Celebrating 15 years of Pharmacy U Toronto

The Toronto International Centre may be a utilitarian building designed for hosting large events, but on April 15, the air was electric as hundreds of pharmacists, pharmacy owners and leaders from the profession and related industries gathered for the day to celebrate 15 years of Pharmacy U Toronto.With a packed, 11-hour program, the day kicked off with an energetic, optimistic call to action from Canada's former chief pharmacist officer, Danielle Paes. Paes, who was still a pharmacy student (albeit an award-winning one) in 2012 when Pharmacy U launched, traced the transformations that have occurred in the profession from her graduation to the present day. In an era when technology is a real threat to the sustainability of so many professions, and AI is infiltrating all aspects of our lives, she stressed that pharmacists are ideally positioned to thrive in the future of healthcare: "In a world dominated by technology," she said, "being human is our advantage."This year's event featured a full morning of educational sessions, followed by lunch and time in the exhibit hall in the afternoon. There were a number of special initiatives and activities at this year's celebratory event, including an all-day podcast from the pharmacists behind the "The Pharmacists are In" podcast series, a photo spot where attendees could have their photos taken to be shared on social media and, thanks to sponsor Celltrion, a magazine photo box where people could experience a photo shoot that put them on the cover of Pharmacy Practice + Business magazine.The event, presented by EnsembleIQ (the parent company of Pharmacy Practice + Business and CanadianHealthcareNetwork) was launched in 2012 by a team from what was then Pharmacy Business magazine. The program is designed to offer education with a focus on operationalizing clinical and practice skills for better patient care and pharmacy profitability as well as the chance to meet with manufacturers and service providers to learn about what's new in terms of practice and business supports.Since its launch, Pharmacy U has expanded to include a fall Vancouver event (to be held November 14 this year) and a French-language, Montreal edition (June 5). In 2025 Pharmacy U branched out once again with the launch of regional Master Classes—full-day, small group intensive training days for pharmacists interested in a specialty practice area. A number of Pharmacy U Master Classes are planned in cities across Canada throughout 2026 and 2027.

Celebrating 15 years of Pharmacy U Toronto

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