School of Pharmacy, University of Otago

HSFY Students, come along to our Pharmacy Information Evening to find out more about why our degree could be right for you!

RSVP for attendance, numbers are limited.

Health Sciences at Otago

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/coat-design-reflect-cultural-competence

We held our annual white coat ceremony on Saturday where we welcomed the next cohort of Pharmacy students - we look forward to seeing you all reach your goals in becoming a pharmacist.

Coat design to reflect cultural competence A special new design on their white coats has been created to remind the next generation of pharmacy students of the strength and stability they...

Kia ora Pharmacy Whanau,

Some of you would remember Sonya Boereboom from her time working as part of our admin team from 2001 – 2006, under Prof. Ian Tucker’s term as Dean working closely with the Undergraduate Dean, Dr Rosemary Beresford. Others of you may know her as a member of our university whakawhanaungatanga for over two decades.

Regrettably, Sonya is currently facing a challenging battle with a rare form of breast cancer. The treatment she urgently needs is not covered by Pharmac so comes at a substantial cost.
In times like these, it's heartening to rally around those who have given so much to our community. Sonya's dedication and commitment deserve our solidarity and support.

For those who are able, there's a Givealittle page set up to assist Sonya in her fight against cancer: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-help-sonya-fight-her-cancer-for-her-family . Your contributions, big or small, can make a meaningful difference in Sonya's journey.

I understand that not everyone may be in a position to contribute financially, and that's perfectly okay. However, if you could kindly share the link within your networks, it would be greatly appreciated.
Let's come together as a community to offer our support to Sonya during this challenging time. Your kindness and compassion can make all the difference.

Thank you for your consideration and solidarity.

Please help Sonya fight her Cancer for her family – drug treatment Support Sonya's cancer treatment costs

Hands On at Otago
Nine students from different regions of New Zealand had an enriching experience during their visit to the School of Pharmacy for Hands On at Otago . The primary objective of this project was to broaden the students' perspectives on pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences as a profession.

Over the course of four days, the students were exposed to various facets of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences through hands-on activities. These activities included extemporaneous dispensing, aseptic dispensing, honing pharmacy communication skills, exploring drug delivery mechanisms, delving into molecular modelling for drug design, and examining different formulations and quality control measures for paracetamol.

Thank you to the project leaders: Lisa Reid, Heather Lindsay, Chloe Salter, Sumit Dadhwal, Pummy Krittaphol Bailey, Sara de la Harpe, and Greg Walker
Student Kalani MacDonald (BPharm. Hons) and Baxter Kan Hugh Blair (BPharm Sciences, Summer student researcher)

We wish you all the best Pounamu!

Tohu makes the ‘grind’ worthwhile | University of Otago Pounamu Keepa (Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāti Ruanui, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Kahu) hopes a familiar face behind the pharmacy counter will help improve the trust between whānau Māori and the health system.

Congratulations to our lovely Dr Lisa Kremer on your graduation over the weekend.
whakamihi Lisa!

We are recruiting participants for a research study looking at the impact of information videos on the understanding of their condition and medications following a heart attack.

To be eligible to participate you must meet all the following criteria:
✔️ Had a heart attack within the last 5 years
✔️Are clinically stable and no longer in hospital
✔️ Are 18 years of age and over
✔️ Can speak and read English
✔️ Currently living in Dunedin

We are aiming to recruit around 16-24 participants. There will be light refreshments during the discussion and a $50 voucher will be given as a thank you for participating.

Participation will take around an hour and a half and involves watching short videos with a focus group discussion about your opinions of the videos. We plan to investigate if people who have had a heart attack:
• Like the information videos about their medicines
• Think the videos are easy to understand
• Are encouraged to take their medicines after watching the videos.

If you would like to be involved in our study or have any questions about our project, either now or in the future, please feel free to contact: [email protected]

This project has been reviewed and approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee, (Health). Reference: H23/027

University of Otago committed to improving Pacifica health outcomes and health inequities.
A massive mihi to for an incredible 4 days of culture, connection, community, and colour! An amazing celebration - mana motuhake in action!

Welcome to all our new Pharmacy students for 2023. It was amazing to see all your fresh and excited faces as you proceed into the the Profession of Pharmacy.

Check out the photos from the White Coat ceremony from over the weekend.

Congratulations to all our recent Graduates,
Photos from December 2022

We recently celebrated our annual School of Pharmacy Research Day. It was a privilege to hear from industry speakers about their recent commercial developments, research aspirations, and areas for potential collaboration. The day was also spent celebrating our PhD students' excellent research outputs. Congratulations to all the amazing students who presented on the day. A special congratulations to Liang Kooi Kok for winning the Best Student Speaker award, and Harry Lewin for winning the Runner-Up speaker award.

A huge thank you to our sponsors, Biotec Solutions, Onelab, Lab Supply, and John Morris Group for making this day possible.

What a great night ! 🥂

Congratulations to all students, staff and Hospital Preceptors for winning an award at our annual Green Cross Awards night.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate all the achievements and success of our award winners 🤩🤩.

🥂🥳🤩

Ukraine, six months on: Kiwi Petra Straight on what families need
In the past week Ukraine has marked two significant events - 31 years of independence, and six months of holding off an invasion by its giant neighbour. It's a conflict that's had an enormous cost in a very short timeframe: tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, billions spent on military equipment - let alone the final total to rebuild shattered towns and cities. One immeasurable cost is the toll on the country's children. Unicef estimates two die every day in this conflict. Almost two in three children in Ukraine have been displaced by fighting. New Zealander Petra Straight has been in-country for Save the Children and joins Kathryn to talk about where the needs are greatest
Petra Straight will have a 15 minute interview on RNZ at 9.30 this morning.

Well Done Karina Croitoru!

Bachelor of Pharmacy student Karina Croitoru overcame her fear of needles to become a vaccinator at the Dunedin Dental School vaccination campus clinic - just one step of many towards becoming a certified pharmacist. 👏💯 We catch up with her on her journey and the importance of her mahi in the latest issue of Te Aka Tauira, our undergraduate student newsletter 🔗 https://bit.ly/TeAkaTauiraAugust2022

Come and join us for our School Open Evening.

On Saturday 16th July we had the privilege of having our annual White Coat 🥼🥼 Ceremony. Where staff, guests, family and friends celebrated and welcomed students into the School of Pharmacy, University of Otago 🤩🤩

Well Done all students for making it into this awesome journey and enjoy your time ahead 😁😁

Another publication from the School
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17425247.2022.2089111

An expert opinion on respiratory delivery of high dose powders for lung infections High dose powder inhalation is evolving as an important approach to to treat lung infections. It is important to its identify applications, consider the factors affecting high dose powder delivery,...

https://www.otago.ac.nz/otagobulletin/postgraduate/otago840451.html?fbclid=IwAR1YnbW0hdOZe98r_WbzsiHKGarvId9nhIRnESUap5EFoKlOBJAZxA0DMrk

Ajay Kumar, a graduate with a strong sense of community A recently graduated pharmacist has plans to branch out beyond the 'traditional path'.

The latest publication from the School of Pharmacy:
Bringing Medicine from Pakistan and Self-Medication Among Pakistani Mothers in New Zealand
Openly Available here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8179088/

Bringing Medicine from Pakistan and Self-Medication Among Pakistani Mothers in New Zealand Worldwide migration leads to people bringing beliefs and practices from one country into another, including those related to self-medication. This study explores the self-medication practices of Pakistani mothers for their children and their reasons for ...