The University of Queensland is one of four leading Australian schools of pharmacy to form the National Alliance for Pharmacy Education (NAPE).
NAPE's vision is to actively support the ongoing advancement of the pharmacy profession as a key contributor to the healthcare team.
The founding members of NAPE - The University of Queensland, Monash University,University of South Australia and the University of Sydney - are at the forefront of undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy education and research in Australia.
NAPE has been formed to provide leadership in both undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy education.
The alliance views high quality, research-informed education as essential to supporting the advancement and future positioning of the profession in healthcare.
NAPE anticipates a future landscape for pharmacists which includes such areas as demonstration of competencies, credentialing, prescribing, and new advanced models of practice.
NAPE believes that ready access to cutting edge university postgraduate award courses, including intern training programs, is crucial for pharmacists if they are to contribute effectively to health care delivery in Australia.
NAPE will seek to work closely with The Pharmacy Board of Australia and other key stakeholders in the pharmacy profession including The Pharmacy Guild of Australia, The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia.
Professor Nick Shaw, Head of the School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland believes that the alliance will advance excellence in professional standards and practice.
"The formation of NAPE will leverage the expertise, experience and resources of this alliance of leading pharmacy schools to offer high quality, accessible and relevant opportunities for postgraduate development, achievement of professional excellence and career advancement," he said.
The Dean of Monash University's Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Bill Charman, said the alliance would provide a collaborative national voice in pharmacy education and members will work closely together to advance both undergraduate and postgraduate education for pharmacists in Australia.
"We are delighted to be a founding partner in this initiative. NAPE's first priority will be to take a leadership role in the development of a common vision for the future of postgraduate pharmacy education in Australia," Professor Charman said.
"Working in partnership with key stakeholders in the profession, the alliance will provide the best possible further education opportunities for existing and future pharmacists."
Media: Stephanie Dunn, + 61 7 3346 1926
