Dr Toyin Tofade
Since 2016, Tofade has served as the Dean and Professor at the Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C. During her tenure, the College has nearly doubled enrollment for the class of 2021; doubled the number of student internships; expanded clinical, industrial, and international partnerships; and received the maximum number of Accrediation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) reaccreditation years possible. Under her leadership, the College diversified its faculty composition and expertise; revised the curriculum which has led to improved educational outcomes; entered into a one-of-a-kind partnership with the FDA and Glaxo to provide fellowship opportunities in regulatory affairs and policy; and established residencies with Walgreens and Trusted Health Plan. Multiple partnerships with pharmaceutical industry yielding postdoctoral fellowship opportuntites for Howard graduates have been created under her leadership. Additionally, alumni giving increased by over 70% from 2016 to 2021, with giving in 2022 alone over $1M. The student pharmacy residency match rate increased from 36% in 2016 to 70% in 2022. Lastly, the College grew its international partnerships from five in 2016 to 18 in 2021, spanning 16 countries and 6 continents. All of these accomplishments contributed to the College rising 23 spots and being ranked as the #1 pharmacy school among historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs) on the US News and World Report pharmacy school rankings in 2021.
A leader in global professional pharmacy organizations, Tofade was appointed in 2020 as president-elect of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) academic pharmacy section. FIP is the global federation representing over four million pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide. In 2018, Tofade was the first Black woman to be named an FIP Fellow, which recognizes those who have exhibited strong leadership internationally, distinguished themselves in pharmaceutical sciences and/or practice of pharmacy, contributed to advancement of pharmaceutical sciences and/or practice of pharmacy, and who have served FIP. She also serves as an advisory member for the FIP academic institutional membership group (AIM), the program planning committee and the workforce education hub as lead for the leadership development goal (WDG6).
On the national front, she was appointed as chair-elect of the council of deans, board member for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in 2020, and has participated on a variety of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion taskforces nationally. She has been an active member of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP). She served on the ASHP Opioid taskforce, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Taskforce, and the Editorial Advisory Board member for the American Journal for Health-systems Pharmacists (AJHP). Locally, Tofade has worked with pharmacy organization leaders, the board of pharmacy, and elected leaders in the District of Columbia to influence changes to policy regarding the role of the pharmacist in COVID vaccinations during the pandemic and the scope of pharmacy practice in the district.
Tofade has received numerous awards, including the ASHP 2022 Board of Directors' Donald E. Francke Medal which honors pharmacists who have made significant international contributions to advance pharmacy practice. In 2021, her alma matter, University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy, honored her with the Pharmacy Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. In 2020 she received the A. Richard Bliss Jr. Grand Council Citation of Appreciation Award given by Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Inc. This award is a form of superior recognition for most extraordinary contributions to the Fraternity or Profession by either Members of the Fraternity or non-members. As a nonmember, this was an honor bestowed on her due to her students' nomination in appreciation of her dedicated service to the College and profession at large. In 2019, she received the Fred M. Eckel Pharmacy Leadership Award by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy and UNC Hospitals. This award honors an individual associated with the University of North Carolina Hospitals and Clinics post-graduate pharmacy training programs who has demonstrated sustained professional contributions to pharmacy practice throughout his or her career. In 2018, Dr. Tofade received a Distinguished Service Award in appreciation for leadership in Pharmacy Education and presentation at the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas, Inc. (NAPPSA) Scientific Conference.
Prior to her tenure at Howard University, Tofade served in multiple roles at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) in Baltimore, including Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, Associate Director, and Assistant Dean of the Experiential Learning Program. She was also employed at University of North Carolina (UNC) hospitals for several years as a pharmacist, as a clinical specialist on the general medicine service, and as Director of Pharmacotherapy Services at the Wake Area Health Education Center (AHEC).
Tofade received a bachelor's in pharmacy (B.Pharm.) from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria; a master's science (M.S.) in pharmacy practice and a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from UNC at Chapel Hill. She completed a residency with emphasis on clinical pharmacokinetics from UNC Chapel Hill, and an American Society of Health-System Pharmacy-accredited residency at UNC hospitals. She is a certified professional coactive coach and completed the Academic Leadership Academy from the Academic Leadership Institute at Penn State in 2016, the Management Development Program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2017, and the Crises Leadership in Higher Education from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2020. She has published several papers and given presentations on a variety of topics nationally and internationally.