Pharmacy education in Ontario can be traced to informal classes offered in Toronto beginning in 1868. In 1882, the Ontario College of Pharmacy, now the Ontario College of Pharmacists, began operating the school of pharmacy that would eventually become part of the University of Toronto. The Ontario College of Pharmacy developed from earlier professional organizations, including the Canadian Pharmaceutical Society and the Toronto Chemists’ and Druggists’ Association, established in 1867. Today, the Ontario College of Pharmacists is the provincial regulator responsible for establishing registration requirements and regulating pharmacy practice in the public interest. The Faculty and the College have maintained a longstanding relationship reflecting their respective responsibilities for professional education and professional regulation.

Pharmacy education initially followed an apprenticeship-based model, with voluntary evening classes, few formal admission requirements, and substantial learning undertaken in practice settings. Over time, it evolved into a university-based professional education that integrates pharmaceutical sciences, clinical knowledge, direct patient care, interprofessional learning, and experiential education. This evolution reflects changes in pharmacy practice, the health needs of the population, and pharmacists’ expanding responsibilities within the healthcare system.

The Ontario College of Pharmacy introduced its first baccalaureate program in 1948. Its affiliation with the University of Toronto had begun much earlier, in 1892, initially through optional degree privileges. In 1927, the University Senate assumed responsibility for College examinations, pharmacy students began taking designated courses in University departments, and the PhmB degree became mandatory. On July 1, 1953, the University of Toronto assumed responsibility for the College’s educational programs, establishing the Faculty of Pharmacy. The MSc program in pharmacy was launched that year, bringing undergraduate and graduate pharmacy education together within the University.

In 1963, the Faculty moved from 44–46 Gerrard Street East to 19 Russell Street on the University campus. The Gerrard Street building, opened in 1887, had been the first purpose-built facility of its kind in Canada. The move to the University campus coincided with the development of opportunities to complete a PhD at the University of Toronto with pharmacy as a major area of research.

The Faculty introduced a post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1992 in response to the growing need for advanced preparation in clinical practice and pharmacotherapeutics. The two-year, full-time program combined classroom study with extensive experiential education. A part-time distance version was introduced in 2004.

In 2001, the Faculty was renamed the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, in recognition of a transformative gift from alumnus Leslie Dan. That year, the Faculty also introduced an educational bridging program for internationally educated pharmacists (International Pharmacy Graduate Program).

In 2006, the Faculty moved to its current building at 144 College Street. Its location near other health-professions faculties and many institutions within the Toronto Academic Health Science Network strengthened opportunities for interdisciplinary education, research, and collaboration. The new facility also supported growth in the professional and graduate programs, the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Specialist Program, and continuing professional development.

The professional baccalaureate program also continued to evolve. Beginning in 1994, applicants were required to complete at least one year of university study before admission. This requirement increased to two years in 2011. That year, the Faculty also introduced a revised four-year, second-entry professional curriculum with expanded study in pharmacotherapy, medication therapy management, direct patient care, and experiential education. This revised four-year program marked the beginning of the transition from a BScPhm degree to an entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. In 2011, the Faculty also established a time-limited combined Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy pathway. Eligible students who had completed three years of the BScPhm program could complete the requirements for both the BScPhm and PharmD degrees.

In January 2013, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities approved the entry-to-practice Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The first cohort graduated with the entry-to-practice PharmD in June 2015. The four-year program integrated patient-centred care throughout the curriculum and included 35 weeks of experiential education in settings such as hospitals, clinics, community pharmacies, and other healthcare and professional environments.

Also in 2013, the post-baccalaureate PharmD evolved into the PharmD for Pharmacists program, providing pharmacists holding a BScPhm or equivalent degree with a pathway to earn a PharmD through a flexible program designed for practising professionals.

In 2025, the Faculty launched a renewed three-year entry-to-practice PharmD curriculum, the first program of its kind in Canada. Organized around integrated curricular blocks, the program builds on the Faculty’s longstanding commitment to pharmaceutical science, patient care, experiential education, interprofessional collaboration, and preparation for changing professional and societal needs.
 

Deans, Ontario College of Pharmacy

• E.B. Shuttleworth, 1882-1891
• A.Y. Scott, 1891-1892
• C.F. Heebner, 1892-1937
• R.O. Hurst, 1937-1952
• F.N. Hughes, 1952-1953

Assistant Dean, Ontario College of Pharmacy

• F.N. Hughes, 1948-1952

Deans, Faculty of Pharmacy

• F.N. Hughes, 1953 - 1973
• W.E. Alexander, 1974 - 1978
• E.W. Stieb, Acting, 1978 - 1979
• R.M. Baxter, 1979 - 1985
• E.W. Stieb, Acting, July - Dec. 1985
• D.G. Perrier, 1986 - 1998
• E.W. Stieb, Acting, Aug. 1993 - Jan. 1994
• K.W. Hindmarsh, 1998 - 2009
• R. Bendayan, Acting, Jan. - June 2007
• H.J. Mann, 2009 - 2013
• H. Boon, Interim, July 2013 - June 2014
• H. Boon, July 2014 - June 2018
• C.J. Allen, Interim, July 2018 - June 2019
• L. Dolovich, Interim, July 2019 - June 2020
• L. Dolovich, July 2020 -

Associate Deans

• G.C. Walker, 1970 - 1977
• E.W. Stieb, 1978 - 1994
• J.P. Uetrecht, 1994 - 1998
• J.J. Thiessen, 1999 - 2005
• D.M. Grant, 2002 - 2005
• L. Lavack, 2005 - 2010
• R.B. Macgregor, 2005 - 2010
• R. Bendayan, 2007 - 2011
• Z. Austin, 2009 - 2010
• H. Boon, Acting, Jan. - Dec. 2010
• R.M. Reilly, 2010 - June 2015
• C.J. Allen, Interim, Jan. - Dec. 2011
• L. Raman-Wilms, Interim, Jan. - Dec. 2011
• C.J. Allen, Jan. - Aug. 2012
• H. Boon, 2012 - June 2013
• L. Raman-Wilms, 2012 - June 2017
• I. Crandall, Interim, Jan. - Dec. 2013
• C.J. Allen, Interim, Sept. 2013 - June 2014
• C.J. Allen, July 2014 - June 2015
• S. Angers, July 2015 - August 2021
• J.L. Kellar, November 2020 - 
• M. Piquette-Miller, October 2021 -
• A. Thompson, July 2026 - 

Assistant Deans

• E.W. Stieb, 1975 - 1978
• L. Lavack, 1994 - 2005
• M. Nawrocki, 2001 - 2007
• K.A. Boyd, 2005 - 2006
• C.Y. MacNeil, 2006 - 2011
• T.E.R. Brown, 2007 - 2010
• D.M. White, 2007 - Feb. 2017
• M. Bystrin, 2013 - 2014

Faculty Secretaries/Registrars

• H.M. Corbett, 1953 - 1959
• F.M. Ward, 1959 - 1973
• H.M. Walton, 1973 - 1985
• H.J. Ditzend, 1985 - 2001
• B.A. Thrush, 2001 - 2022
• G.R. Luna, 2022 -