GSK

For decades, GSK has generously invested in the University of Toronto, supporting a range of critical initiatives that promote research, educational excellence and access, and the establishment of a chair in pharmacist-led vaccine education.

GSK, also known as GlaxoSmithKline, is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease. Their dedication lies in developing innovative vaccines and specialty medicines that aim to prevent and treat disease. The company’s research and development mission centres around the science of the immune system, human genetics and advanced technologies.

Over several decades, GSK has made significant investments in the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, University of St. Michael’s College, U of T Mississauga and the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. These contributions have supported research, scholarships, and continuing professional development programs among other initiatives. Additionally, GSK has supported the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC), which focuses on infectious disease research.

In 2023, GSK made a landmark investment of $2 million to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Together with the Faculty’s $1-million contribution, the investment endowed the GSK Chair in Vaccine Education and Practice-Oriented Tools at the University of Toronto. The chair will build on current knowledge and training to equip the pharmacists of tomorrow with the skills and tools to adapt to the rapidly evolving clinical scope of practice and the needs of patients and communities. Furthermore, the chair will also develop evidence-based models of vaccine care that fosters trust, improve access and ultimately enhance health outcomes.

With the rise in community pharmacies as health hubs for primary care services and pharmacists now playing a leading role in managing vaccine-preventable diseases, the GSK chair will support and enhance the role of pharmacists as vaccine care providers, expand access to vaccines for patients and enhance the health of Canadian families and communities. This is GSK’s second endowed chair at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. In 2000, with a $1-million investment that was matched by the Faculty, the company established the GSK Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. The chair has earned a remarkable reputation for advancing understanding of drug discovery and delivery, producing groundbreaking research and innovation in pharmaceutics and drug delivery.

GSK’s longstanding relationship with U of T has provided innovative opportunities to manage vaccine-preventable diseases while supporting a variety of programs and resources for students and researchers across the university’s health-care-focused faculties.