SHPA's 12 Days of RxMas

While our members' workplaces never wind down, December provides a time to reflect on the year just passed and, in the holiday spirit, we'll chat with some of the many faces that make the SHPA pharmily so special.

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Day 1: Emma Dall'Alba

Clinical Pharmacist, Queensland Health; SHPA 2023 Resident of the Year

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?   

A major highlight for me in 2023 was completing the Residency Program and having the opportunity to present my research at Medicines Management – I feel so fortunate to have my work showcased and I’m very grateful to have received the 2023 Resident of the Year award. Personally, I also got to spend a month exploring New Zealand in a campervan which was an absolute treat!  

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?   

I love having the opportunity to collaborate with other like-minded pharmacists, especially at events like MM where you really get to appreciate the work other pharmacists are doing. During my time in the Residency Program, I have enjoyed being constantly motivated and encouraged to prioritise ongoing learning and self-reflection.  

What are you looking forward to in 2024?   

I’ll be working with the support of my supervisor and the Endocrinology team in Townsville to prepare my research piece for publication. And then hopefully celebrate that achievement with a long-awaited trip to Europe! 

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Day 2: Kelly Beswick

Pharmacy Manager, Tasmanian Health Service North West | Chair, SHPA Tasmanian Branch | SHPA Rural and Remote Leadership Committee Member | FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt)

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?   

There's probably a few for me this year! Being recognised as a Consultant of ANZCAP in Leadership and Management; having the Hon. Emma McBride MP visit the Mersey Community Hospital and being able to speak to her about challenges in rural and remote pharmacy practice; having the Tasmanian Health Minister the Hon. Guy Barnett visit North West Tasmania to meet with our Clinical Advanced Pharmacy Technicians; being able to work on the SHPA Advanced Training Residency Practice Area Framework and Knowledge Guide for Leadership and Management (to be released in 2024); and being involved with the Tasmanian Pharmacy Scope of Practice Review.   

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year? 

One of the most encouraging and energising things for me in 2023 was seeing Karlee Johnston present at the Directors of Pharmacy Conference in Adelaide, and all of her sessions at MM2023. I think the work that she's done around burnout and restorative support is so important and I'm excited to see where we can take that work to ensure our teams are well supported. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member? 

Seeing SHPA’s Transformation 2024 agenda, and the advocacy that has happened for the entire profession (pharmacists and technicians) this year is so exciting. Also, being able to be a part of SHPA’s Tasmanian Branch, and sitting on the Rural and Remote Leadership Committee. The volunteers that are involved across the country that contribute to the branches and Specialty Practice Committees are such passionate and engaged professionals, and it's exciting to be a part of that.  

What are you looking forward to in 2024? 

I'm looking forward to seeing the progression of and outcomes from the pilot project for Clinical Advanced Practice Technicians in three of the Tasmanian hospitals! And the professional recognition of technicians via ANZCAP. 

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Day 3: Michael Bakker

Digital Health Portfolio Lead, SA Pharmacy | Chair, SHPA Electronic Medication Management Leadership Committee | FANZCAP (Informtcs) 

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

Professional: Presenting on AI and Future Pharmacy at Medicines Management 2023 (MM2023) in Cairns, and the conversations after. 

Personal: The arrival of our third child, Coraline, into the world the week before MM2023! 

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

Agile project planning. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

Being part of and chairing the SHPA Speciality Practice Electronic Medication Management Leadership Committee. We have made some big progress on efforts to support digital advancement of the profession this year with the inaugural Pharmacy Informatics Standard of Practice - I am excited to see that wrap up. Also, ANZCAP and all my fellow nerds being recognised for our informatics expertise! 

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

Getting stuck into my PhD and figuring out how to learn again. 

What new developments are you hoping to see in pharmacy in 2024? 

There are a lot of challenges for healthcare delivery in general over the next few years – I am hoping to see pharmacy play a pivotal role in addressing those and developing tools to support the workforce/industry. I hope 2024 will bring the culmination of some ideas that just make you go ‘Wow’. 
 

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Day 4: Lisa Pont

Professor, University of Technology Sydney | Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committee Member | SHPA Research Leadership Committee Member | FANZCAP (Edu., GeriMed) 

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?

Professionally I’ve had an amazing 2023 with so many exciting and rewarding opportunities and experiences. A key highlight was being elected by my peers as President of the International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology, and being inducted in front of 1500 of them in Halifax, Canada. Personally a highlight of 2023 was spending time with my family on a four-week road trip across Germany. My kids are now teenagers and embarking on their own adventures, so it was wonderful to be able to travel together. As a family we had a lot of fun, enjoyed so many new experiences and created such wonderful memories together.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?

This year I’ve learnt the invaluable lesson of the importance of prioritising self-care, and recognising the significance of taking time for personal wellbeing, especially when life gets crazy. I’ve also learnt about extending kindness and support to others and understanding how fostering connections and empathy builds resilience across the whole community.

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?

SHPA has been such a key part of my entire career. While I have benefited from the education and opportunities, the part I enjoy most about being an SHPA member is the friendships and networks that I have formed. I love being a pharmacist and having the opportunity from SHPA to connect with and learn from others brings such joy.

What new developments are you hoping to see in pharmacy in 2024?

I am really excited about the directions that pharmacy is taking for both pharmacists and technicians in terms of new roles and extended scope of practice. Working with a number of Victorian hospitals, we are looking at the support technicians need to expand their scope to include clinical roles, focusing on the development of education to help them prepare as their scope expands’. 

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Day 5: Richard Bolitho

Project Manager, Queensland Dementia, Ageing and Frailty Clinical Network, Healthcare Improvement Unit, Queensland Health | SHPA Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committee Member | FANZCAP (GenMed, GeriMed) 

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

Being fortunate enough to work alongside so many great people: the amazing team at Robina Hospital Pharmacy on the Gold Coast, the SHPA Geriatric Medicine Leadership Committee, and more recently the team I work with at the Healthcare Improvement Unit in Queensland Health.  

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

I value how SHPA facilitates opportunities for peers to build communities, create advocacy and network around their chosen speciality through specialty practice and educational events. What SHPA does is invaluable in helping to grow not just individually but also for the profession. 

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

Having the opportunity to collaborate with some incredible people on projects I am working on. Plus, I’m really excited to see what the implementation of embedded pharmacists in aged care finally looks like.  

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Day 6: Tricia Holmes

Senior Pharmacy Technician/Service Coordinator, Royal Adelaide Hospital; SHPA Technicians and Assistants Leadership Committee Member; SHPA 2023 SA/NT Technician Award Winner

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

My professional highlight for 2023 would have to be the new workflow change that was implemented at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The turnaround times for both discharges and outpatient scripts improved significantly.  

I have had the privilege of being asked to present at the FIP Congress and also to present at MM2023. Also, winning the state-wide (SA/NT) Technician Award! 

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

There are so many things I have learnt throughout 2023 both professionally and personally. I am very lucky to work with some wonderful people that support and encourage me in my career.   

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

Meeting the most wonderful people. Being part of the SHPA Technicians and Assistants Specialty Practice group, we get to see a lot of the amazing work SHPA is doing in the technicians’ field and all of the recommendations being made in supporting technicians to develop in their careers.  

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

I am excited that MM2024 will be in Adelaide, and I’ll get to show off the amazing technician workforce in SA Pharmacy! 

What new developments are you hoping to see in pharmacy in 2024? 

Continued growth for the technician workforce. We need to support the workforce working within their scope and utilising the skills and knowledge that technicians have.  

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Day 7: Monique Scott

Pharmacist & Clinical Pharmacy Team Leader, Launceston General Hospital; MM2023 Scientific Planning Committee Member; FANZCAP (Generalist)

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?   

I had the pleasure of joining an incredible group of individuals on the Medicines Management 2023 Scientific Planning Committee this year! It was a surreal experience to attend the conference and see such an excellent program come together. I am honoured and excited to be co-chairing the Scientific Planning Committee alongside Bianca Heron for Medicines Management 2024 and look forward to seeing everyone in Adelaide for MM2024!  

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?   

Taking the time to slow down and relish every opportunity, to cherish those around me and to not sweat the small stuff!  

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?   

I love all things continuing professional development (CPD)! SHPA has such an extensive CPD offering and is committed to the ongoing training and education of pharmacists and technicians through a multitude of different avenues. I am grateful to have experienced SHPA CPD through multiple lenses, from an attendee perspective and as a member of both the SHPA Tas Branch Committee and the MM2023 Scientific Program Committee. 

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Day 8: Viki Lui

Lead Pharmacist - Workforce Development, Royal Melbourne Hospital; Chair, SHPA Special Interest Group for Victorian Hospital Intern and Undergraduate Student Training; FANZCAP (Edu., GeriMed) 

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

Professionally, having my poster presented at both the FIP International Conference and MM2023. On a personal note, my eldest will have graduated from kindergarten by the end of this year!  

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

I was reminded of a wise African proverb recently: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. It resonates with me in both my personal and professional endeavours, and I am grateful for all the different formal and informal communities that I am a part of. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

It’s collaborative, and there’s a wealth of knowledge and network of expertise that I have access to and get to be a part of. I also love the CPD programs and sessions that are freely available to members. I find the topics current and topical and delivered by experts in the industry. The CPD is recorded so there is flexibility to watch it at a convenient time, which is a real bonus and necessity for me at the moment! 

What new developments are you hoping to see in pharmacy in 2024? 

 I am looking forward to hearing more about the initiatives that will enable pharmacists and technicians to work at the top of scope, and seeing how that translates into practice. It’s an exciting time for the profession. 

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Day 9: Bianca Heron

Director of Performance Analytics at NT Health; MM2023 Scientific Program Committee Member 

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

My professional highlight was having the opportunity to attend and contribute to the MM2023 conference in Cairns. It was so exciting to be back with colleagues from across Australia and meet the organising committee in person after missing MM2022 due to diving in Christmas Island (it was amazing though!). My personal highlight was completing my first half marathon.   

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

After stepping away from pharmacy to take a role in finance and performance, being an SHPA member allows me to contribute and still feel connected to the profession. It has opened the door to work with amazing people across so many disciplines and specialties. I enjoy the opportunities for collaboration that SHPA provides.   

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

Obviously MM2024. But also seeing the expanding roles and developments of technicians within hospital pharmacy, and the exciting prospects/expansion of pharmacists within the transitions of care and virtual care spaces.   

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Day 10: Luke Grzeskowiak

Associate Professor, Flinders University; CRF Fellow in Medicines Use and Safety, Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation; Senior Pharmacist - Flinders Women and Children, SA Health; SHPA Women’s and Newborn Health Leadership Committee Member; FANZCAP (Neonatol., ObsGynae)

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

Being able to represent SHPA and the pharmacy profession at the Senate Enquiry into Universial access to reproductive health care, and seeing the critical role pharmacists play in optimising reproductive health care as recognised in the final report. Seeing my research highlighting barriers to abortion care across Australia, and the so called ‘abortion deserts’, being used by the government to make policy recommendations was a real privilege and reinforces the impact we can all make towards improving health care beyond our own practice settings.  

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

With an almost 2-year old, I have learnt to expect the unexpected and that things never go as planned. I’ve also found that it’s often the smallest things that bring the most joy.  

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

The opportunity to network and share ideas within Specialty Practice, and contribute towards initiatives aimed at advancing pharmacy practice within the sphere of Women’s and Newborn Health.  

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

Having recently been re-elected to the Women’s and Newborn Health Specialty Practice Group, I am looking forward to seeing the publication of the first Standards of Practice in the area, as well as the forthcoming Advanced Training Residency Framework. Perhaps most exciting is the opportunity to contribute towards the development of a new Online Learning Course in Women’s and Newborn Health.  

What new developments are you hoping to see in pharmacy in 2024? 

Improved recognition of the critical role pharmacists play in women’s and newborn health, as demonstrated through improvements in universal access to clinical pharmacy services across all Australian settings; also, continued advancements in pharmacists’ scope of practice in improving reproductive and infant health outcomes. 

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Day 11: Susan Trevillian

Deputy Director of Pharmacy, Northeast Health Wangaratta; Chair, SHPA Rural and Remote Leadership Committee; Member, SHPA Clinical Standards of Practice Editorial Committee and SHPA Reconciliation Action Plan Steering Committee; SHPA Fellow; FANZCAP (Generalist, Lead&Mgmt)

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023?  

Professionally, being awarded two Fellowships - of both SHPA and ANZCAP - and personally, sewing a kangaroo costume from scratch for my daughter's primary school Christmas concert.   

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

If you keep the end in mind, the path to get there will emerge eventually. It's OK to wander off track from time to time as long as you know where you're aiming to get to, and if you ask for help you'll usually get it. I also learnt that I can swap out a bent sewing machine needle almost as quickly as calibrating an Omnicell automated medication cabinet's touchscreen! 

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

The connection to others across the profession, particularly my rural and remote colleagues who are spread right across the country. I've also enjoyed and valued the opportunity to represent SHPA (via Rural and Remote Specialty Practice) on the Council of the National Rural Health Alliance. 

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

Continuing to promote rural voices within and outside the profession via SHPA networks, supporting rural/remote pharmacists and technicians to gain their deserved recognition via ANZCAP, and continuing to grow our rural pharmacy workforce.

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Day 12: Nicky Maddern

Manager, VAD Pharmacy Service, Statewide Hospital Pharmacy, Tasmanian Health Service; SHPA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Leadership Committee Member; FANZCAP (VAD, Lead&Mgmt)

What have been your professional/personal highlights for 2023? 

2023 turned into an unexpectedly busy year and was full of highlights. Being named as the 2023 Tasmanian Pharmacist of the Year for the role I played in setting up the Tasmanian Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Pharmacy Service was a career highlight. I felt incredibly humbled, lucky and privileged to receive this award. The VAD Pharmacy Service project team was also awarded the SHPA 2023 Tasmanian Hospital Innovation Award and the SHPA National Award for Hospital Team of the Year. It was amazing to work as part of this team and to see the VAD Pharmacy Service move from project to operational within a fairly short time frame.  

To be recognised through ANZCAP as a consultant in VAD and Leadership & Management was another highlight and really defines the pharmacist I am and the journey I have been on. 

Some of the best moments were sharing learnings at local symposiums and MM2023. I had the opportunity to share on work in VAD, interdisciplinary health care, competency framework development, and the work of the SHPA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Leadership Committee. Working with pharmacists across Australia is always something I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do. 

A personal highlight was a well-earned family holiday to Far North Queensland with the family, enjoying the little things, seeing the world through a 4-year-old's eyes and taking in the beauty of Australia.  

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt this year?  

It is incredibly humbling to be recognised by your peers and mentors and to share these moments with them. Mentors - formal and informal - are so, so important! It is so important to stop and reflect on your journey, acknowledge all the learnings (good, bad, other) and embrace the moments that ignite your passion. It’s okay to stop and make time for the things that recharge and energise you. 

What have you enjoyed the most about being an SHPA member?  

Being an SHPA member has been an important part of my pharmacy career and has given me many opportunities. The learning opportunities, the visibility of innovation, the safe places to ask questions, the opportunity to sit on leadership committees, the advocacy work and the networking with pharmacists across Australia have been invaluable. The conferences have always been a great way to catch up with friends from across Australia, see how others are tackling similar challenges, prioritise your learning, and meet new people. 

What are you looking forward to in 2024?  

2023 has been a very exciting year for pharmacy and SHPA, and I am excited to see what else is to come in 2024! Watching the way pharmacy adapts to healthcare challenges has been impressive. I will be closely watching the expansion of pharmacy roles into not so traditional settings, how technology is further embraced, how models of care adapt and change to ensure patient-centred care (choice is at the core of all we do!), and the ongoing advocacy work of SHPA. 

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