PSNZ - Pharmacy in Focus

Cyclone Gabriele hit New Zealand on 12th Feb 2023. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called it the biggest natural disaster this century. On Feb 14th 2023 Cyclone Gabriele cause widespread damage to homes and infrastructure in Hawkes Bay due to flooding, slips and silt. Over 70,000 residents were left without power, internet, cell phone networks, health services, wastewater, drinking water or roads. Ma...

In this episode I chat to Gary Chalmers about what pharmacy was like when he first started his career in pharmacy, some differences he has found as a locum in different regions, and why he is an advocate for CPAMS.

In this episode I chat with Lanny Wong about her experience during the recent weather events, her experience when the co-payments were removed, and why she decided to be a GirlBoss Edge mentor

In this episode, I talk to Palki Kaur, a pharmacy technician and PACT. We talk about Palki’s background, her experience as a Girlboss Edge: Healthcare mentor and her thoughts on technicians mentoring others.

In this episode we discuss Susie’s experience of being a new mum and returning to work full-time, the challenges she faced and how she managed these.

When applying for a medicine to be reclassified, there is a set process that is followed. However, the COVID-19 antivirals did not follow this process and were reclassified through a specific legislation in the Medicines Act. In this episode I talk to Billy Allan, Manager Pharmacy, Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand to find out about the usual medicine reclassification process, and also why the COVI...

Cytotoxic medication undergoes a different disposal process to other pharmaceutical waste. What is this process and why does it have to happen overseas? In this episode Shirena Vasan will be talking to Sara Hanning who has started researching pharmaceutical waste management and minimisation strategies.

Over 3000kg of pharmaceutical waste was returned to pharmacies in September 2020. How are these unused or expired medicine, foils, sachets, and devices disposed of? What is the environmental impact of this? In this episode Shirena Vasan will be talking to Sara Hanning who has started researching pharmaceutical waste management and minimisation strategies. Find out about this research, what pharmac...

Could the COVID-19 oral antiviral reclassification reshape the future of pharmacy? The role and range of services provided by pharmacists has expanded in recent years with selected oral contraceptives, vaccinations and rapid antigen testing as some examples. With the recent addition of oral antiviral therapies, will pharmacists’ medication expertise continue to be sought and funded? Is pharmacist...

Vicky Graduated in 2004, from the "Guinea Pig" Class of School of Pharmacy from the University of Auckland. Vicky is a Community Pharmacist and co-owns Unichem Pakuranga Pharmacy. Passionate about pioneering and driving clinical services at a community pharmacy setting, Vicky strives to collaborate widely across the health and NGO sector. Vicky has an equity-based approach to supporting the most v...

Hannah Arnold (27 years old) is a pharmacist who is currently working as a Funding Application Advisor at Pharmac. After graduating from Otago University, Hannah began her pharmacy career as an intern at Capital and Coast DHB where she continued to work as a rotational pharmacist for several years. She then moved to the United Kingdom and worked as a clinical writer for the Royal Pharmaceutical So...

When Mena Alsaffar, daughter of pharmacists Adam and Eman Alsaffar, was deciding her career, choosing to follow in her parents footsteps and also become a pharmacist herself was a no brainer. Mena graduated with a BPHARM from Otago University in 2015 and has now been a community pharmacist for 5 years. Becoming a pharmacy owner was not her original plan, however, she now owns and operates two comm...

Megan Peters is a pharmacist with over 20 years experience in community pharmacy and more recently has been working in hospital pharmacy and as a primary care pharmacist. Megan is passionate about the role pharmacists have in a patient healthcare journey and the value they can add to healthcare teams as medication experts. She has a special interest in polypharmacy and appropriate medication use i...

Quincy Liu currently the Head of Market Access at GSK NZ. His job is to bring innovative medicines into New Zealand, and involves assessing the commercial feasibility of new medicines, preparing funding applications for new medicines and commercial contracting with PHARMAC. Quincy is also a practicing pharmacist in Auckland, and co-own community pharmacies with his wife Anna. Quincy studied BPHARM...

Judith is a clinical pharmacist at Ropata Health, a large medical centre in Lower Hutt. She has been a pharmacist for 10 years, working the first 5 years in community pharmacy before picking up part time work in general practice and continuing part time in community pharmacy.

Brooke (32 years) is an independent community pharmacy owner in Upper Hutt, Wellington. She has always had a passion for pharmacy, and is performing her dream job. She first purchased shares in the pharmacy at 25 and now is the managing director with 50% shareholding. The pharmacy employs 23 staff and is open 8.30am-  9pm 7 days a week. Brooke has two tamariki (Ada 2 and Leo 9months). Brooke...

After graduating from the University of Auckland, Michael started his career at North Shore Hospital where he worked for a number of years in different clinical areas, before moving to develop and implement a clinical pharmacist facilitator service for the Primary Health Organisation (PHO) in Rotorua. He currently works as part of the COVID-19 Pharmacy Establishment Team leading the roll out of th...

Introducing Pharmacy in Focus, pocket-sized conversations on current topics and interests relating to pharmacy and the wider health sector in New Zealand. In the next few episodes, I will be talking to pharmacists in different areas of practice, discussing what they enjoy about their jobs, the challenges they have faced, and their journeys to where they are today.