McKesson Canada has been named the recipient of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Corporate Partnership Award at the University of Toronto, recognizing its longstanding collaboration in advancing pharmacy education, research and community engagement.

Awarded annually, the Corporate Partnership Award recognizes organizations whose sustained financial support and partnership have made a meaningful contribution to the Faculty’s mission. Recipients are selected based on the duration of their contributions and their overall impact across the Faculty over time.

“McKesson Canada’s partnership with our Faculty reflects a strong commitment to supporting student success and preparing future pharmacy leaders,” said Lisa Dolovich, professor and dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “Through investments in student awards, and research and initiatives like the Discovery Pharmacy, they are helping us enhance training and create meaningful opportunities for learners as they enter an increasingly complex health care environment.”

McKesson Canada has contributed close to $1 million CAD to the Faculty to support student awards, research initiatives, academic programs and faculty priorities. Additionally, in alignment with its commitment to preparing tomorrow’s healthcare workforce, the McKesson Foundation provided multi-year funding for a project that will enable the Faculty to better prepare graduates to meet the diverse needs of the communities they will serve.

Most recently, McKesson Canada became a founding donor in support of the Discovery Pharmacy, a flagship Faculty initiative that integrates patient care, research and education within the University of Toronto and broader health care system to advance innovation in pharmacy practice. McKesson Canada also supported the Faculty’s work in clinical oncology through a research grant and related graduate student award. 

Last year, McKesson Canada established an Award in Management, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, which recognizes and supports high-achieving pharmacy students pursuing leadership and innovation within the profession.

The Corporate Partnership Award was presented by Dean Lisa Dolovich at the Faculty’s annual Dean’s Circle Recognition Event, held in the main atrium at 144 College St. The event brought together approximately 80 donors, partners and sponsors to recognize the impact of philanthropy and partnership.

“Strengthening the future of pharmacy starts with investing in the next generation of leaders,” said Dimitris Polygenis, president, McKesson Canada. “Pharmacy professionals are navigating an increasingly complex health care environment, and it’s essential that education and training reflect that reality. We’re proud to support the Faculty in ensuring graduates are prepared to lead through change and deliver meaningful impact for patients.”

Partnerships like this play a significant role in advancing the Faculty’s work across education and research, creating opportunities to connect learning with practice. Ongoing collaboration with organizations such as McKesson Canada helps ensure the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy remains responsive to the needs of the profession and the broader health care system.

McKesson Canada receives Corporate Partnership Award from Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

McKesson Canada has been named the recipient of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Corporate Partnership Award at the University of Toronto, recognizing its longstanding collaboration in advancing pharmacy education, research and community engagement.

Awarded annually, the Corporate Partnership Award recognizes organizations whose sustained financial support and partnership have made a meaningful contribution to the Faculty’s mission. Recipients are selected based on the duration of their contributions and their overall impact across the Faculty over time.

“McKesson Canada’s partnership with our Faculty reflects a strong commitment to supporting student success and preparing future pharmacy leaders,” said Lisa Dolovich, professor and dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “Through investments in student awards, and research and initiatives like the Discovery Pharmacy, they are helping us enhance training and create meaningful opportunities for learners as they enter an increasingly complex health care environment.”

McKesson Canada has contributed close to $1 million CAD to the Faculty to support student awards, research initiatives, academic programs and faculty priorities. Additionally, in alignment with its commitment to preparing tomorrow’s healthcare workforce, the McKesson Foundation provided multi-year funding for a project that will enable the Faculty to better prepare graduates to meet the diverse needs of the communities they will serve.

Most recently, McKesson Canada became a founding donor in support of the Discovery Pharmacy, a flagship Faculty initiative that integrates patient care, research and education within the University of Toronto and broader health care system to advance innovation in pharmacy practice. McKesson Canada also supported the Faculty’s work in clinical oncology through a research grant and related graduate student award. 

Last year, McKesson Canada established an Award in Management, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, which recognizes and supports high-achieving pharmacy students pursuing leadership and innovation within the profession.

The Corporate Partnership Award was presented by Dean Lisa Dolovich at the Faculty’s annual Dean’s Circle Recognition Event, held in the main atrium at 144 College St. The event brought together approximately 80 donors, partners and sponsors to recognize the impact of philanthropy and partnership.

“Strengthening the future of pharmacy starts with investing in the next generation of leaders,” said Dimitris Polygenis, president, McKesson Canada. “Pharmacy professionals are navigating an increasingly complex health care environment, and it’s essential that education and training reflect that reality. We’re proud to support the Faculty in ensuring graduates are prepared to lead through change and deliver meaningful impact for patients.”

Partnerships like this play a significant role in advancing the Faculty’s work across education and research, creating opportunities to connect learning with practice. Ongoing collaboration with organizations such as McKesson Canada helps ensure the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy remains responsive to the needs of the profession and the broader health care system.

In March, Maclean’s partnered with McKesson Canada to host the first Patient Innovation Summit, convening leaders from across the health care ecosystem to explore how the field’s newest frontier—artificial intelligence—is reshaping care and accelerating access for patients.

“Our vision was simple but ambitious,” said Dimitris Polygenis, President of McKesson Canada, in his opening remarks. “To bring leaders together who have the ability to shape where health care goes next, and how we act on it now.” He urged participants to see the current moment as an opportunity for collaboration across the health care system, noting, “Every person here has the power to make a difference.”

Maclean’s Publisher Jason Maghanoy reinforced that call. “AI has the potential to reshape the relationship between patients and the health care system,” he said. “But technology alone won’t determine that future, the leaders in this room will.”

With that challenge set, the evening moved into the opening keynotes.

Keynotes: Decisions That Shape What Comes Next

The Summit’s three opening keynotes shared a common theme: while organizations may be at different stages of adoption, the choices made today about data, governance, and deployment will determine whether AI scales or stays at the margins.

Dr. Helia Mohammadi, Chief Research and Technology Officer at City of Hope—one of the U.S.’ largest cancer centres—grounded the discussion in infrastructure. She emphasized that strong, integrated data foundations are a prerequisite for meaningful progress. At many hospitals, she said, finding the right patients for clinical trials is a challenge. At City of Hope, the solution came in the form of an AI model which analyzes patients’ health data to match them with trials they’d benefit from. “It allows us not only to match patients at the point of care, but also to deploy trials more strategically, based on where the data suggests more patients will have access to innovative therapies.”

Dr. Muhammed Mamdani, Clinical Lead for AI at Ontario Health and director of the University of Toronto’s Temerty Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM), shifted the focus to execution. Drawing from his experience with hospital settings, he described a system that uses AI to continuously monitor patient demographics, labs, and vital signs, leading to fewer unexpected deaths, and challenged the assumption that technologies must be fully explainable to earn trust. In medicine, he noted, reliability and demonstrated outcomes often matter most.

Dr. Zayna Khayat, Chief Program Officer at AMS Healthcare and Adjunct Faculty at University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management offered a broader perspective, comparing innovation in health care to a stage production. AI, she said, has been operating behind the scenes. Now, it’s time to bring it to centre stage, where patients are already waiting. She said that with AI tools in their hands, patients are becoming drivers of innovation themselves, rather than just passive recipients.

Panel: Accelerating Innovation from the Edges to the Core

The panel discussion which followed explored what it takes to scale AI responsibly, bringing perspectives from pharmacy, digital health, pharma and care delivery. Panelists agreed patient expectations around AI are already reshaping the system.

Dr. Jeff Nagge, associate professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, said patients are already arriving armed with AI-generated insights, which is changing the nature of clinical conversations. From the technology side, Dialogue CEO Cherif Habib said his company has had a decade long focus on using digital tools to reduce friction around care, which has freed clinicians to spend more time with patients. With AI accelerating, Habib was clear that the human relationship between patient and physician remains central, though nearly everything around that interaction is now a candidate for AI transformation.

Manasi Kulkarni, Senior Vice President of Specialty Health and Manufacturer Partnerships at McKesson Canada, pointed to several areas where AI, technology, and data could help simplify the patient experience. One focus, she said, is by automating administrative steps and reducing handoffs, streamlining the patient experience. She also highlighted adherence as an emerging area, where data can help identify patients at risk of dropping off therapy and enable earlier, more targeted support.

That conversation naturally turned to trust and regulation. Roger Tam, Director and General Counsel at Roche Canada argued that regulation, when done well, enables innovation rather than slowing it down. “How many of you would get into a car without brakes? You need to have some element of control,” he said, suggesting that brakes actually help you get around the track faster.

The summit concluded with thoughts from panelists on what can be done to bring AI closer to their operations right now. Kulkarni and Nagge agreed AI can be brought into all kinds of everyday work. Habib echoed this, adding that a work culture open to AI is crucial. “I think that really gives people permission to innovate,” he said.