Discovery Pharmacy opens in new space at UofT

Located at 144 College Street in the heart of the University of Toronto’s bustling downtown campus is the recently opened Discovery Pharmacy. First opened in 2021 on the third floor, the pharmacy has now moved into its new permanent home on the main floor. “It's been very inspiring,” says Lisa Dolovich, dean of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and chief pharmacist at Discovery. “It's brought a lot of great life to our first floor of the building, and it's been really well received by our faculty and our staff.” Its goal: To be a pharmacy of the future. “This accredited, not-for-profit pharmacy has the intention of doing research and testing innovation to help move the needle forward on what a pharmacist's role and services and care will look like as we evolve to the future,” says Dolovich. The mission is even reflected in the layout of the clinic-based space. “Our physical space does not look like a typical community pharmacy. We have a dispensing area as well as clinic rooms,” she says. “We also have two clinic rooms that can morph into one larger room and be used for educational offerings to small groups. What we hope is that it's a welcoming environment that allows for pharmacists to deliver in-person but also virtual care.” The pharmacy’s services are largely by appointment and easily booked online. “We do have walk-ins, but we use our appointment-based structure to have people book in for various services and we have appointments structured with certain types at certain times,” says Dolovich. “It also allows us to build out our way of connecting with people before they come to the pharmacy, at the pharmacy and after the pharmacy.”While anyone can access the pharmacy, Discovery’s offerings are geared towards the needs of the university’s faculty, staff and students. That’s reflected both in its outreach efforts (there was a recent flu shot clinic aimed at Engineering students and faculty) and in its services, which go beyond vaccinations and common ailment consultations. Students acclimating to living on their own for the first time, for example, can book a Health Service Orientation to receive support and recommendations about their concerns and medication needs, while international students can learn how the Canadian healthcare system works. Central to its mission to advance education, the pharmacy also serves as a learning hub for the faculty’s students to gain real-world experience and hands-on learning in a clinical setting under the supervision of the program’s preceptors and pharmacists. That work, Dolovich says, includes developing programs and marrying research and innovation testing right in the pharmacy—in addition to delivering direct patient care.The Discovery model is unique when it comes to on-campus pharmacies, which generally fall into two categories: First, there are the pharmacies that simply rent the on-campus space and run exactly how they would on a non-campus environment, says Dolovich. Then there are the ones at the University of Saskatchewan and University of British Columbia that offer pharmacy services and clinics, but don’t dispense medications. Discovery is also a rarity thanks to being an accredited not-for-profit pharmacy, usually only found within hospital settings. “The structure is built so that when someone has a pharmacy that is also within an interprofessional ecosystem, there's certain requirements that need to be met in order for a not-for-profit pharmacy to be registered and accredited,” says Dolovich. Being a part of the University of Toronto interprofessional ecosystem allows the pharmacy to provide care with colleagues in various places on campus, she says, and design interprofessional programs that consider connection and communication.“Having the pharmacy in the pharmacy faculty has made me feel a little bit prouder, I think,” Dolovich says.

Discovery Pharmacy opens in new space at UofT

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