto.
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FACULTY PLAN The Faculty’s fundamental direction and overarching goals are consistent with those of our last strategic plan; however, this plan reflects further refinement and focus in some areas and exciting new initiatives in others. All goals are consistent with the spirit and substance of the Stepping UP document.
Goal 1:
To be an internationally recognized pre-eminent center for innovation and discovery in pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sciences.
Our research faculty are leaders in Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics, and Social and Administrative Pharmacy, and have formed productive collaborations, within pharmacy and with other Departments and Faculties, not only at the University of Toronto, but elsewhere. As teaching requirements and research of the faculty continue to increase, recruiting leading scholars who complement the activities of existing staff and expand the interdisciplinary endeavors of our strategic plan is of foremost importance. For example, to meet a deficiency identified in our Accreditation Review, it is necessary to address the lack of tenured faculty in the
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area of clinical/pharmacy practice. To seize an opportunity, we seek to recruit scholars who will lead this important area and who will develop an interdisciplinary cluster of practice researchers. This major thrust will ensure our Faculty is noted for its leadership in pharmacy practice and research. Comparative schools have large clinical pharmacy departments. Our hires will complement the activities of existing staff and address interdisciplinary opportunities of interest to Pharmacy. We are determined to continue our expansion in a way that will raise the profile of our Faculty in the clinical, pharmaceutical and scientific community. In the context of the University of Toronto’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinarity, our goal is to play a leadership role in the creation of new interdisciplinary platforms, to further build upon existing platforms, to leverage the unique breadth and depth of disciplines in our Faculty, and to play an important partnering role in other initiatives throughout the university and beyond the university community. In order to do this, we will put in place the structures and processes (see 1.3) that will create and sustain a culture that leads to productive interdisciplinary research and education, and one that furthers our intent to optimize drug discovery, development, delivery and utilization for the benefit of a multiculturally diverse society. 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 We plan to create a pharmacy-led drug design/medicinal chemistry platform for interdisciplinary research and education. We plan to strengthen clinical/pharmacy practice research within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. We plan to identify, strengthen and sustain new and existing interdisciplinary collaborative platforms, both pharmacy-initiated and partner-initiated. We plan to develop the Institute for Drug Research (IDR) interdisciplinary platform. We plan to examine our graduate department in an attempt to realign the OCGS fields to more accurately reflect the research mission of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and to pursue new, sustainable sources of stipends for graduate students. We plan to establish a flextime Ph.D. program. We plan to streamline the administration of research processes to support faculty in their research programs. We plan to create a pharmacy-led drug design/medicinal chemistry platform for interdisciplinary research and education.
1.6 1.7 1. 1
The establishment of the Molecular Design and Information Technology centre (MDIT) within Pharmacy in 2002 enhanced our capabilities in computational molecular design. This $7 million facility was a result of support from the Province of Ontario, SGI and Tripos. Along with the existing strengths at the University of Toronto in structural biology, proteomics, high-throughput screening, toxicology, animal models and clinical trials there is a great opportunity to build synergistic research strengths in the areas of medicinal chemistry and rational drug design. The establishment of MDIT, combined
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with significant interest from the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine, the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR), the Medical and Related Sciences (MaRS), the University Health Network, the Ontario Cancer Institute and the Department of Chemistry, offers an excellent opportunity to seek breadth and strength in Medicinal Chemistry. Discussions with major players from these institutions and faculty hires by all of the above research groups have been assured. This synergy will produce strength in medicinal chemistry of unparalleled potential. The research will focus on understanding biomolecular interactions leading to drug and pharmaceutical material discovery. Thus, one of our next hiring priorities will be in medicinal chemistry. The McLaughlin Centre has recommended that we move forward in building the medicinal chemistry/chemistrybiology platform by joint recruitment efforts between CCBR-McLaughlin-Chemistry and Pharmacy. Two CRC chairs to be housed in CCBR, one with a Chemistry appointment and one with a Pharmacy appointment, will be recruited. The synergy of this interdisciplinary program will result in a powerful medicinal chemistry cluster in Toronto. Pharmacy appointments will also provide a teaching resource for the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program. Benchmarks: • the number of medicinal chemists we are collectively able to hire • the success of this group in securing research funds • the graduate student/postdoctoral fellow numbers in the group • the publication record • the hosting of international meetings • the research discoveries of the group as a whole 1. 2 We plan to strengthen clinical/pharmacy practice research within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
A clinical pharmacy researcher is a ‘pharmacy-trained specialist who independently derives new knowledge through observation, study, and experimentation that is focused on drug therapy outcomes in patients along with the factors and mechanisms determining those outcomes’. In most cases, this person maintains sufficient contact with the patient care environment to ensure continued awareness of clinical problems and clinical relevance. The research may be of a basic nature, but the key distinction remains in his/ her knowledge of clinical pharmacy. Traditionally, most clinical/pharmacy practice researchers have been trained via a two year post-Pharm.D. research fellowship, rather than obtaining a Ph.D. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy has developed guidelines for the structure of these fellowships. It is imperative that our Faculty increases its involvement in clinical/pharmacy practice research. Such developments reflect our responsibilities to society, advancements in the profession, and our educational relevance. A further strategic initiative of the Faculty is the development of an entry-level Pharm.D. program (see 2.2). Clinical/pharmacy research faculty expertise is vital to this program.
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Clinical pharmacists in health care institutions conduct most clinical/pharmacy practice research. The paucity of clinical/pharmacy practice research occurring within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and the lack of training opportunities for clinical pharmacy researchers in our faculty is an anomaly, when compared to the best schools. Pharmacy schools at our peer universities in the U.S. have a tradition of large, active, and wellfunded clinical pharmacy research programs. Clinical pharmacy research expertise is also prominent in the smaller Canadian schools. In these schools clinical Pharm.D. graduates have been hired into the tenure stream and are expected to conduct research using the hospital as their laboratory. Our Accreditation Report criticized the lack of clinical pharmacy research within the Faculty. They noted the lack of full-time, tenure faculty in the clinical pharmacy/pharmacy practice area. To remain one of the best publically funded pharmacy programs, we must address this deficiency. The Faculty plans to hire tenure track clinical faculty that would be supported by the creation of, for example, a Division of Pharmacy Practice. The Division would create a cluster of support from clinical pharmacy researchers within our teaching hospitals and other health related centres who may join the Faculty as part-time or adjunct faculty. This would champion the development of a clinical pharmacy research program within our Faculty and the development of clinical pharmacy research training programs. The implementation of clinical pharmacy research Fellowship programs and Specialized Residencies similar to those in the leading U.S. schools will be considered. A review of other clinical scientist programs at the University of Toronto (clinical pharmacology program, or clinical epidemiology in Medicine) would be worth exploring as we establish this training in Pharmacy. Collaborative initiatives may be a possibility in the future. Our post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program provides the opportunity for practicing pharmacists to obtain the knowledge and skills required to be an advanced pharmacy practitioner and leader in the pharmacy profession. Should any of them wish to pursue post-doctoral studies, they find there are few opportunities in Canada. Therefore they may migrate to the United States to pursue their research interests. Those who leave to continue their education often find employment in U.S. universities or in industry. Establishing opportunities for these graduates to continue with focused practice research opportunities in our country would be a significant benefit to Canada and Ontario. Fellowship programs provide Pharm.D. graduates with an opportunity to develop research expertise in particular areas of disease management. Post Pharm.D. Residency programs would provide for further clinical expertise in the practice of pharmaceutical care. Some students may wish to pursue basic research to complement their clinical skills. A Pharm.D./M.Sc. or Ph.D. may also be an option. Benchmarks: • success in hiring tenure-track faculty in clinical pharmacy • development of a plan for increasing this needed strength within the Faculty
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• • • •
the success in funding such initiatives the hosting of international meetings publication record the formation of a Division of Pharmacy Practice which leads the pharmacy profession in research, teaching and training of future clinical pharmacy scholars within the province of Ontario, Canada and internationally
For the Fellowship and Specialized Residency programs, the benchmarks would include: • success in funding these programs • the quality and number of Fellows/Residents we are able to attract • the career placements of the graduates of these programs 1. 3 We plan to identify, strengthen and sustain new and existing interdisciplinary collaborative platforms, both pharmacy-initiated and partner-initiated.
In the context of the University of Toronto’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinarity, the goals of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy are to play a leadership role in creating new interdisciplinary platforms and supporting existing ones. Pharmacy currently participates in a number of collaborative programs/research initiatives. These include: • • • • • • • • • • • • Institute of Drug Research Toxicology Collaborative Program Environmental Studies Biomedical Toxicology Collaborative Program in Neuroscience Collaborative Program in Addiction Studies (CoPAS) Collaborative Program in Aging and the Life Course Collaborative Program in Biomedical Engineering Collaborative Program in Health Services and Policy Research Ph.D. Program in Health Care, Technology and Place Molecular Design and Information Technology (MDIT) University of Toronto Centre for the Study of Pain
In order to continue to support interdisciplinarity, we will create an Interdisciplinary Affairs Committee whose mandate will be to seek out opportunities and sources of funding for collaboration within existing and newly proposed interdisciplinary platforms. Serious consideration will be given to those programs which will potentially receive funding through granting agencies and other potential partnering mechanisms. The Committee will also play a role in promoting participation in graduate collaborative programs and in attracting financial support for these programs. This committee will be chaired by a senior faculty member who will report to the Dean. We are also considering the creation of a new platform for interprofessional practice which fosters the interaction between university researchers and educators in the Health
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Science Faculties and their affiliated practitioners. This would involve clinical practitioners in the teaching hospitals and affiliated community pharmacy teaching sites. If successful, this would anchor Pharmacy’s partnership in interprofessional education initiatives. Faculty members have been in discussions with the Wilson Centre for Research in Education and have indicated they will be collaborating in the Centre’s fellowship program. Fellows from the University of Toronto, hospitals and universities internationally spend two years learning techniques of healthcare education and practice research and complete a graduate degree through OISE or IMS. The Wilson Centre is interested in further expansion of their program to nurture fellows from disciplines other than medicine. Support for funding of the fellowships seems to be the only drawback at the present time. Recent discussions with researchers from the University Health Network have signaled the importance of Pharmacy being a part of CeDaR – Centre for Decision Research in Health and Medicine. This Toronto-based Centre for Decision Research would be a unique academic and independent research group, established to provide state-of-the-art advice to decision makers, with a fast turn-around. Core researchers would all be affiliated with the University of Toronto. The main areas of research would include health economics, decision analysis and health technology assessment which are essential for the evaluation of public health programs. The Centre would also address the increasing spending on health care. The strengths of CeDaR would be its researchers, comprised of approximately 20 nationally and internationally recognized professionals. They would bring: academic excellence, academic teaching, policy exposure, and a broad spectrum of clinical, administrative and statistical experience. The goal of the Research Centre would be to become the preferred Centre for decision makers (such as the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care) for fast turn-around, high quality, and decision-adapted technology appraisals and outcomes research. The target market would include provincial governments, governmental agencies (e.g., CCOHTA), hospitals, public health authorities, third party payers and large employers. We will hopefully pursue this initiative through our academic hire appointed to the F. Norman Hughes Chair in Pharmacoeconomics. Bioethics is another interdisciplinary initiative that we have been discussing with Peter Singer. This will be a discussion item, not only for Pharmacy but with other Health Science Deans. We will look at developing bioethics through the sharing of a bioethics position across two or more faculties or by using sessional instructors on stipend. We are also exploring the creation of a platform in Drug-Related Knowledge Translation that mobilizes the Faculty’s existing strength and enables integration with universitywide knowledge translation activities. This could be an expansion of the role of the Resource Centre in the new Pharmacy building. It may involve a partnership with the Medical Education Innovation Laboratory and perhaps lead to mounting on-line continuing education programs. One project currently underway is IMPACT. The IMPACT (Integrating family Medicine and Pharmacy to Advance primary Care Therapeutics) project is a joint project between McMaster University, the University of Ottawa and the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto. The
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objective of this project is to examine the outcomes of collaborative practice models when pharmacists work within family physicians’ group practices. As part of this program, a Transitional Training Workshop was developed and delivered to pharmacists to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary for primary care pharmacy practice. Over the course of this project specific health and pharmacoeconomic outcomes of pharmacists’ collaborations with family physicians will be measured and reported. Discussions are ongoing with the Department of Chemical Engineering with respect to drug development. It is anticipated these discussions will lead to collaboration with the GlaxoSmithKline Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. The incumbent, along with other research faculty within the Faculty of Pharmacy, have the opportunity to develop significant research programs. Furthering our interest in ‘optimizing drug therapy for a multiculturally diverse society’ will provide the Faculty of Pharmacy the opportunity to explore a potential base for pharmacy-led collaboration with a broader-than-traditional range of partners within the university and beyond, including, but not limited to: • • • • • • • • Department of Nutritional Sciences re: drug-food interactions and health education Centre for Health Promotion – active in health literacy Nursing and Medicine – Patient Safety ISMP Canada – safe medication practices and medication errors Translation Technology – interface of Linguistics, Translation and Computer Science Social Work Sociology Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing Departments
Benchmarks: A number of exciting interdisciplinary programs will be developed which will have significant impact on the research interests of the pharmacy faculty. We will monitor: • the number of meaningful interdisciplinary programs the faculty have initiated or participated in • the success in funding these initiatives • the successful training of future scholars 1. 4 We plan to develop the Institute for Drug Research (IDR) interdisciplinary platform.
The Institute for Drug Research (IDR) is a novel trans-faculty initiative that was founded in 2002 as a partnership between the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Medicine (Department of Pharmacology). The mission of the IDR is to provide the University of Toronto with an internationally recognized vehicle for interdisciplinary research, education, innovation and communication related to the discovery, development, actions and uses of drugs. The University possesses a tremendous asset in 14
the collaborative expertise of its scientists in areas related to the discovery and development of both new drug targets and the chemical entities that interact with them. However, this expertise is not currently being used to its full potential as a result of challenges in communication and coordination of such activities which occur across a broad range of academic units as a consequence of the integrative nature of pharmacology and drug development as scientific disciplines. The IDR presents an opportunity to optimize the organization and mobilization of these activities across the entire University to enhance training, invention, innovation and commercialization of drug-related research. Support of the IDR will significantly improve the University’s ability to contribute to the drug development process, while at the same time providing key enablement for research and training in integrative (in vivo and whole organ systems) pharmacology, an area of tremendous current need and opportunity both in academic and industrial sectors. The first phase of the IDR involved the provision of APF funding solely for the recruitment of a Director and of new research and teaching faculty members into the Department of Pharmacology. This first goal is now 80% complete and will be finished within the next 12 months. Future matching hires are to occur in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and future faculty membership in the IDR will also extend University-wide to researchers whose interests relate to the development and uses of drugs. In conjunction with the Department of Pharmacology we will jointly seek both base and OTO AIF funding from the Academic Initiatives Fund. The funds will support and develop the next phase of development of the IDR including implementing administrative and infrastructural support structures to enable specific research foci educational and training functions, project coordination activities, and marketing and commercialization efforts in drug discovery and development both within the entire University of Toronto community and with industrial collaborators and sponsors. These will include: • • • • • Linking and coordinating newly proposed Research Administrative functions (Research Officer, Goal 1.7) within Pharmacy to research initiatives in Medicine and other Faculties; Coordinating future IDR faculty hiring in both Pharmacy and Medicine to reinforce our partnership with the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research; Assembling and disseminating information on drug-related research activities being undertaken by the entire U of T community of researchers as IDR members; Providing U of T’s project coordinating centre for the Drug Discovery Pipeline, a university-based drug development initiative being developed in conjunction with UTIF; Exploring strategic partnering relations with similar existing and proposed drug development initiatives at other academic institutions such as the University of Montreal and the Strathclyde Institute for Drug Research (Scotland), or with key industrial partners; Initiating a Collaborative Program in Drug Development;
•
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•
Leading a research and training focus in Integrative Pharmacology which will involve expansion of the IDR’s expertise in in vivo preclinical animal pharmacology and toxicology, and its provision to University researchers for early-stage in vivo animal efficacy and toxicity studies of new lead compounds.
Benchmarks: • number of U or T faculty members appointed as members of IDR • number of new faculty hires associated with IDR • number of faculty placements in CCBR, both core and associate • number of Drug Discovery Pipeline drug development projects initiated • number of industry research contracts facilitated, and dollar amounts • approval of a Collaborative Program • student enrolment in Collaborative Program 1. 5 We plan to examine our graduate department in an attempt to realign the OCGS fields to more accurately reflect the research mission of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and to pursue new, sustainable sources of stipends for graduate students.
The OCGS approved fields of study for graduate training in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences have remained constant for quite some time. As we continue to increase our faculty complement, it is imperative our OCGS fields more accurately reflect the research being done within the Faculty. Currently the faculty must be in one of four main fields of study: Molecular Pharmacology/Toxicology, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacokinetics, or Social and Administrative Pharmacy. Faculty appointments in Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy are but two examples of faculty who have research interests which are not adequately aligned with these groupings. Our research mission, Drugs - Discovery, Development, Delivery and Utilization: Optimizing drug therapy for a Multiculturally Diverse Society, will be considered in the process of realignment. Graduate funding is an issue for our Faculty. We have been somewhat hampered in our attempts to actively seek funds for graduate students because of our fund-raising priority for the new Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building. With the opportunity of matching from the government through the OSOTF II program, we need to be more aggressive in pursing new, sustainable sources of funds. In August 2004 we will be sponsoring an inaugural golf classic. Proceeds from this event will be used to support undergraduate and graduate scholarships, taking advantage of the government-matching program. Benchmarks: • Approval of new fields of study by OCGS • Increased funding for graduate students due to concerted fundraising efforts
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1. 6
We plan to establish a flextime Ph.D. program.
The Graduate Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences wishes to offer, under special circumstances, a flexible, part-time Ph.D. Program. This program would be for candidates who have completed a masters program or a bachelor’s degree in the pharmaceutical sciences, or in a discipline relevant to the pharmaceutical sciences. The program would be designed for those employed elsewhere who, for financial reasons, may not be able to leave their place of employment to pursue full-time studies. Examples could include those holding positions as pharmaceutical scientists in industry, government or possibly academia. This program would benefit mature, career-minded individuals. The admission requirement and the requirements for the degree would not differ from the full-time graduate program. The main difference between the flexible, part-time and full-time program is the capability of allowing these candidates to take somewhat longer to complete the program. This proposal recently received support from the Graduate Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. SGS has been approached to move this plan forward and bring it to reality. Benchmarks: • approval by SGS and the University governance • the number of candidates admitted to the program • the successful completion of the program in a suitable time period l. 7 We plan to streamline the administration of research processes to support faculty in their research programs.
The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. With the increased number of full-time tenure stream faculty and potential new hires, our goal is not only to grow in numbers but also in stature as one of the leading centres of Pharmaceutical Science research. Although the faculty members and graduate students at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy have been very successful in attracting external research support, for us to move to the next level it is crucial for us to dramatically increase the amount of funding available to fund collaborative projects, major equipment, post-doctoral fellows and students. We must be able to aggressively pursue funding from federal and provincial infrastructure programs and to obtain training grants to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. We plan to create a position for a Research Officer to assist the Faculty in establishing the resources necessary to support world-class pharmaceutical sciences research. The responsibilities of this person will be in-line with those of others in comparable positions at the University of Toronto and will include: • • • • coordinating the writing and submission of group and program applications; coordinating the writing and submission of applications for equipment and maintenance grants; securing training grants; assistance in organizing symposia and departmental seminars; 17
• • • •
assistance with animal protocols; identifying scientific funding opportunities in the public and private sectors; organization of weekly announcements of application deadlines; providing information on the mechanics of applications.
Currently we miss out on opportunities to apply for federal and provincial infrastructure funding. Without the administrative assistance, the applications for these sources of funding require ‘Herculean’ efforts on the part of the faculty members which severely limits the number of such proposals we submit. This has an effect on our research capabilities and its growth. Ultimately, this influences the quality of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows that we recruit. Benchmarks: • the successful recruitment of this support staff person • the increased success in obtaining equipment, training and operating grants (compared to our past history) • eventually, it would be important to measure the impact of the increased funding on the quality and quantity of research conducted within the Faculty
Goal 2:
To lead the nation in offering the most innovative and leading-edge educational programs in pharmacy, making these programs accessible to a greater number of qualified applicants.
In Canada’s future, there is a call for an expanded role for pharmacists, notably to function as an integrated professional within primary healthcare. Such a pharmacist will define the most effective and appropriate medications for various conditions through consultation with physicians and patients, monitor and be held accountable for medication use, provide better information and communication on prescription medications, and prescribe medications under limited conditions. The vision for Pharmacy’s future, as expressed through the Romanow Commission, agrees with other reports including those of Kirby and Fyke. Our curriculum must therefore move ahead to reflect the anticipated future. Our graduates must be equipped to lead in optimizing the Canadian public’s use of medications, and have gained the confidence to function as a medication expert within the framework of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. To assist in understanding the various initiatives the Faculty of pharmacy is considering within this Goal (2), the figure on the following page is provided to outline the present, the transition and future programs.
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2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
2.5 2.6
We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning. We plan to replace our B.Sc.Phm. program and develop a new entrylevel Pharm.D. curricular framework that sets a quality standard (benchmark) for pharmacy education in Canada. In conjunction with the entry-level Pharm.D., we plan to develop companion programs for alumni, practicing pharmacists and students who will be enrolled in the Faculty during the transition. We plan to develop post-Pharm.D. fellowships and specialized residency programs that will create advanced practitioners when the current post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. degree is unavailable due to the transition to an entry-level degree. We plan to establish a Co-op Year for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry stream of the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (a joint program with the Faculty of Arts and Science). We plan to explore the possibility of establishing a satellite campus for our professional program.
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2. 1
We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning.
This initiative is part of our overall plan to make the degree accessible to more practitioners. University governance recently approved a part-time distance learning proposal. The success of the delivery of this program will be the basis for other e-based initiatives found in this Strategic Plan. Benchmarks: • the number of students registered in the e-learning, part-time program • the ability of the students to graduate in the predicted time frame • the ability of the program to provide the same academic rigor as the full-time post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program • the ability to maintain the quality of the program 2. 2 We plan to develop a new entry-level Pharm.D. curricular framework that sets a quality standard (benchmark) for pharmacy education in Canada.
U.S. pharmacy schools no longer offer a bachelors degree in pharmacy. This was brought about by a desire to change pharmacy practice and as a directive from their accreditation body (ACPE). The American Council for Pharmacy Education stipulated that as of 2004, the only programs which would receive accreditation would be those that offered an entry-level Pharm.D. program. This meant that schools had to convert their undergraduate baccalaureate programs to a Doctor of Pharmacy program. Postbaccalaureate Pharm.D. programs (similar to that offered at Toronto and the University of British Columbia) have been discontinued and alternate programs have been established to create advanced pharmacy practitioners. Additionally, Schools in the U.S. created part-time entry equivalent programs, enabling practitioners with a bachelor’s degree to upgrade their education to the Pharm.D. degree, if desired. We propose a new curriculum that embraces the goal of bringing expanded knowledge, skills and experience to students who aspire to become the needed professionals of tomorrow. There have been several significant changes in pharmacy and health care since the development of the present undergraduate B.Sc.Phm. curriculum. Our current curriculum, developed in 1994, provides the knowledge, and develops skills and attitudes to a previously appropriate level; however, graduates now require enhanced knowledge and skill development to be prepared to assume and continue independent, confident, contemporary practice immediately upon graduation. The context into which our students are launched include: upgraded standards set by the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA); the upgrading of pharmacy technicians which makes it feasible to increase the pharmacists responsibility; global factors of an aging population, complex therapies, biotechnology, pharmacogenomics; the Ontario
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primary health care networks; and, more complex health care and cost implications. Additionally many provinces now give some prescribing rights to the pharmacist. Our current curriculum partially completes the development of students into fully confident and competent primary health care practitioners. However, time constraints in the curriculum result in the students not getting sufficient early and continuing practice exposure to develop pharmaceutical care skills and applying these skills with confidence. The need to provide Arts and Science basic scientific ‘building block’ courses in the first year of the program consumes time in our curriculum. Some of these courses could reasonably become pre-requisites for admission. This would then provide time (which is presently unavailable) to permit flexibility in learning and practicing enhanced skills that are required in today’s health care environment. While our graduates are recruited to meet the ‘demand’ of pharmacists, they must be prepared to immediately assume leadership roles and become ‘change agents’ to effectively and efficiently respond to the emerging societal needs. We must, as a Faculty, address these issues to maintain our leadership position in pharmacy education. An intake of 240 students per year, once we move into our new building, and the challenge of continued expenditure decreases, is cause for concern if we are going to maintain the quality of our academic program. We feel this may be partially addressed by a move to an entry-level Pharm.D. program in which all entering students will be required to be better prepared through expanded pre-requisite requirements, and have a more consistent starting point. Early structured experiential components will enable students to develop more self-directed and independent learning abilities in the early years of the program, thus increasing efficiency of teaching/learning in senior years. We also envision that with an entry-level Pharm.D. program we will be able to build in streams/pathways/electives which will help deliver a world-class program capable of attracting a hithertofore untapped cohort of candidates who will see opportunities to satisfy their unique interests. It is obvious much has to be done before an entry-level Pharm.D. program is approved. However, we are able to draw on the implementation processes of our U.S. Schools and the University of Montreal. We are communicating externally with the profession to achieve ‘buy-in’ before presenting our proposal for university approval. Benchmarks: • the approval of the entry-level Pharm.D. program by Faculty Council • support for the program from our pharmacy stakeholders • the approval of the program by University governance • approval of this degree by the Government of Ontario 2. 3 2. 4 In conjunction with the entry-level Pharm.D., we plan to develop companion programs for alumni, practicing pharmacists, and students who will be enrolled in the Faculty during the transition. We plan to develop post-Pharm.D. fellowships and specialized residency programs that will create advanced practitioners when the
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current post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. degree is unavailable due to the transition to an entry-level degree. In a cascading effect, our current post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program will require modification in order to meet the demands of the profession. Alumni will be interested in upgrading their education since there will not be ‘grandfathering’ of any of our graduates. Specialization will become important and entry-level Pharm.D. graduates will need the opportunity to further their education to provide for their professional interests. Benchmarks: • the success in funding these programs • the number of students registered in the programs • the ability to secure adequate funding for these initiatives • the development of a number of specialty residency and fellowship programs 2. 5 We plan to establish a Co-op Year for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry stream of the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (a joint program with the Faculty of Arts and Science).
In September 2004, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Arts and Science will launch their first joint endeavor, the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Specialist Program. The goal is to educate students in both chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences to an extent that they will be qualified for entry-level employment in the pharmaceutical industry or be able to begin graduate school in a range of differing disciplines. The curriculum, as it is presently approved, provides didactic and laboratory education for the students. However, they will not have significant interaction or experience with the pharmaceutical industry. Supporters for this program from industry, faculty, and prospective students have identified the creation of a Professional Experience Year (PEY) as a major, very attractive enhancement. The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering provides an example of a successful PEY program. They provide for more than 300 placements at a diverse range of sites. We plan to establish a Professional Experience Year which will take place between third and fourth years of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Specialist Program. We will explore the administration of this through the PEY Office of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Because the program is intended to be self-funding, the only initial expense would be support to establish the initial industrial contacts. Benchmarks: • the establishment of a PEY program with 15 to 20 sites available for students in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Program • the active participation in PEY by students registered in the program
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2.6
We plan to explore the possibility of establishing a satellite campus for our undergraduate professional program.
The Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy has been an integral part of the profession, from its historical roots and developments and links with the people of the province of Ontario. As the only Faculty of Pharmacy in Ontario, we have played a vital role in how the profession has progressed, not only in our province but in Canada. We recognize the demand for pharmacists and the limitations of our ability to increase enrolment at the University of Toronto beyond the current projected 240 per year. A 2003 Pharmacy Trends Reportiv indicates 40% of pharmacy owner/managers have a shortage of pharmacist manpower in their stores. The situation was more acute in Ontario and Quebec. An HRSD review of job vacancy indicators and Employment Insurance claimants for 2002 and 2003 supports the existence of a pharmacist shortage in Ontariov. One possibility for increasing the number of graduates within the province is to establish a satellite program. This is a common concept in the pharmacy schools in the U.S. The University of Waterloo has approached our Faculty with interest in such a program. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the University of Waterloo to explore collaboratively the establishment of a Satellite School of Pharmacy. Other requests have also been received. Benchmarks: • agreement of our satellite concept by universities wishing to pursue this option • approval by the government for the funding of more pharmacy students • the ability to hire the faculty for the satellite program • the success in delivering the U of T program at another university • the ability to obtain sufficient numbers of experiential sites for the increased numbers of students • assuring adequate financial support for this endeavor
Goal 3:
To broaden and strengthen relationships with alumni, industry and the pharmacy community.
As the only Faculty of Pharmacy in Ontario, we are favorably positioned to expand our links with the profession, scientists in industry and the community. Through substantial (>$2 million) funding from the government of Ontario, our faculty has developed an IPG (International Pharmacy Graduate) program. This program has successfully assisted a number of foreign trained pharmacists to upgrade their skills to that required for pharmacy practice in Canada. The success of this program has been phenomenal. In fact, 96% of those completing the program in its entirety have been successful in their
Tenth Pharmacy Trends Report – 2003, Personnel Matters, p. 1 and 2. http://www.trendsreport2003.com A Situational Analysis of Human Resource Issues in the Pharmacy Profession in Canada-Detailed Report, July 2001, Peartree Solution Inc. for Human Resources Development in Canada and the Canadian Pharmacists Association, p.2001.
v iv
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national board examinations. This program is now a benchmark for other professions. The Faculty would like to contribute to the life-long learning needs of pharmacists within the province of Ontario, nationally and, potentially, internationally (through initiatives of some faculty members in third world countries), and to contribute to the educational needs of scientists within the pharmaceutical industry. The delivery of lectures to the general public, in areas such as ‘wellness’, disease state management, etc., is also being considered. 3.1 We plan to provide leadership and innovation in education that will benefit pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice, and the public. We plan to position our Faculty as an authoritative voice in matters pertaining to pharmacy education and practice, the pharmaceutical sciences, and the profession of pharmacy. We plan to provide leadership and innovation in education that will benefit pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice, and the public.
3.2
3.1
There is a need and market for continuing education. For practicing pharmacists, programs may be offered as professional development credits, certificate courses or noncertificate courses. The Faculty’s goal is to provide leadership and innovation in continuing education programming to maintain, improve and expand the competency of pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice. We intend to be proactive in positioning our faculty as ‘thought leaders’ in their various areas of expertise through faculty led symposia, lectures and conferences. While there are other continuing education programs offered at the provincial and local pharmacy association levels, there is little being done in Canada by way of making these offerings available online. The Faculty would create a niche for itself by offering continuing education programming online. Added spin-offs that may be realized from the resources and infrastructure created to accomplish this type of programming, would be the ability to ‘web-cast’ professional symposia and lecture series to international audiences and assist with distance academic programming (for example, the IPG program, post-baccalaureate part-time Pharm.D. program, management and policy programs). During our discussions around this initiative a number of ideas were discussed. We feel that this has initiative has real merit. The scope and diversity of our faculty implies a broad base of continuing education providers. The faculty would be involved in the determination of program content and delivery methods, while being supported by an office of continuing education for approval of program design, logistics, marketing, evaluation of the impact of the activity,
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and inter-professional coordination. All programs should be, at a minimum selfsupporting, but the preferred goal is to produce revenue for the Faculty. We plan to continue the International Pharmacy Graduate program (IPG) within our Continuing Education initiative assuring that the following five main pillars are maintained: 1) Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) and Recognition: Through a competencydriven PLA process, the IPG Program has developed tools to assess linguistic and practice competencies of potential candidates for licensure. Currently, the PLA process is divided into two phases: Linguistic testing and pharmacy practice testing. Upon completion of each phase, candidates are provided with a personalized diagnostic report highlighting educational needs and practicerelevant strengths and challenges. 2) Access to Curriculum through Personalized Learning Plans: The IPG program offers two 8-week courses (Canadian Pharmacy Skill I and II) benchmarked to B.Sc.Phm. curriculum. Challenging and in-depth, these courses include simulated patient laboratories, patient counseling, dispensing laboratories and therapeutics seminars. 3) Mentorship: In an effort to promote professional identification and encourage engagement with pharmacists, we have established a mentorship program linking experienced pharmacists with IPG candidates. 4) Distance Learning: Where possible, courses are available in internet or other electronic means. However, since most candidates demonstrate significant needs for language training and assessment, it has not been feasible to offer many courses through these channels. 5) Peer Network Formation: As a unique group of individuals, the IPG’s have formed important peer support and learning circles which are helpful during the strenuous licensure process. Recent success with satellite delivery of the IPG program has led to the delivery of the program in British Columbia, expanding to Alberta in the fall and possibly London, Ontario and Ottawa. It is anticipated that an office of continuing education should be closely allied with the Alumni and Advancement office. Corporate sponsorship will be essential to the revenue generation potential of each program and the office overall. For this to be successful, a professional with a background in pharmacy and pharmacy education is required to take responsibility for program development, sponsorship (in coordination with the Alumni and Advancement office), marketing, execution and evaluation of a wide range of continuing education programming. This would have to be a person with experience in continuing education. This individual would require office support and, as success is realized, a person with expertise in the technical aspects of mounting interactive, distance-based programming. The latter potential hire would be
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beneficial not only for continuing education programs but for the post-baccalaureate parttime Pharm.D. and IPG programs. Benchmarks: • the establishment of an Office of Continuing Education with the infrastructure and resources (staff, materials and financial) to mount a comprehensive program • the hiring of a director for the program • the successful delivery of programs • the successful realization of the sponsorship potential for the programs • the demand for the programs • the success of the programs – numbers attending, revenues generated 3.2 We plan to position our Faculty as an authoritative voice in matters pertaining to pharmacy education and practice, the pharmaceutical sciences, and the profession of pharmacy.
Our Faculty desires to be proactive in ensuring our researchers are interviewed and quoted by the media on issues related to pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences. We currently depend on the University’s public affairs staff to generate news releases and to support media initiatives on major gifts, new appointments, program developments, events and issues. Within a two month period from February to March 2004, the Faculty had to rely on the public affairs staff to assist with five projects: the Cross-Border Pharmacy Symposium, the IPG program news release regarding delivery at the UBC campus, the MDIT/oral insulin news release, the IMPACT study (Integrating family Medicine and Pharmacy to Advance primary Care Therapeutics), and a news release on ground breaking research and publication. Within the same time frame other faculty members were contacted and interviewed by media regarding cross-border Internet pharmacy and the IPG program. Exciting research collaborations and external funding success were also of interest. The momentum has meant that public relations staff, which also have other units in their portfolios, can only provide us with coverage of topics considered of prime importance and these are sometimes delayed due to competing priorities. There is a lot happening in the Faculty that needs to be ‘out there’ to not only educate our community but to provide the public relations needed by the profession. To accomplish this goal at least one staff person would need to be hired to implement a proactive program of communications focusing on the media, but also acting as a resource for the various communications activities that take place within the Faculty. This individual would provide a liaison between faculty and graphic designers, printers, and web designer, based on the parameter of his or her job description. Benchmarks: • the establishment of an Office of Communication to be proactive in ensuring increased profile of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy • articles on faculty initiatives in university, professional and public media 26
• •
regular quotations by faculty members on issues touching on our areas of expertise working closely with the Alumni and Development office, the Office of Continuing Education, and Student Recruitment, a comprehensive program developed to communicate with pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, allied professionals, prospective faculty members and students and the general public
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MEETING THE CRITERIA OUTLINED FOR AIF FUNDING The Faculty of Pharmacy has addressed the criteria outlined in the May 7, 2004 memorandum from the Provost. The goals that address these criteria are provided below: • Enhancing the student experience at the University We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning.
Goal 2.1
This goal has addressed the concern expressed by a number of pharmacists who are unable to complete the current post-baccalaureate Pharm.D. program due to financial pressures. This allows the applicants to maintain employment and complete the program on a part-time basis. Goal 2.2 We plan to replace our B.Sc.Phm. program and develop a new entry-level Pharm.D. curricular framework that sets a quality standard (benchmark) for pharmacy education in Canada.
Students in this program will have more experiential experience which will enable them to develop more self-directed and independent learning abilities in the early years of the program, thus increasing the efficiency of teaching/learning in the senior years. We also envision that we will be able to build some elective streams into the program which will have more appeal to those with specific professional interests. There will be more flexibility in learning and practicing enhanced skills that are required in today’s health care environment. We also believe the graduates of this program will not be recruited just because of a demand for pharmacists but for their ability to assume leadership roles and become ‘change agents’ able to respond to emerging societal needs. Goal 2.5 We plan to establish a Co-op year for the Pharmaceutical Chemistry stream of the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (a joint initiative with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences).
This goal allows significant interaction and experience with the pharmaceutical industry. This will be a major enhancement to the student’s educational experience. It will allow them to become better qualified for entry-level employment within this sector. It will also increase the visibility of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy in the pharmaceutical industry. Goal 1.6 We plan to establish a flex-time Ph.D. program.
This goal addresses the need expressed by potential candidates in industry who wish to further their education while still maintaining their employment status.
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•
Enhancing interdisciplinarity We plan to create a pharmacy-led drug design/medicinal chemistry platform for interdisciplinary research and education.
Goal 1.1
The establishment of the Molecular Design Information Technology Centre, in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, has enhanced university capabilities in computational molecular design. This Centre along with the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine, the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, CCBR, MaRS, OCI, UHN, and the Department of Chemistry offers an excellent opportunity to seek breadth and strength in medicinal chemistry. All of these ‘players’ agree that medicinal chemistry needs to be strengthened at the University of Toronto. With the synergy of this interdisciplinary group, a powerful medicinal chemistry cluster will be developed in Toronto, which will be important for drug development. . Goal 1.2 We plan to strengthen clinical pharmacy/pharmacy practice research within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. This initiative, involving new faculty hires, with the addition of clinical researchers within the teaching hospitals and other health care units in the GTA and elsewhere in the province, will be the basis of a Division of Pharmacy Practice at the Faculty. This Division would provide a link between researchers and practitioners to establish clinical pharmacy and the development of several new initiatives including the change to an entry-level Pharm.D. degree and the creation of advanced pharmacy practice residencies and fellowships. Goal 1.3 We plan to create enabling support structures and processes to aid in identifying, strengthening and sustaining new and existing interdisciplinary collaborative platforms, both pharmacy-initiated and partner-initiated.
A number of initiatives have been discussed within the Faculty which have significant potential to further our teaching and research focus – Drugs: Discovery, Development, Delivery and Utilization: Optimizing Drug Therapy for a Multiculturally Diverse Society. While they all seem important, we wish to assure the benefits and maintenance of such programs before approval. Goal 1.4 We plan to develop the Institute for Drug Research (IDR) interdisciplinary platform.
The role of the IDR is to provide an interdisciplinary research and educational platform for university-based and outreach initiatives in drug discovery and development. The University possesses a tremendous asset in the collective expertise of its scientists in areas related to the discovery and development of both new drug targets and of the chemical entities that interact with them. This expertise is not currently being used to its full potential as a result of challenges in communication and coordination of such
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activities which occur across a broad range of academic units as a consequence of the integrative nature of pharmacology and drug development as scientific disciplines. • Bringing together undergraduate and graduate activities with research opportunities We plan to strengthen clinical/pharmacy practice research within the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.
Goal 1.2
The Faculty has a number of undergraduate research positions available, mainly during the summer months. However, there are elective Research courses in which students may also register. Clinical pharmacy research may be of interest to a number of students since it is practice oriented. The researchers in this program will be teaching therapeutics courses within the curriculum and will provide first hand knowledge of the research in their field of specialization. In addition, the creation of clinical pharmacy research fellowships will mean that graduates of the undergraduate program will enrol in these programs participating in research leading to the development of advanced pharmacy practitioners. • Connecting the University with the broader community through terms of public policy and outreach We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning. In conjunction with the entry-level Pharm.D., we plan to develop companion programs for alumni, practicing pharmacists, and students who will be enrolled in the Faculty during the transition. We plan to develop post-Pharm.D. fellowships and specialized residency programs that will create advanced practitioners when the current postbaccalaureate Pharm.D. degree is unavailable due to the transition to an entry-level degree. We plan to provide leadership and innovation in education that will benefit pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice, and the public. We plan to position the Faculty as an authoritative voice in matters pertaining to pharmacy education and practice, the pharmaceutical sciences, and the profession of pharmacy.
Goal 2.1 Goal 2.3
Goal 2.4
Goal 3.1
Goal 3.2
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These goals will connect the Faculty with alumni, industry and the public. Goal 2.1 will allow the Faculty to reach out to practicing pharmacists across Canada who are unable to physically move to Toronto to obtain the degree. • Improving equity and diversity We plan to implement the approved post-baccalaureate part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree by e-learning.
Goal 2.1
The post-baccalaureate, part-time Pharm.D. degree will allow pharmacists from across Canada to obtain their degree from the University of Toronto. The first class enrolled in this program has students living in 5 different provinces, from British Columbia to Newfoundland. Goal 3.1 We plan to provide leadership and innovation in education that will benefit pharmacy professionals, pharmaceutical scientists, and allied professionals involved in pharmacy policy and practice, and the public.
The post-baccalaureate part-time degree will allow pharmacists from all across Canada to obtain a degree from the University of Toronto. The first class enrolled in this program contains students living in 5 different provinces, from British Columbia to Newfoundland Other initiatives within this Goal include the international pharmacy graduate program, initially developed through support from the provincial government. Our faculty members are currently delivering this program in British Columbia and have been asked to consider other provincial offerings. As outlined in the introduction of this plan, we are multicultural in nature, through our teaching and research. We have also been successful with our academic hires over the past few years in maintaining equity and diversity.
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Academic Incentives Fund Proposals: The priorities for this funding opportunity include: Faculty: While we will plan for the addition to our faculty complement through enrolment growth, expenditure reductions have hampered our hiring process. We have specifically addressed two areas for growth and are requesting some funds to assist with these initiatives: 1. Faculty position in Medicinal Chemistry - $100,000 base funding (salary and benefits) This position will not only aid the interdisciplinary medicinal chemistry initiative but will fill the positions previously requested for the B.Sc. program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and the pharmacy contribution to this Arts and Science program – the pharmaceutical chemistry stream. This will also address the requirement of faculty commitment to the IDR program. 2. Faculty position in Clinical/Pharmacy Practice - $110,000 base funding (salary and benefits) If we are going to maintain our leadership in pharmacy education, this area of expertise is essential in our hiring process and our strategic initiatives. Administrative Support: 1. Research Officer - $73,000 base funding (salary and benefits) A Research Officer is requested to assist the faculty in ensuring they are accessing all available resources for their research programs. Equipment grants for the Faculty as a whole, for example, take an extraordinary amount of time on the part of one or two faculty members. This results in applications not being forwarded to the funding agencies on a regular basis and thus missed opportunities. Our graduate program has grown substantially and it is important that there is staff support for the research initiatives of the faculty. 2. E-based Instructional Developer - $65,000 base funding (salary and benefits). This person would assist with the delivery of our e-learning programs, course delivery to our undergraduate students, and the continuing education office. E-based learning is becoming more prevalent and with growth in the number of faculty and students this type of person would be an asset.
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3. Continuing Education Director - $110,000 OTO (salary and benefits) We plan to develop a Continuing Education program which will reach out to the professional community, industry, foreign trained graduates and the public. We believe this should result in resources for the Faculty and be self-supporting. 4. Support staff person for development of the entry-level Pharm.D. program - $100,000 per year x 2 years OTO. Staff support for a two year period is required to assist in the development of our proposed entry-level Pharm.D. program. This individual would meet with faculty to assist with the curriculum development; would set up meetings with the external pharmacy community to solicit their support for this initiative and to obtain their input. 5. Administrative support for IDR - An Administrative/Business Development Officer and an Administrative Assistant - $59,000 base funding (one-half of the salaries – sharing with Pharmacology). These support staff would link and coordinate our proposed Research Administrative functions to research initiatives in Medicine and other Faculties. It would also allow for coordination of future hires in both Medicine and Pharmacy to reinforce the partnership with the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. 6. Part-time support staff for securing the sites for the Co-op portion of the Arts and Science program: the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences – the Pharmaceutical Chemistry portion of the program - OTO funding $40,000.
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