IPPC Indigenous Pharmacy Scholarship by Johnson & Johnson
2024-25 PharmD Scholarship Recipient

Tyiesha Wright
University of Toronto

Tyiesha Wright is a second-year PharmD student at the University of Toronto Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. Born and raised in Winnipeg, MB, Tyiesha is an Afro-Indigenous woman with roots in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, and St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.

Tyiesha had her heart set on pharmacy from a young age when she proudly told her second grade teacher that she wanted to be a pharmacist when she grew up. Her passion for pharmacy was further developed throughout her high school and undergraduate years where she became fascinated by her chemistry and biology classes.

With a fierce determination to succeed, Tyiesha became a first-generation university graduate when she completed her Bachelor of Health Sciences degree at the University of Manitoba in 2023. During her undergraduate years, Tyiesha interned as an Indigenous Health Researcher and focused her research on the role that access to healthy food has on health disparities in northern and rural communities in Canada.

Tyiesha is dedicated to using her education and experiences to address inequities in health care. She currently volunteers her time as a student representative for the Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (BPPC) where she helps to support current and aspiring Black pharmacy students across Canada. Additionally, she works at the University of Toronto doing research on the experiences of Black and Indigenous pharmacy students. Through her work, Tyiesha aims to support Black and Indigenous pharmacy students throughout their educational journey and increase enrolment for students from these communities into pharmacy programs.

Tyiesha is passionate about making health care more accessible for underserved communities. Upon graduation, Tyiesha wants to work towards closing the health-care gap experienced by Indigenous communities in Canada. “I plan to open a pharmacy that services rural and remote communities in Canada, with a focus on providing trauma-informed, culturally safe care to underserved Indigenous communities,” she says. She also hopes to work closely with the community to incorporate traditional medicine and ways of knowing into her practice.

This scholarship has been generously supported by Johnson & Johnson.

"Johnson & Johnson is thrilled to support Tyiesha’s educational journey, as founding sponsor of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada’s (IPPC) Indigenous Pharmacy Scholarship, and to foster capacity building in indigenous healthcare by and with the IPCC and the Canadian Pharmacists Association," said Berkeley Vincent, President of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in Canada. "Tyiesha has demonstrated her commitment to researching indigenous health equity and to making health care more accessible for underserved indigenous communities in Canada, and we look forward to celebrating her successes."