PA Hospital Director of Pharmacy Professor Michael Barras has been awarded Advanced Pharmacy Australia’s highest honour, recognising his extraordinary leadership, research excellence and lasting contribution to hospital pharmacy practice.
During the presentation of the prestigious Fred J Boyd Award, Michael was acknowledged for being a driving force in advancing medicines safety across the health system, and for his leadership in medication safety research, safe systems design, research-driven practice, and advanced workforce development.
Professor Barras said it was rewarding to see the focus on learning, research and innovation in the Pharmacy setting result in an advancement of practices for the next generation of pharmacists and that he was proud to be part of this movement for national change.
“The most fulfilling part of a career that spans the hospital and university environments is that you can see the correlation between improving the capabilities of Pharmacists across the profession and the services we provide to patients,” he said.
“Our Pharmacy at Princess Alexandra Hospital has become a centre of excellence for pharmacy education with structured training programs for pharmacists and clinical assistants and we are proud to serve as a model to other departments in Australia.”
One of the exemplars in Prof. Barras recommendation for the award was guiding the implementation of Queensland’s first hospital pharmacist position in operating theatres.
“When we innovated to expand a pharmacist role into the surgical setting, it was a breakthrough for advancement of the profession which is essential in delivering a workforce for the growing demands in the tertiary hospital setting.
“It is a pleasure to be part of exciting changes in the pharmacy landscape and a catalyst for change that will make a difference to patients and their journey through the complexities of the hospital environment,” Prof. Barras said.
AdPha President Assoc. Prof Tom Simpson paid tribute to Professor Barras’ profound impact on the profession and patient care.
“Michael Barras represents the very best of what advanced pharmacy looks like in practice,” he said.
“His commitment to medicine safety has been unwavering, with his work consistently centred on improving the safety, quality and reliability of medication use for patients.”