The AJP Podcast

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...

One pharmacist urges her colleagues to put aside their preconceptions of ADHD and those who live with it, and take a wider view Susan Nguyen, a Sydney pharmacy co-owner and founder of ADHD Support Pharmacist, has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh that she hopes pharmacists will try to gain a better understanding of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and consider how it affects patients’...

The cost of living is hitting Australians hard – and arguably none more so than students who need to complete unpaid practical placements, says one high-profile student National Australian Pharmacist Students Association national president Sebastian Harper has opened up to AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh about the financial pressures on pharmacy students – and how NAPSA aims to take a greater rol...

PSA Victorian pharmacist of the year Sara Murdock talks about a “sliding doors” moment in her career – and why it’s important to make sure every patient’s voice is heard Murdock tells the AJP Podcast’s Carlene McMaugh about the many times she has reinvented herself – from arriving in Australia from war-torn Iraq “with nothing, just hope” to the time she walked away from a job that refused to offer...

AI is a field full of misconceptions, with many afraid to use it – but expert Andrew Bartlett tells the AJP Podcast how it’s being used to help learning and simulate patient interactions “There is still a lot of people who are scared of AI,” says Andrew Bartlett, academic at the University of Sydney’s School of Pharmacy, and PhD candidate. “Students are afraid to use it. They think they’’re...

The AJP’s podcast host Carlene McMaugh shares her career lessons and tips “It starts with knowing your values, what you are looking for, that you’re willing to leave the comfort of where you are and start something new,” says Carlene McMaugh.  In the latest episode of the AJP Podcast, McMaugh details the ways pharmacists can think about their career in 2025.  There are oppo...

A leading aged care pharmacist discusses how pharmacy has changed over the years – and his passion welcoming those changes The AJP Podcast talks to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s inaugural Aged Care Pharmacist of the Year – Neil Petrie, who has been working primarily in aged care, undertaking medication reviews for the past 25 years. He has also owned his own community pharmacy in the p...

“Saying sorry seems like such a simple, inherent notion, but it can also be a minefield,” PDL professional development pharmacist and Be Risk Ready host, Amy Minion says  Meridian Lawyers’ Chandrika Darroch joins PDL Podcast host, Amy Minion, and pharmacist, Georgina Woods, to discuss how to apologise when incidents occur.  This episode of the Be Risk Ready PDL Podcast looks at how to apologise fo...

One multi-award-winning pharmacist talks to the AJP Podcast about why we need to value the services available in pharmacy – and pay for them The Capital Chemist Charnwood is in the news again: 11 years after being named Guild Pharmacy of the Year, it has again taken home two of the final awards in the competition, being recognised for excellence in Community Engagement and Excellence in Harm Minim...

Deprescribing is “about working together to make sure that the medication someone is taking still fit with the current health goals, the values and their needs at that point in their life,” says one expert Pharmacist Amanda Quek is currently working on her PhD, focused on developing clinical practise guidelines for deprescribing common medications used by older people. She told AJP Podcast host Ca...

There’s far more to First Nations health than filling Close The Gap scripts – one Wiradjuri pharmacy student tells the AJP why early dispensing can be vital, why knowing about a patient’s pets matters and why pharmacists should be able to sign patients up for CTG During NAIDOC Week, fourth-year pharmacy student and proud Wiradjuri woman Jesyca Pearson has told AJP Podcast host Carlene McMaugh shar...