ALBANY, NY - Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is pleased to announce that Toyin Tofade, MS, PharmD, BCPS, CPCC, FFIP, has been selected as the 10th president of the college, following a comprehensive national search. Since 2016, Tofade has served as the Dean and Professor at the Howard University College of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C. Dr. Tofade is the first Black woman to serve as president of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the college’s 141-year history. She begins her term on July 1, 2022.
“It is an honor to be selected for this distinguished role by the Board of Trustees at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” said Dr. Toyin Tofade. “My sincere thanks go to Howard University’s provost and president for their leadership, ongoing support, and mentorship over the years, the entire Howard University College of Pharmacy (faculty, staff, students, board of visitors, alumni, and friends) for their dedication to excellence and leadership, my distinguished colleagues for making Howard a great place to work, and my family for their unwavering support. I am grateful to God for this new opportunity, and I look forward to serving the ACPHS community as president.”
During her tenure at Howard University, 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 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) re-accreditation 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 opportunities for Howard graduates have been created under her leadership. Additionally, alumni giving increased by over 70% and the student residency match rate increased from 36% to more than 50%.
“Dean Tofade has been an integral part of the Howard University community for the past six years, and has represented the College of Pharmacy well as a respected leader. While her departure is certainly a loss to Howard University, we are nonetheless thrilled for her that she will expand her leadership responsibilities as the president of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. We wish her well in this exciting new role,” said Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh, Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Howard University.
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 five 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. On the national front, she was appointed as chair-elect of the council of deans for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in 2020 and has participated on a variety of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task forces nationally. Tofade facilitated meetings with profession leaders and participated in pharmacy coalition meetings with the goal to advance provider status in the District of Columbia.
Tofade has received numerous awards, including the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (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 mater, 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, as well as a 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 also a certified coactive coach and completed the Academic Leadership Academy from the Academic Leadership Institute at Penn State, the Management Development Program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Crises Leadership in Higher Education from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Tofade was selected by the ACPHS Board of Trustees following a national search. A Presidential Search Committee composed of faculty, students, staff, and alumni oversaw the process and retained executive search firm Greenwood/Asher and Associates to ensure the college attracted significant interest from a diverse group of qualified candidates. The committee, chaired by Christopher Di Lascia, '83, of the ACPHS Board of Trustees, and search firm held multiple listening sessions and conducted surveys with key campus stakeholder groups to identify key strengths and qualities sought in the college’s next president.
“The Presidential search committee received feedback from a diverse set of stakeholders regarding the ideal characteristics and requirements for the next ACPHS President,” said Di Lascia. “Dr. Tofade possesses all the qualities desired, including her deep commitment to academic quality, scholarship, and service, as well as a proven track record of successful management and resource development. Her unique management style engages the full community around a shared entrepreneurial vision. As an experienced and successful leader, Dr. Tofade has great potential for creating opportunities that will enrich the entire ACPHS community."
“Dr. Tofade brings academic excellence, global citizenship, and authentic leadership to ACPHS,” said Marion T. Morton, RPh, MBA ‘84, chair of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Board of Trustees. “As a champion of pharmacy, she has worked to build experiential education networks, partnerships, residencies and fellowships in the United States and internationally. We look forward to Dr. Tofade’s impact on the continued growth of ACPHS, and her work to achieve the college’s mission of educating the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society.”
ACPHS embarked on a nationwide search after current president Dr. Greg Dewey announced his retirement in July 2021. Dewey was appointed president of ACPHS in 2014, and his vision and leadership helped advance the college in significant ways. He led a strategic planning process to inform the college’s efforts to improve the student experience and to prepare graduates to address complex and evolving health care and industry needs. During his tenure, Dewey launched two successful capital campaigns to support these efforts and increased the college’s endowment by 80% to ensure ACPHS’ long-term success.
The centerpiece of Dewey’s efforts to prepare students for the future of pharmacy and health sciences is the establishment of the Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), the first center of its kind at a pharmacy college, which is focused on training the next generation of life science professionals for the biotechnology and biomanufacturing industries. CBET provides training to enable a skilled workforce to help advance the biopharmaceutical industry, and it has helped to establish Albany, New York as a biopharma hub.
Dewey also established two student-operated pharmacies in medically underserved areas of New York’s Capital Region. ACPHS is the only college in the country that operates student-run pharmacies, which serve to provide ACPHS students opportunities for real-world experiences providing pharmacy and public health services and tackling health disparities as part of an integrated health care team.
Under Dewey’s leadership and with the hard work and support of the ACPHS community, the college has successfully mitigated the COVID pandemic and has emerged stronger from the experience.
Tofade will assume the role of ACPHS president following Dewey’s retirement on July 1.
For more information, or to access Dr. Tofade’s bio and photo, please visit this ACPHS web page.
ABOUT ACPHS:
Founded in 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) is a private, independent institution with a long tradition of academic and research excellence. In addition to Pharmacy, ACPHS offers programs in Biomedical Technology, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Microbiology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pre-Med and Public Health. The college’s mission is to educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society. ACPHS ranks #1 in New York and #2 in the U.S. for best return on investment according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. ACPHS was also named the #1 value-added college in the country by the Wall Street Journal and the Brookings Institution. For more information, go to www.acphs.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shannon Hutton
Director of Public Relations
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
(518) 694-7194
shannon.hutton@acphs.edu
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