The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of mixed methods research to graduate students (MSc, MScPhm, PhD) who are already familiar with quantitative and qualitative research. The course will introduce students to definitions of mixed methods research, the history and foundation, different types of designs and how to conduct mixed methods research based on design type.

This graduate course is designed for students with an interest in conducting scoping reviews within health sciences. Students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct rigorous scoping reviews. The course is divided into the following main sections: 1) Overview of the principles and purposes of scoping reviews; 2) Formulating research questions; 3) Databases and search strategies; 4) Charting and synthesis of findings; 5) Knowledge dissemination and publishing; and 6) Project management.

Students are expected to complete readings and activities each week and actively participate in discussions. Each class will use examples from the scoping review literature, as well as examples from the instructors and peer learner experiences. The course will involve didactic sessions and activities, as well as small and large group seminar discussions.

The goal of this course is to understand the basics of linear regression models (LRMs) and how they can be used to analyze both experimental and non-experimental (observational) data and conduct hypothesis tests on the parameters of the LRM. The focus is on using LRMs to estimate the effects of some treatment, intervention, policy, or other exposure on an outcome variable of interest.

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly evolving field of nucleic acid-based therapies. The course will delve into the fundamental principles of nucleic acid biology and how these principles are harnessed in the design of innovative therapeutic strategies. We will begin with an exploration of the structure and function of nucleic acids, focusing on their role in cellular processes and the molecular mechanisms underlying gene expression. This foundational knowledge will set the stage for a detailed examination of various types of nucleic acid medicines, including antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). A significant portion of the course will be dedicated to mRNA therapies and vaccines, which have gained considerable attention due to their role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students will learn about the design principles of mRNA vaccines, their mechanism of action, and the challenges and opportunities associated with their development and deployment. In addition to lectures, the course will incorporate case studies, group discussions, and critical analysis of recent scientific literature, fostering a deeper understanding of the real-world applications and implications of nucleic acid medicines. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to evaluate the potential of nucleic acid medicines in treating a variety of diseases and contribute to this exciting field of pharmaceutical sciences.

Pharmacokinetics (PK) describes "what the body does to the drug" and links the drug's dose to its exposure. Understanding the PK properties of a drug is important along the entire life cycle of the drug, from early drug development to its real-world applications in precision medicine.

This course begins with a basic understanding to the core principles and concepts of PK. Next, the course will introduce two PK modelling approaches, population PK (PopPK) and physiologically based PK (PBPK) models, as key applications of PK. Using the newly attained PK knowledge, students will learn to create PopPK and PBPK models with PhoenixTM NLME and PK-Sim, respectively. Students will learn about the applications of these models, including identifying a starting dose, comparing formulations, scaling between species (e.g., mice to humans), evaluating associations between clinical factors and PK parameters, and designing experiments, to name a few.

The course concludes with an invited panel of PK professionals to allow students the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight into potential careers. Overall, the course offers students a rarity of skills in PK that can be applied to multiple fields and career paths in pharmaceutical sciences.

This course is intended for graduate students seeking to gain a comprehensive understanding of the drug discovery process. The course will present an in-depth overview, starting with target selection, where students will learn how to identify and validate potential biological targets for therapeutic intervention. Following this, the course will cover screening methods at the target level, where students will explore various techniques used to identify active compounds known as hits. They will learn about different types of libraries of compounds including virtual libraries. Students will then delve into the process of hit identification, learning how to analyze and interpret screening data to select promising hits for further development. The course will also address the optimization process, guiding students through the steps required to refine hits into lead compounds with improved potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties. This includes an examination of structure-activity relationships (SAR) and the application of medicinal chemistry strategies. A significant component of the course will cover ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) studies. Students will gain insights into how these pharmacokinetic properties impact the drug discovery process, including the evaluation of a compound’s bioavailability, distribution in the body, metabolic stability, and permeability. Understanding ADME is crucial for predicting the in vivo behaviour of drug candidates and for optimizing their pharmacokinetic profiles.

Additionally, the course will cover the transition from lead optimization to the identification of preclinical candidates. Students will study the criteria for selecting a candidate suitable for preclinical development, including pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and scalability of synthesis. The preclinical candidate phase involves rigorous testing in vitro and in vivo to ensure the compound's safety and efficacy before moving into clinical trials. The course will also discuss reasons for preclinical and clinical failure of drug candidates.

By the end of the course, students will have a robust understanding of the entire drug discovery process, from initial target selection to the identification of a viable preclinical candidate. They will gain insights into the challenges and strategies involved in each stage, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Successful completion of the course will enable students to comprehend the modern approaches and technological advancements that drive drug discovery today.

This course module introduces students to the drug discovery and development sciences behind the latest drugs and biologics approved by Health Canada and/or U.S. Food and Drug Administration. First two hours will be dedicated to introducing drug discovery and development sciences, interplay between regulatory path-pharmaceutical sciences and high-level discussions about technologies and tools. Students will be given assignments for a class presentation involving review, literature surveys, and a 20-minute presentation per student, followed by a 5-minute Q&A. Students are expected to get exposed to drug discovery/development integrated thought process, and various facets of new drugs and biologics. The overall module is designed to provide the overall understanding of many dimensions of drug/biologics development efficiently with a plug-in for the business of new medicines.

This course will cover recent advances in diagnostic medicine that are enabling analysis of clinical specimens with increased sensitivity and speed. Topics covered in this course will include infectious disease diagnostics — including those use to manage the COVID-19 pandemic — as well as the emerging area of liquid biopsy. The basics of diagnostic development will be covered along with information regarding regulatory and commercialization channels. The emphasis of the course will be on new technology platforms that are emerging to enhance global health.

A significant risk of some medications is the development of addiction. Prescription opioids were key contributors to the origins of the opioid crisis. Benzodiazepines, stimulants, and other pharmacological classes of medication also carry this risk. The challenge is to balance the need to have these medications available for therapeutic use while minimizing the risk of addiction. This course explores the complex issues related to addictive medications from many perspectives including the pharmacological features of medications that promote this risk, pathways to addiction including the risk of therapeutic exposures, the contribution of stigma, prevention, and treatment strategies and research methodologies used in this field.

This course will cover advances in neuroscience approaches that have shaped our understanding of the nervous system, using the study of pain as a focal point for application examples and discussion. Topics covered in this course will include an overview of the somatosensory system, behavioural approaches, electrophysiology, optogenetics, and fMRI. The emphasis of the course will be on how advances in these approaches enable new discovery, and how these approaches have been used in the development of new pain treatments.

This course will introduce students to principles of program design and evaluation with emphasis on educational programs in pharmacy and pharmacy practice. The goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to independently lead program design and evaluation projects, emphasizing practice change in the community. The course will involve a combination of different teaching, learning, and assessment techniques to support development of skills. This course will introduce students to different forms of program design and evaluation including needs assessment, formative research, program logic models, and impact assessment. Different qualitative and quantitative assessment methods will be discussed to support more robust evaluation and evidence-informed analysis of data to facilitate quality improvement in program design.

This course will cover the interaction of light with biological molecules and the use of light to analyze and quantitate molecules and molecular systems. Particular emphasis will be given to absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in the ultra-violet and visible spectral range to study biomolecules and molecules of interest in pharmaceutical development. The use of fluorescence methods to obtain knowledge of molecular size and motion will be discussed as well as the application of these methods in fluorescence microscopy. The use of circular dichroism spectroscopy to study the conformation and conformational transitions of proteins, DNA, and other molecules will also be presented.

This course will introduce students to principles of organizational and behavior theories relevant for management of health organizations with specific application to human resource management principles and practices in pharmacy (hospital, community, or industry settings). The goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to more effectively lead people and teams in pharmacy practice in diverse workplaces, and to use organizational theory and human resource management principles to encourage team members to embrace practice challenges and change. The course will involve a combination of different teaching, learning, and assessment techniques including role-playing/simulations to build skills and confidence in managing and leading individuals, teams, and organizations.

This course will introduce students to legal and organizational issues in health care related to strategic human resource management, with specific emphasis on issues of work, conflict management, competence assessment and regulatory-legal issues. There will be an emphasis on contract and tort law principles as they apply to management of diverse health care organizations. A variety of teaching and learning methods will be used to provide knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing complex human resource management issues.

Pharmacotherapy options for addition have evolved and grown in recent years with varying levels of evidence available for their effectiveness, limited uptake, and often unclear roles in relation to non-pharmacological treatment options. This course explores medication options for treating the clinical presentations associated with substance use, including substance use poisoning, withdrawal management, and substance use disorders. Discussion will focus on the pharmacological rationale for medication use, the strength of evidence for their effectiveness, their place in therapy, and approaches in the context of special populations and psychiatric comorbidities. Classes will include student facilitated appraisals of key research papers. Assignments focus on synthesizing the evidence for specific medications and types of substances. A fundamental knowledge of pharmacology is required, demonstrated by successful completions of an undergraduate or other graduate pharmacology course.

Lipid bilayers are the structure-giving matrix and primary permeation barrier of biomembranes. Specific cellular functions fulfilled by membrane proteins may be regulated by properties of the lipid matrix as well. Technically, they are, for example, used as liposomes for targeted drug delivery. The class introduces the basics of lipid bilayers, including their structure and dynamics, phase transitions, transport of molecules within and across membranes. After six introductory, interactive lectures and a break, each participant shall present a scientific paper and its background to the class. This will be a joint class with the University of Freiburg, Germany, via online.

This quarter course introduces foundational principles in pharmacoepidemiology and the use of health-care administrative data to describe drug utilization and estimate real-world drug safety and effectiveness. Experience will be gained through practice exercises and assignments, class discussions, small group exercises, presentations, and tests.

This course offers students an immersive introduction to entrepreneurial strategy. It focuses on a practical and methodical way of navigating the essential decisions entrepreneurs must make. The course guides students through the process of transforming their novel technologies (e.g., drug, medical device, digital health technology) into viable business ventures. Unlike traditional strategies, entrepreneurial strategy emphasizes the importance of experimentation and data gathering on your target market. The course focuses on four critical dimensions: your target customer, your competition, your technology, and your organizational structure. These dimensions are interconnected and essential for creating and capturing the value of a technology.

Adapted with permission from the Entrepreneurial Strategy Course developed by Professor Joshua Gans and the Creative Destruction Lab at the Rotman School of Management, this course combines informative lectures with firsthand insights from founders and entrepreneurs. Additionally, students will engage in group activities, analyzing various start-ups and mapping to one or more entrepreneurial strategies. This practical approach will not only equip students with theoretical knowledge but also challenge them to apply these strategies to their current scientific projects. By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to navigate and lead in the dynamic world of start-ups.

The purpose of these courses is to expand the student’s clinical experiences to further develop (CPI) and establish (CPII) their knowledge, skills, and judgment to an advanced level in a defined area of clinical pharmacy practice. The practicums provide experiences in which students integrate practice principles and advanced knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics in a defined area to provide care to individual patients and their families. These practice experiences will include integrating emerging scientific data into practice, generating ideas and proposals to address complex patient care challenges, applying principles of pedagogy to communicate ideas and information, and demonstrating ethical decision making. A pharmacist in an advanced practice role will supervise the student practicums.

The purpose of these courses is to expand the student’s clinical experiences to further develop (CPI) and establish (CPII) their knowledge, skills, and judgment to an advanced level in a defined area of clinical pharmacy practice. The practicums provide experiences in which students integrate practice principles and advanced knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics in a defined area to provide care to individual patients and their families. These practice experiences will include integrating emerging scientific data into practice, generating ideas and proposals to address complex patient care challenges, applying principles of pedagogy to communicate ideas and information, and demonstrating ethical decision making. A pharmacist in an advanced practice role will supervise the student practicums.

The Research Practicum provides MScPhm students with the opportunity to apply content covered in foundational MScPhm courses by undertaking a research project. Students, with the approval of the supervisor and Advisory Committee, will identify a research question; develop a research protocol including rationale, significance and methods; obtain regulatory and ethical approval to conduct the study as required; undertake the study and present their findings orally and in writing. In collaboration with their (co-)supervisor(s), students will interpret and integrate emerging scientific data into their research; interpret their findings and communicate them aligned with the principles of knowledge translation/mobilization. All projects will be assessed for feasibility and scope by each student's Advisory Committee and the MScPhm Program co-Leads. Students will be supervised by their graduate faculty (co-)supervisors.