This week, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UBC celebrates an important milestone with the inauguration of its Graduate Diploma in Pharmacy Leadership (GDPL) program. This new program breaks ground as the first of its kind in Canada as well as the first graduate diploma credential offered by UBC. The Faculty welcomes the first cohort of students, who will now embark on a pioneering educational journey in pharmacy leadership.
Advancements in the pharmacy profession and its educational landscape—as well as the increasing complexity of the Canadian healthcare system along with new technologies and models of care—have heightened the demand for pharmacists with leadership skills in a variety of capacities. This rising need for leadership can be applied to organizational behaviour and change management at the individual, dyadic, team, and organizational levels; collaborative practice; and public health initiatives and policy decision-making. The profession requires a new cadre of pharmacists who can not only lead, but also support leadership development in others. In this ever-changing environment, employers across all sectors of the profession are looking to hire pharmacists with a solid understanding of how pharmacy connects with this evolving Canadian healthcare system. The GDPL program was developed to address this need.
Traditionally, pharmacy leadership roles have been filled by pharmacists with many years of experience in the profession. However, with the demands of the current labour market and an evolving healthcare system, there is an urgent need for market-ready leaders who can step into these roles more quickly. The GDPL was designed to accelerate the development of pharmacists as leaders—and also address the opportunities and complexities of the imminent workforce “leadership gap” that the profession is facing.
The GDPL is Canada’s only educational path designed specifically for pharmacists to become leaders. It was designed for pharmacists with leadership aspirations within administrative, corporate, public health, primary care, academic, regulatory or government roles.
More on the GDPL, as well as registration information for an upcoming information session on September 18, can be found at pharmsci.ubc.ca/gdpl.