Pharmacist awarded Royal Honour

Pharmacist Dr Linda Bryant has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to pharmacy and health in this year’s New Year Royal Honours list.

Dr Bryant has informed significant changes in hospital and primary care pharmacy for more than 40 years, supporting pharmacists to enhance the health status of medicine-takers and raising awareness on the impact of drug related morbidity and mortality.

Dr Bryant was a founding member in 2003 and President from 2014 to 2017 of the Clinical Advisory Pharmacists Association, who support new emerging clinical advisory pharmacists to encourage a collaborative and positive approach in settings outside of traditional community pharmacies.

She was a senior lecturer at University of Auckland from 2002 to 2013 and now holds honorary positions with the University of Auckland and University of Otago to provide clinical teaching to share her knowledge with postgraduate students.

She is regarded as a valuable resource for the Goodfellow Unit providing education for GPs and general practice nurses, and regularly delivers clinical symposiums for pharmacists and other health providers.

She has been a member of the Medicines Adverse Reactions Committee since 2006, which reviews and makes recommendations on medicines’ safety for New Zealanders.

She received the Pharmaceutical Society’s Gold Medal in 2019 for significant services to the pharmacy profession.

At the New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards in 2020, Dr Bryant was recognised with the award for Outstanding Contribution to Health.