Above, left to right: Our first GDPL cohort – Daoud Darazi, Sahil Ahuja, Stephanie Ching, Ikedinobi Ofong, Mona Akbar-Nejad, Mayssoun El Chami, Carson Mintram
Today, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC celebrates an important occasion as students graduate from a number of its programs: Entry-to-Practice PharmD, BPSc, Flex PharmD, MSc and PhD. In addition, seven students have achieved the Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership (GDPL), marking UBC's first-ever graduate diploma-graduating cohort.
A Milestone for Pharmacy Leadership Education
The Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership represents an important advancement in pharmacy education at UBC. This innovative program equips our graduates with the leadership skills and strategic thinking necessary to navigate the complex landscape of modern healthcare and pharmaceutical innovation.
With seven students comprising our first GDPL graduating cohort, this achievement reflects the dedication, perseverance, and excellence that define our Faculty community. The GDPL program addresses a critical need in the healthcare sector for pharmacists who can lead teams, drive innovation, and shape policy. Graduates of this program are prepared to take on leadership roles in hospitals, community pharmacies, pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, and research organizations. Through coursework in leadership theory, organizational change, strategic planning, and healthcare systems, GDPL students develop the competencies needed to become transformational leaders in the profession.
"My perspective on leadership has completely transformed since completing the GDPL program," shares Mayssoun El Chami, GDPL graduate. "The social and team-based learning approach, combined with evidence-based teaching from faculty, fundamentally changed how I understand leadership. I learned that leadership and management are two distinct things—and that you can demonstrate leadership at any level of an organization. The program not only taught me new skills and gave me more confidence in the workplace, but it also helped me realize I had valuable skills that simply weren't being utilized before."
The success of the first cohort demonstrates the transformative power of intentional leadership development in pharmacy. As the profession continues to evolve, the need for skilled, confident leaders has never been greater.
Applications are now open for the third GDPL cohort, starting September 2026. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2026. Learn more and submit your application today.
PhD Graduate Exemplifies Research Excellence
Among this year's outstanding PhD graduates is Dr. Danielle Hanke, Red River Métis, originally from Manitoba. Her thesis, "From STAT proteins to novel biological targets: A comprehensive medicinal chemistry journey of chemical probe development," represents groundbreaking work in early-stage drug discovery. Working in the Brent Page Laboratory, Dr. Hanke developed chemical probes for challenging drug targets and studied how these potential drugs function in models of disease. Her work produced three first-author publications and earned her full funding through some of Canada's most competitive awards: the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral ($110,000 CAD) and NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship ($140,000 CAD). Her research has gained international recognition through presentations at the Chemical Society of Canada Conference and the International Society of Chemical Biology Annual Meeting. During her graduate studies, Dr. Hanke completed an NSERC-funded research exchange at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. She is now at University College London, where she continues as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Matthew Todd's lab to advance open science approaches to drug discovery.
Dr. Danielle Hanke
Beyond research, Dr. Hanke transformed our graduate student community through hundreds of volunteer hours. As Chair of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists UBC Chapter, President of PharGS, and Co-Chair of the GPRS organizing committee, Dr. Hanke helped coordinate many social events, mentorship programs, and professional development workshops. In addition to mentoring undergraduate and high school students in the lab, she participated as a mentor in several programs including PharGS, Girls SySTEM Mentorship Inc., and Let's Talk Science's IMPulse Indigenous mentorship program. In her final year, she joined a committee developing an Indigenous STEM Bridging Program at UBC. Altogether, these contributions to her community earned her the Outstanding Service Award for Graduate Students.
"I think we are really lucky within our faculty to have opportunities to volunteer and organize so many incredible social and professional development events. It really builds a sense of community, which is something I really cherish from my graduate studies," reflects Dr. Hanke.
The Faculty recently introduced part-time study options for MSc and PhD programs. Applications are now open and prospective students are encouraged to review admission requirements and application procedures here.
To all our graduates: congratulations on this remarkable achievement. Your contributions to research, leadership, and community have enriched our faculty, and we look forward to your continued success.