The AJP Podcast

Hospital pharmacist union representative Shaun O’Connor talks about the recent enterprise bargaining agreement achieved in Victoria, touching on pay, flexibility and safe working conditions O’Connor, a senior hospital pharmacist who is an elected member of the board committee of the Association of Hospital Pharmacists and the Health Services Union, told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that “There...

Certainty provided by the 8CPA “has set up community pharmacy nicely” in the eyes of bankers, the AJP Podcast hears  Westpac’s national general manager of specialised industries, Belinda Hegarty, discusses financing pharmacy with the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh.  In a period of economic uncertainty, Hegarty noted that the Eighth Community Pharmacy Agreement (8CPA) has pro...

FIP early career pharmacist group president Yi Ling Ng talks to Carlene McMaugh about how pharmacy is changing in Malaysia and internationally – including paid professional services “When I first joined community pharmacy, I also asked myself, ‘Is it possible to maintain professionalism while ensuring the pharmacy remains sustainable?’ Ng says. “And my answer is now yes, it is entirely possible. S...

Caps on the number of HMRs pharmacists can provide are stifling the profession’s capacity to prevent patients from being hospitalised, the AJP Podcast hears  Consultant Pharmacist of the Year Kelly Abbott has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that caps on the Home Medicines Review (HMR) program are “disincentivising things”  Based in one of Australia’s most unhealthy re...

It is nearly impossible to find someone with an understanding of rural pharmacy at the meetings where decisions are made, Heather Volks tells the AJP Podcast  AJP Podcast host, Carlene McMaugh, discusses life as a rural pharmacist with Charles Darwin University’s pharmacy lead, Associate Professor Heather Volks.   Logistical challenges are hindering pharmacists working in rural and remote areas fr...

Digital innovations will be “useful tools” for pharmacists going into the future, but the ability to think critically will help cement the profession’s role in healthcare, Paul Tait tells the AJP Podcast   AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses key skills pharmacists will need going into the future, their role in palliative care and more, with the 2026 Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Pharm...

Australia’s first Indigenous pharmacist, Professor Faye McMillan, speaks with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about her journey in pharmacy, the profession’s role in Closing the Gap, racism and more  Wiradjuri woman, Faye McMillan, tells the AJP Podcast that she was inspired to pursue a career as a pharmacist after working at a dispensing assistant in her local pharmacy in Trangie, NSW.   “[I] sa...

This PDL podcast seeks to demystify a stressful subject: what can pharmacists do when they receive a regulatory notification? Ahpra acting executive director of Health Regulation, Monica Lambley; PDL lead pharmacist education and professional development and host of the Be Risk Ready Podcast Amy Minion; and PDL Professional Officer and chair of the Victorian Local Advisory Committee Naomi Lim disc...

What’s going to change with the replacement of QCPP with QSPP? The AJP Podcast asks the questions AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh chats with Natalie Willis, senior vice president of the Pharmacy Guild in WA, national councillor and chair of the Guild’s clinical governance committee, about the new Quality and Safety in Pharmacy Program (QSPP) framework. There’s two major themes, says Willis:...

CEO of the Australian Pharmacy Council Bronwyn Clark sits down with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh to talk about full scope, training, interprofessional collaboration and more “Full scope is obviously super, super important and very exciting time for us here in Australia,” Clark says. “So our role at the APC is to be the national accreditation and standard setting body for education and training...

In this episode of the AJP Podcast, Sally Cairnduff explains what it’s like to work for a not-for-profit pharmacy servicing a rural community – and her lessons for the profession As the general manager of not-for-profit Wonthaggi Miners’ Pharmacy in regional Victoria, Sally Cairnduff runs her pharmacy a little bit differently.  “Profit is not the goal in itself,” she...

Former PSA national president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, reflects on the society’s evolution during her term, and looks to the future on the latest episode of our podcast  AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s immediate past president, Associate Professor Fei Sim, to discuss her time at the helm, and what the future holds for the organisation....

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh discusses cybersecurity in 2026 – including why pharmacists need to consider themselves data stewards She sits down with PSA’s digital health lead and pharmacist Jarrod McMaugh to discuss everything from why criminals target small businesses, how to tell the difference between a legitimate communication from a GP or wholesaler and a data theft attempt, and pharmaci...

Decisions around the adoption of AI in healthcare need input from those who will be using it, hospital pharmacist Ella Shearing says  AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with clinical pharmacist Ella Shearing, of Locumate, to discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmacy.  A survey conducted by Shearing at a Sydney hospital found pharmacists were receptive to using the new tec...

Vaccination will always be the “inaugural proof point for full scope,” says “the Vaccination Pharmacist” In this episode of the AJP Podcast, host Carlene McMaugh sits down with Anna Theophilos, who takes listeners through her journey into an educator on social media – and how to cut through misinformation about vaccines. Discussing the importance of communicating about the risks of influenza, espe...

Do pharmacists have a bigger role to play recognising and supporting patients with mental health concerns? The AJP Podcast discusses the matter with Claire O’Reilly Australia’s pharmacists have a frontline role in triaging patients who are struggling, but more training is needed across the profession, the AJP Podcast has heard.  Pharmacist and Associate Professor at the University of S...

“Legislation and practice aren’t necessarily keeping up with the universities,” says a leading pharmacy student, discussing the future of the sector Sebastian Harper, national president at the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA), chats with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about scope of practice, the importance of making pharmacy friends and placement poverty. H...

PSA’s new president flags changes to the profession, with priorities including the negotiation of the pharmacy programs agreement, the new Code of Ethics and the College transition AJP podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down for a chat with Pharmaceutical Society of Australia national president Mark Naunton, who says that he has “great confidence” in how the agreement’s negotiations are taking plac...

Is AI likely to result in a dystopian future for health professionals and patients – or could it be used to free up more hours in the day for pharmacists to do their jobs? AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh sits down with Michael Bakker, chief pharmacy information officer for SA Pharmacy, about the barriers to digital transformation for pharmacists, overcoming resistance to change, and what the futu...

FIP president pays tribute to Australia’s pharmacy practice model, as international jurisdictions champion pharmacist scope Paul Sinclair, the first Australian president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) sat down with AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh to talk about the pharmacy workforce, challenges like antimicrobial resistance and how best to use AI in health care. There are ma...

Almost every HMR can make a difference, says consultant pharmacist of the year Angus Thompson The AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh sits down with award-winning consultant pharmacist Angus Thompson, who tells her about how he builds rapport with his patients and helps them get the most out of their consultation. “We are not there to interfere and make changes for changes’ sake,” he explains. “We...

Community pharmacist and owner of MedWest Medical Dispensary, Keegan Wong, says his passion lies in merging evidence-based medicine with a holistic model of health. Speaking to host Carlene McMaugh of the AJP Podcast , Wong shared his journey to co-founding MedWest Medical Dispensary in Western Australia, and his his practice and perspective has evolved.  “Back when I was working in communit...

Professional Services Innovation Award winners Bev Mistry-Cable and Zineb Medrek share the secrets of their success with the AJP Podcast – and what’s next   “I think everybody’s got a slightly different passion, so it’s trying to work out what drives the pharmacies,” Cooleman Court Pharmacy’s Bev Mistry-Cable told the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMau...

AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh takes a look back at 2025 with AdPha president Tom Simpson and outgoing vice president Dr Kate O’Hara Speaking during Advanced Pharmacy Australia’s Medicines Management 2025 conference in Melbourne, the three spoke about how residencies can help pharmacists keep getting feedback through their early careers, medicines reconciliation and points of transition, as well...

On the latest AJP podcast, our host Carlene McMaugh speaks to pharmacist Keegan Wong about the impact of the 1 July vaping regulations  Among the topics covered in this podcast are: The impact of the regulations on the product’s that pharmacies can supply (03:11 minutes) What is the new process for patients to get a compliant product? Has their been an increase in prescriptions for higher co...