By Fabrice HUMURA
The name Dr Toyin Tofade is not new in ears of young pharmacists professionals. Her role and impact with FIP particularly Young Pharmacist group has been instrumental. She is the Dean and tenured professor at the Howard University College of Pharmacy Washington DC. Dr Toyin is just one of the inspiring leaders helping to shape the future of global pharmacy education.
Many of us would love to know how you embarked on professional journey. What led you to choose pharmacy as a career?
As a young lady, I admired my dad and his work in the pharmacy field specifically with the Fagara (Xanthoxylum Xanthoxylloides) research he worked on so much. I knew the words before pharmacy school because it was spoken about so much at our home. My siblings and I helped him with the bibliography of his book and when the time came to choose a career, he took me to Pharmacy week at the faculty of pharmacy in Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife. That week, I was exposed to lots of drug preparations, creams, lotion, lipstick, aspirin toothpaste among other things and I was convinced that pharmacy was the way to go. Later, through the courses in my bachelors’ program, I found that I gravitated toward the clinical course we had in my final year. When the opportunity came to study pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I was very grateful to be admitted into the master’s program there and later pursued a couple of residencies and the PharmD also at Chapel Hill.
What drives your passion in academia and what have been some challenges you have faced?
As I progressed in my job as a clinical pharmacist at University of North Carolina Hospitals, I encountered great teachers who inspired me. Though I loved to teach from a young age, I could see the different styles in many of my professors and preceptors, so I decided to pick the best strategies from each one I encountered. I love to see trainees accomplish their goals and dreams and that “lightbulb” moment is priceless. Sometimes teaching requires tough decisions, however, I make sure that the best interests of the student and profession is taken into consideration. It is always a delight to see many of my former students come up to me at meetings and conferences to reference their time with me on rotations and how they excelled because they learned. It is truly rewarding when we focus on doing the right thing. The main challenge is that to accomplish learning, activities may not always be desirable to the learner and so they may not see the benefit at first.
You have worked closely with FIP YPG for quite a while. How do you perceive its impact so far for young pharmacy professionals?
It has truly been an honor to work with YPG. I am inspired by the excitement, creativity, intelligence and drive in YPG. Being among young folks brings me pure joy. I love the way they think, no barriers, all possibilities. It is awesome! My joy is to serve anyone who has a dream and to show them the path forward, so they hopefully accomplish their goals quicker than I did. I am truly grateful to those who showed me the way, so I am committed to paying it forward and YPG is the best place to make that happen. If in the process, I make some impact on someone’s life or career, then it would be worth it- I am happy to serve. One thing I am grateful for is the opportunity to work together with the leaders on the launching of the now annual YPG leadership development workshop held at each FIP congress. The first one at Glasgow, Scotland was incredibly successful. So glad to be a part of that work.
Recently, you were at the FIP Headquarters in the Hague for the BPP meeting and to meet with the Congress Programme Committee. What do you think is most exciting for FIP YPG members for the upcoming Congress in Abu Dhabi?
I believe those who get the opportunity to participate in the leadership development program would receive a concentrated mentoring experience from seasoned and young leaders from around the world. Applications are open and it is very competitive. I also believe you can learn by networking with colleagues from around the world, attend dinner events and YPG social events. If this is your first time at a world congress, be sure to attend the first timer’s session so you can get the concentrated look into FIP operations, programs and opportunities. There is something for everyone on the program so make sure to review the website for the detailed program. https://abudhabi2019.congress.pharmacy/programme-day/
Technology is disrupting several career practices, including healthcare, where big data algorithms, bioinformatics, and emerging mobile applications are changing routine practice. How are you envisioning pharmacy workforce in this changing world?
I believe the pharmacy workforce will need to be nimble, adaptable and creative to meet the ever-changing needs of the patient, health care professionals and health care industry. As the professions niche changes from country to country and time to time, we will need to be willing to change so we are not left behind. Self-directed life long learning will be an essential habit to have in order to be successful. We will need to be willing to do more with less and learn new skills to compete and remain relevant. While product creation and distribution is still a fundamental part of pharmacy, increasingly patient focused care, value based care and outcomes based care will be paramount. As robotics, augmented reality and artificial intelligence take over certain aspects of pharmacy, we must be prepared to retool ourselves where necessary to serve our patients and organizations.
What are your aspirations for the future of the pharmacy profession?
I would like to see our profession experience practicing at the top of our license, we have the drug knowledge and can apply such in patient care. I would like to see more pharmacy prescribers, more pharmacy advocates in legislative, regulatory and policy sectors so the voice of the practitioner is taken into consideration for the provision of care that will really benefit the patient.
What advice would you give an early career pharmacist for their future career?
Be open, be willing to learn be adaptable, learning what you don’t enjoy is as important as learning what you love. Get great mentors, ask questions along the way, ask for help if needed, be humble and lastly, choose a career that you love, that way you will never have to work a day in your life!
