S3.E3: Dose of Reality: Access to Medications

Historically, academia has been breeding ground for groundbreaking discoveries. But often these findings remained confined within Academic Journals lacking the pathway to real world applications. However, as technology transfer offices popped up around universities around the world, entrepreneurial programs, catalysts, collaborative initiatives, universities are more and more recognizing the value of translating their research into products and therapies that can benefit society. As communities around the world grapple with complex health challenges, there's a growing pressure to deliver innovative solutions in a timely manner. This has driven academia to actively engage in commercialization and look at it as a means to fund science students and really just keep the lights on in many labs. So, that's what we'll explore this episode. Why does commercialization take place? Why should academics even bother? And is it a driving force for innovation? We'll learn from some real efforts that have been occurring here at the University of Toronto, and those that have been involved in them. Featured Guests Dr. Paul Santerre Professor & Baxter Chair in Health Technology & Commercialization at University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering and University Health Networks Director, Health Innovation Hub Dr. Christine Allen Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto Co-founder and CEO, Intrepid Labs

Welcome to Season Four. Join us in kicking-off a new season of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast as we explore the heart and soul of the academic endeavour, innovation. Now, before you roll your eyes about another podcast focusing on innovation, this season goes beyond a re-telling of success, and gets to the bottom of where innovation comes from. We dive deep into where ideas come from, what failures led to success, and the difficulties of taking an innovation from idea to intervention. In our first episode, we chat eureka moments with Dr. Quynh Pham, the Scientific Director and Principal Investigator, Centre for Digital Therapeutics, University Health Network, as well as Dr, Michael LaFlamme, Senior Scientist at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network.

In the final episode of season three, we're turning our spotlight to the ones who will be the forefront of tomorrow's pharmacy landscape, our pharmacy students. Featuring: Theodora Udounwa, fourth year PharmD student, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Al-Amin Ahamed, fourth year PharmD student, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Madelynn Hannah, pharmacist and MScPhm trainee, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

What is the pharmacist of the future, and how do we train them? Recorded live at the 2023 Canadian Pharmacy Education and Research Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, host Mina Tadrous explores the future of pharmacy education alongside an esteemed panel of pharmacists and pharmacy educators. Featuring: Taylor Raiche, University of Saskatchewan Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, Dalhousie University Sandra Jarvis-Selinger, University of British Columbia Lalitha Raman-Wilms, University of Manitoba

Tune in to the first episode of our I'm Pharmacy Podcast Miniseries 'Pharmacy in Focus'. Throughout the next three episodes, we'll be exploring the current state of pharmacy practice, education and research, and uncovering what the future holds for the profession of pharmacy. In the first episode, we take a trip to Southhampton, Ontario to speak to Pharmacist and Pharmacy Owner Kristen Watt about how her pharmacy model could pave the way for a new era of pharmacy, as well as Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Associate Dean Academic Jamie Kellar on pharmacist identity.

In today's episode, we tackle a crisis that affects millions of individuals worldwide, and has reached an alarming proportion in Canada. We're going to talk about the mental health crisis. Mental health disorders have long been a significant concern. In recent years, the magnitude of the problem just feels like it's escalated, leaving a profound effect on individuals, families and communities. Featured guests: Dr. Paul Kurdyak Psychiatrist and Vice President Clinical for the Mental Health and Addiction Center of Excellence at Ontario Health Dr. Simone Vigod Head of Department of Psychiatry at Women's College Hospital

We produce lots of science. There's an estimated 125,000, medical or clinical studies published per month, in 2021. That means that there's over a million different papers with lots of different evidence in different spaces being produced a year. And yet, with all of this knowledge, we seem to see a plateau in people's health and health outcomes. How can it be that despite the availability of high quality evidence, amazing science, and proven effective interventions, there's a delay or a failure to get this knowledge into practice? In this episode of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast, we dig into moving evidence into action, speaking with family physician and scientist Dr. Noah Ivers and implementation scientist Dr. Tina Fahim.

Medications are an integral part of our healthcare system, and yet their access is grossly limited around the world. On this episode of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast, we dive into the issue of access to medicine, both globally and in Canada, with family physician Dr. Danielle Martin and Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Professor Jillian Kohler.

Where were you when you first heard the news about the pandemic? On this episode of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast, we dig into the pandemic, what the last three years have looked like, and if we are ready for the next one. To discuss, we chat with Emily Musing, inaugural leader in residence at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. And former VP clinical and the chief Patient Safety Officer at the University Health Network, as well as Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Assistant Professor and mRNA expert, Bowen Li.

In the first episode of season three, we dive into what the World Health Organization calls one of the major public health threats to humanity, antimicrobial resistance. To discuss AMR, and what scientists and health care providers are doing to battle it, we chat with pharmacotherapy specialist Mark McIntyre and Associate Professor in U of T's Department of Molecular Genetics, William Navarre.