Our inaugural Green Cross Health Pharmacy Awards ceremony was held at St David Lecture Theatre on Friday 11 August 2017. Over 140 people attended the ceremony to celebrate and recognise the achievements of our outstanding students, staff, and alumni as well as the pharmacists that train and mentor our undergraduate students on placements, our preceptors. Kaitohutohu Māori (Māori Advisor) for the University of Otago, Hata Temo, opened the ceremony with a mihi whakatau followed by a waiata tautoku from Te Roopū Māori (Māori Students Association).
University of Otago kaitohutohu Māori, Hata Temo with Te Roopu Māori (Māori Students Association).
School Dean, Professor Carlo Marra, welcomed guests to the first School of Pharmacy award ceremony, a combination of our traditional student and research awards, with the introduction of new awards that recognise teaching excellence and innovation to staff, as well as our preceptors and alumni.
With a commitment to high quality teaching, the Undergraduate Programmes Committee and the Postgraduate Programmes Committee (taught) established an Excellence in Teaching award and Innovation in Teaching, to recognize staff who have created teaching environments that enhance student learning.
Dr Shyamal Das received the Excellence in Teaching award and Dr Daniel Wright, Professor Stephen Duffull, Dr Megan Anakin, Dr David Woods, Associate Professor Bruce Russell and Dr Linda Bryant were all awarded for Innovation in Teaching. Each award was accompanied by a grant of $500 for the purposes of scholarly development.
Innovation in Teaching award winners. From left: Dr Daniel Wright, Associate Professor Bruce Russell, Professor Stephen Duffull, Dr David Woods, Dr Megan Anakin. Absent Dr Linda Bryant.
Thank you to our panel of judges, Associate Professor Clinton Golding (Chair) HEDC Otago, Sian Dawson, Clinical Lead Pharmacist in Education, Training and Practice Research based in Auckland City Hospital, and Associate Professor Ralph Pinnock from Dunedin School of Medicine.
Award coordinators Dr Arlene McDowell (Director of the Undergraduate Programme) and Dr Daniel Wright (Postgraduate Programme Director) say the idea behind these awards is to compliment those currently given to staff for research.
Among our research award winners were Associate Professor Joel Tyndall, who received the Researcher Excellence Award 2016 and Best Paper Award 2016 Academic Winner. Dr Shyamal Das received the Emerging Researcher Award 2016 as well as the Publications Silver Medal for 50 international peer reviewed papers.
Dr Shyamal Das receives awards for Excellence in Teaching, Emerging Researcher Award 2016,Publications Silver Medal (50 international peer reviewed papers. From left: Mohammed Momin, Basanth Eedara, Dr Shyamal Das, Dr Shubhra Sinha, Prakash Khadka, Louise Fliedel.
Our inaugural Preceptor of the Year awards brought our Otago Alumni back to the St David Lecture Theatre to address our guests. Karen Crisp from Unichem Crisp Pharmacy in Christchurch, received the Community Preceptor award this year saying, “It is a HUGE compliment because (my understanding is that) this is from student feedback. It feels like success to me, when students who have worked with us feel positive about pharmacy and want to become the best pharmacists they can be. These are my young colleagues and the future of a profession, which I have loved all my working life. Very cool indeed!” in a recent interview.
Hospital Preceptor of the Year went to Hannah Soper from Christchurch Hospital Pharmacy. Hannah has been a preceptor since 2012 when she volunteered to help train our students after her own positive experience at Southland Hospital in 2009. “I wanted to give back and make other's hospital placement as epic as mine was.”
The Rural Preceptor of the Year award went to Graeme Provis (Westland Pharmacy Ltd, Hokitika) who has been a preceptor for 22 years. Graeme was not able to attend our ceremony but encouraged other preceptors to “keep it up” and said, “We share this award together”.
From left: Alison Van Wyk (Green Cross Health), Distinguished Alumnus, Maria McIntyre (Unichem Bishopdale Pharmacy) and Community Preceptor of the Year, Karen Crisp (Unichem Crisp Pharmacy).
Our inaugural Distinguished Alumnus award went to managing director and co-owner of Unichem Bishopdale Pharmacy (Christchurch), Maria McIntyre. Maria is currently chairperson for Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group and board member to the Urgent Pharmacy Christchurch.
“When I look back on my path travelled so far I see: a pharmacy degree, post-graduate psychiatric pharmacy study and work, teaching, research and a publication, collaboration with other health professionals, governance, helping shape the future of pharmacy and healthcare - and when asked what do I actually do with all this? I am a Community Pharmacist. Why do I do it? It is interesting. If you would allow me to make a suggestion for the future based on my experience so far, I would say - Be interested in our profession. Be interested in our people,” says Maria.
"Be interested in our profession. Be interested in our people," says Distinguished Alumnus, Maria McIntyre.
Green Cross Health representative, Alison Van Wyk attended the ceremony and closed this year's event by announcing the 2018 Green Cross Health Pharmacy Awards ceremony will be held on 23 March 2018.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our event this year. Please check our Facebook page for more Green Cross Health Pharmacy Awards photographs.
Award Winners
P2 Awards
- Laura Pidcock, NZCRS Pharmaceutics Prize (Best performance in the pharmaceutics components of second year)
- Jessica Spence, Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand (Inc.) Prize in Pharmacy Practice (Highest standard of attainment in the pharmacy practice components of the second year of the BPharm programme)
- Quýnh Cao, Toniq Prize (The top student in the second year of the BPharm programme)
- Neha Jojo, University Book Shop Prize in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Highest standard of performance in the pharmaceutical chemistry papers of the BPharm programme)
- Neha Jojo, Top Student 2016 PHCY258 Introduction to Drug Action (Neha Jojo Top Student 2016 PHCY219 Microbiology and Immunology (BPharm))
- Neha Jojo,Top Student 2016 PHCY231 Biochemistry (BPharm)
- Quýnh Cao, Top Student 2016 PHCY251 Physiology (BPharm)
- Quýnh Cao, Top Student 2016 PHCY254 Physical Pharmacy A
- Quýnh Cao, Top Student 2016 PHCY256 Biopharmaceutical Chemistry
- Laura Pidcock, Top Student 2016 PHCY255 Physical Pharmacy B
P3 Awards
- Siobhan Hodson, New Zealand Hospital Pharmacists' Association Syd Little Memorial Prize (The highest standard of achievement in drug delivery systems and drug disposition and pharmacokinetics)
- Siobhan Hodson, Otago Pharmacological Association Prize (Best performance in pharmacology)
- Siobhan Hodson, Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand Prize (Highest standard of attainment in third year)
- Paula Sutton, Pharmacy Prize in Pharmacy Practice 3rd year (Douglas) (Best achievement in the third year professional pharmacy practice papers determined by results from the examinations and course)
- Paula Sutton, Ken Campbell Memorial Prize in Pharmacy Practice (Highest standard of attainment in the pharmacy practice components of the third year of the BPharm programme)
- Paula Sutton, Top Student 2016 PHCY344 Professional Pharmacy Practice A
- Paula Sutton, Top Student 2016 PHCY345 Quality Use in Medicines A
- Siobhan Hodson, Top Student 2016 PHCY340 Essentials of Drug Action
- Siobhan Hodson, Top Student 2016 PHCY342 Drug Delivery Systems
- Lai Yan Pow, Top Student 2016 PHCY343 Drug Disposition and Pharmacokinetics
- Connor Columbus, Top Student 2016 PHCY315 Human Disease
Postgraduate Awards
- Bronwyn Chapman, Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacy (endorsed in Medicines Management) 2016
- Dean Croft, Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy 2016
- Nagham Ailabouni, Best Paper Award 2016 Postgraduate Student Winner
- Hanisah Azhari, Best Paper Award 2016 Postgraduate Student Winner
Research Awards
- Associate Professor Joel Tyndall, Researcher Excellence Award 2016
- Dr Shyamal Das, Emerging Researcher Award 2016
- Associate Professor Joel Tyndall, Best Paper Award 2016 Academic Winner
- Professor Carlo Marra, Publications Diamond Medal 200 international peer-reviewed papers
- Professor Pauline Norris, Publications Platinum Medal 75 international peer reviewed papers
- Associate Professor June Tordoff, Publications Silver Medal 50 international peer reviewed papers
- Dr Shyamal Das, Publications Silver Medal 50 international peer reviewed papers
- Dr Prasad Nishtala, Publications Silver Medal 50 international peer reviewed papers
- Dr Greg Walker, Publications Bronze Medal 25 international peer reviewed papers
- Dr Daniel Wright, Publications Bronze Medal 25 international peer reviewed papers
Teaching Awards
- Dr Daniel Wright, Innovation in Teaching
- Professor Stephen Duffull, Innovation in Teaching
- Associate Professor Bruce Russell, Innovation in Teaching
- Dr Linda Bryant, Innovation in Teaching
- Mr David Woods, Innovation in Teaching
- Dr Megan Anakin, Innovation in Teaching
- Dr Shyamal Das, Excellence in Teaching
2016 Preceptor of the Year Awards
- Hannah Soper, Christchurch Hospital Pharmacy 2016 (Best Hospital Preceptor Award)
- Karen Crisp Unichem, Crisps Pharmacy 2016 (Best Community Preceptor Award)
- Graham Provis Westland, Pharmacy Ltd 2016 (Best Rural Preceptor Award)
2016 Distinguished Alumnus Award
- Maria McIntyre