8 December 2006
Three of the nation's most respected lecturers and researchers at Monash University's Victorian College of Pharmacy have been honoured with major awards.
Continuing the tradition of pharmacy researchers and lecturers receiving tributes from their industry, honours have been bestowed on senior lecturer Kirstie Galbraith and senior researchers Professor Roger Nation and Dr Jian Li.
Kirstie Galbraith, senior lecturer and course coordinator for the Master of Clinical Pharmacy, has been awarded the Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award by the Federal Council of The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia.
This prestigious award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions in the area of clinical pharmacy practice.
Despite rarely working in a hospital in her 15 years as a clinical pharmacist, she has made a sustained and important contribution to clinical pharmacy practice, research and education through her roles at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash University.
Galbraith has co-authored a distance education unit on evidence-based practice that is now offered as part of the Master of Clinical Pharmacy. Since 1997, she has also been an examiner for the Pharmacy Board of Victoria registration exams.
Having worked in the industry for the past 15 years, Galbraith said the opportunity to learn from previous recipients of the award was an inspiration.
"I have been fortunate to work with many of the previous recipients in a variety of capacities and I am extremely proud to be considered in this category with them," she said.
Research into emerging medications and their effect on patients has proved a winner for 2006 Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association Medallist Professor Roger Nation.
His research interests include pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, particularly in relation to anti-infective drugs, optimisation of use of anti-infective drugs, medication and patient safety and more recently the development of new areas of professional pharmacy practice.
He is highly respected nationally and internationally as both an educator and meticulous and productive researcher.
"I am delighted and also very grateful for the great honour that has been bestowed upon me by APSA," Professor Nation said.
A five-year fellowship researching the benefits of colistin is calling for respected Victorian College of Pharmacy senior research scientist Dr Jian Li.
Dr Li has been awarded the National Health and Medical Research Council R Douglas Wright Biomedical Career Development Award to continue his work on the potential new uses for the antibiotic.
Colistin is now used increasingly as the last-line antibiotic against bacteria -- so-called 'superbugs' -- that are resistant to virtually all other antibiotics.
The award is handed out to researchers in the early stages of their careers and Dr Li, who completed his PhD three and a half years ago, will embark on a five-year study into colistin pharmacology.
"I am very excited to receive the award as it allows our team to further develop our colistin research," Dr Li said.
For more information contact Steve Pogonowski on 9905 1253 or 0417 568 781. Images available on request.
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