Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand 2009 Honours

The Society would like to congratulate the following members who have been acknowledged for their contribution to the profession.

Gold Medal Award
The Gold Medal is the most prestigious award of the Pharmaceutical Society. The recipient must be a member who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the profession of pharmacy in New Zealand that is of a higher level than that deserving of a Fellowship. It gives the National Executive and the Chief Executive Officer much pleasure in announcing the award of the Society’s highest honour to Graeme Douglas of Auckland.  The panel observed that his nomination carried warm letters of endorsement as having significantly contributed over a long period of time to many aspects of the pharmacy profession and the health sector. This is the first gold medal to be awarded since 2003. Our National Executive agreed that this was well deserved recognition for his continuing and un-stinted contribution to the pharmacy profession and endorsed the panel’s recommendation with a unanimous vote of acceptance.

Gold Medal Recipient; Mr Graeme Douglas RegPharmNZ MNZM FPS

Graeme Douglas is “a man who is concerned for the welfare of others and passionate about pharmacy”.
As a community pharmacist, Graeme commenced pharmacy ownership in Waiuku and then Te Atatu South in Auckland. Then with his entrepreneurial foresight and pioneering drive, soon started an importing and distributing company for niche pharmaceutical products. This grew to become Douglas Pharmaceuticals, the company Graeme founded in 1967 and of which he is still Managing Director. Douglas Pharmaceuticals is an innovative global organisation and one of the fastest growing and diversified privately owned companies in Australasia. A company recognised internationally for its outstanding customer service, an ethos which reflects Graeme Douglas, its founder.

Graeme is a major supporter of the pharmacy profession both personally and from his company. He has provided a career springboard for many young New Zealand pharmacists; some into international careers. Graeme is a man who has received many New Zealand accolades, civil honours and service awards and is highly regarded by all members of the profession in New Zealand and Australia, and by those who know him and have received mentoring and encouragement from him. The New Zealand profession and its leaders have over time benefited greatly from his unwavering support, wisdom and advice. This gold medal is a well deserved acknowledgment of the outstanding contribution Graeme Douglas has made to his profession.

Fellowship Awards
Under the Rules of the Society, the National Executive “may at its discretion by ordinary resolution designate as a Fellow of the Society any member who in their opinion has made an outstanding and significant contribution to the advancement of pharmacy in New Zealand.”  This year three nominations were considered by the Panel of Fellows who wrote, “This year’s nominations are quite outstanding and we were collectively pleased that we had the opportunity to endorse the three nominees and recommend that they are unreservedly accepted by the Society. They are all major contributors to our profession.”  At their meeting, 14 September 2009, the National Executive resolved to offer Elizabeth Plant, John Dunlop and Jane Dawson the award of Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand. They have all since accepted the offer of the award which is made in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the advancement of the practice of pharmacy in New Zealand.

Mrs Elizabeth Plant, RegPharmNZ FPS MRPharmS MHSc(Distn) PGDipClinPharm(Distn) FNZCP MCAPA

As Chief Pharmacist at the Taranaki Base Hospital, and President of the Society, Elizabeth has extensive experience in a variety of sectors within pharmacy.  Currently Elizabeth is a ministerial appointment to the Health Information Strategy Advisory Committee (HISAC) 2008.  Her other contributions to date are as follows; Member of the National DHBNZ Pharmacy Advisory Committee, 2003-2009; Member of New Zealand Safe Quality Use of Medicines Committee (SQUM), 2003 – 2008; Cooordinator of the DHBNZ Pharmacy Advisory Group “National Framework of Pharmacist Services” Project released March 2007 and Member of the Safe Medication Management (SMM) Project Steering Group, 2006 - Current.  As Chief Pharmacist at Taranaki Base Hospital for the past fourteen years, Elizabeth has managed a staff of nine pharmacists, five technicians and at least one intern every year.  She brings a deep knowledge and understanding of her profession to any forum she is involved in on behalf of pharmacy.

In addition to chairing a number of multidisciplinary committees and serving on a number of national advisory committees with the Ministry of Health and Pharmac; she has also served on the Executive of the Pharmaceutical Society of New Zealand Inc as a member, 2005 to present and more recently she was elected to the role of National President.  Valued for her ability as a mentor and leader she is considered by her peers to be an innovative, enthusiastic, professional pharmacist, who is able to communicate with, motivate and lead a wide range of people.

Mrs Jane Dawson, RegPharmNZ BPharm FPS MNZCP Dip Business Studies and Management

The area of pharmacy practice where Jane has excelled is in the safe and quality use of medicines throughout the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).  While not actually working as a dispensing pharmacist she has applied her pharmacy training and skills to military situations and devised practicable solutions that have improved the ability of doctors, nurses and medics to treat soldiers, sailors and airmen under their care – no matter where in the world they may be.  Since her civilian appointment at Defence Headquarters in 1990 Jane has been instrumental in overcoming many hurdles to bring to the required legal standards all pharmaceutical services pertaining to medicines in the NZDF – from purchase, through distribution, storage, prescribing, dispensing, and administration to patients, and finally to the correct disposal of surplus or expired supplies.

Jane co-ordinated the writing of medical treatment protocols so that the pharmaceutical inventory could be rationalised which in turn allowed nurses and medics to diagnose, treat and manage patients under standing orders when away from base medical treatment facilities.  She also developed a system of pre-dispensed medicines so that medics in the field could, following appropriate protocols, issue them to soldiers, sailors and airmen – be they half way up a mountain or 1,000 km out at sea – knowing that the medicines were appropriately packed and fully labelled with directions and warnings.

Currently Jane is the Director of Defence Health Quality and is committed to the place of New Zealand pharmacy practice in the wider international context through her involvement in the International Pharmacy Federation (FIP).  Since 2004 she has been Permanent Secretary of the Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section (MEPS) of FIP and co-managed a pictogram project developing a culturally specific medicine labelling system for communication where language or literacy prevent the usual labelling of directions on dispensed medicines.  By reason of her secretariat position of MEPS, Jane is a member of the FIP Board of Pharmaceutical Practice and acts as a conduit of information to the Pharmaceutical Society keeping it abreast of international pharmaceutical developments.  Jane's contribution to pharmacy services has been exemplary.  In all aspects she has demonstrated professionalism, a commitment to the highest standards and a quiet determination to achieve the best results that reflect well on the pharmacy profession.
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Mr John Dunlop, RegPharmNZ PGDipPharm MPharm FACPP MCPP FNZCP FPS MRPharmS MCAPA

During his working life, John has shown himself to be passionate about the future of pharmacy and the role of pharmacists in health care.  Coming from a background in retail pharmacy, John developed a focus on the concept of optimal use of medicines in isolation of a retail environment – an innovative approach which demonstrated John’s faith in the role of the community pharmacist.  He developed the first “Dispensary Only” pharmacy in New Zealand and designed and purpose-built the pharmacy among a large cohort of general practitioners. A Fellow of the College of Pharmacists of Australia, he advocated strongly for the establishment of a NZ College of Pharmacists and was a founding member on the first NZCP Executive Council. He became principal pharmacist and manager of the National Preferred Medicines Centre and worked to develop the first full time pharmacist facilitators. Their success was instrumental in his drive to develop a primary care model which included pharmacists as part of the health care team.  The Pharmaceutical Society seconded him to develop and implement the new model of Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Care in 1996 and he moved on from the General Manager of NZCP to establish Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Solutions, a company which promotes clinical pharmacist services in primary healthcare. He also works as a clinical lecturer for postgraduate students for the Schools of Pharmacy.  John has been active in Branch affairs and was twice the President of the Central Districts Branch of PSNZ and once of the Wellington Branch. He currently works with two Primary Health Care organisations, and is involved with updating general practitioners on the latest evidence for prescribing, and practices CPC®. He is a member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, the Pharmacy Standards committee, and is currently completing a Doctorate of Pharmacy. He is one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Clinical Advisory Pharmacists Association (CAPA).

I am sure that you will all join me in congratulating Graeme, Elizabeth, John and Jane, on receiving these prestigious awards. Presentation of the Gold Medal Award will be made to Graeme at a meeting of the Auckland Branch of the Society in early December 2009, date and time of this event to be confirmed and the Fellows will be presented with their awards at PSNZ Symposia next year.

Richard Townley,
Chief Executive Officer