Top West Australian pharmacists recognised
Four outstanding pharmacists have been celebrated this evening as part of the annual Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Western Australia Excellence Awards held in Perth.
PSA’s Excellence Awards recognises local pharmacists involved in innovative practice, those who are striving to raise practice standards, and those who, through their professionalism, provide a model of practice which others strive to emulate.
Awards were presented to:
- Susan Shipway, WA Pharmacist of the Year
- Maria Luz Ciancia, WA Intern Pharmacist of the Year
- Jade Swarbrick, WA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year
- Liza Seubert, WA Lifetime Achievement Award
PSA Western Australia President Kristian Ray MPS congratulated the award recipients.
“Pharmacists are making significant contributions to the health sector, and Western Australia is home to some of the best,” Mr Ray said.
“The pharmacists recognised by the PSA Excellence Awards represent the dedication of great pharmacists. We are proud to recognise them for their ongoing contributions to the profession and to the health of their communities.
“On behalf of PSA and all West Australian pharmacists, congratulations to the 2024 award recipients,” Mr Ray concluded.
Media notes
The WA Pharmacist of the Year is Susan Shipway
Susan Shipway is a hospital pharmacist at Rockingham General Hospital, specialising in oncology and haematology. She recently established a unique pharmacist-led telehealth remote service to patients living in regional Western Australia as part of a PSA partnered non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice heart failure program with the WA Primary Health Alliance.
Sue has strengthened ties between Midwest Aero and Geraldton Hospital and local specialists, having met with the cardiology team at Geraldton Hospital to improve transitions of care. She has initiated heart failure medication optimisation and titration plans to support the GPs within Midwest Aero Medical to ensure patients with heart failure are receiving optimal treatment for their heart failure. She has also developed heart failure fluid balance plans for patients to self-manage their diuretics.
By utilising telehealth to provide heart failure reviews for patients newly discharged, diagnosed or that have previously been identified as living with heart failure, Sue proactively educate patients about the condition. Investigating how the patient is managing by explaining possible and current symptoms and why patients suffer these, is imperative to practising truly patient-centred care.
This is the first time a remote service has been offered to patients living in a regional area, keeping heart failure patients out of hospital by enabling them to manage their condition more effectively.
The WA Intern Pharmacist of the Year is Maria Luz Ciancia
Maria Luz Ciancia spent five years studying pharmacy in Argentina before making the move to Australia. After undertaking exams to revalidate her degree, Maria undertook her internship with Chemist Warehouse in Perth.
At the end of her intern year, Maria developed a mental health campaign to support people suffering from depression in Western Australia. The campaign focused on assessing risk factors, prevention of adverse medication event, and empowering patients to achieve the best practice in medicines management through the implementation of proven and sustainable strategies integrated across all healthcare settings.
The WA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year is Jade Swarbrick
Jade Swarbrick began her pharmacy career as a community pharmacist at Amcal Como after graduating with a Master of Pharmacy in 2018. In 2021 she became credentialed and in 2022 she completed a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy at Monash University. Wanting to discover where pharmacy could take her and gain experience in a variety of diverse roles Jade spent time working as a hospital pharmacist at Joondalup Hospital & Northam Hospital, tutoring compounding labs at Curtin University, completing HMRs in community, working in RACFs, and until it’s unfortunate end – working as an educational visitor with NPS MedicineWise.
Since early 2023 Jade has been a GP pharmacist at Mead Medical, as part of the WA Primary Health Alliance non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice program.
She quickly established a pharmacist role at Mead Medical conducting medication reviews as part of chronic disease management appointments; as well as leading several other projects to improve chronic disease management and quality use of medications.
Jade has been recognised in this role as consistently and significantly contributing to improved patient outcomes – and is a highly respected and valued member of the Mead Medical team. She has found her passion in this setting; and is dedicated to advocating for the role of pharmacists in general practice, contributing to the community of practice and helping to mentor pharmacists new to the position.
More recently, Jade has also joined the CoNeCT MHE (Complex Needs Coordination Team – Mental Health Expansion) team as a Care Coordinator. Working with the most frequent emergency department presenters across the Perth-wide hospital services.
Bringing her advanced clinical knowledge, and experience working across the spectrum of healthcare settings she has helped to demonstrate the invaluable role pharmacists can have in multidisciplinary care coordination roles within WA Health.
Between these roles Jade has found her pharmacist niche – providing holistic, patient centred care, optimizing management of patients physical and mental health and advocating for patients experiencing psychosocial barriers to accessing appropriate healthcare.
The WA Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to Associate Professor Liza Seubert FPS
Associate Professor Liza Seubert is a respected figure in the pharmacy profession, earning recognition for her unwavering dedication and transformative contributions. With a career spanning several decades, Liza’s journey began in community pharmacy, moving to the Pharmaceutical Council of Western Australia and Ahpra, and finally to academia at the University of Western Australia.
Throughout her career, Liza’s journey has been marked by innovation and leadership. After establishing herself as a pharmacist, she ventured into ownership and introduced pioneering service delivery models at her pharmacy, setting a precedent for personalised care and medication reviews. Her innovative approach garnered praise, with prominent individuals like Premier Geoff Gallop acknowledging her endeavours.
Liza’s impact extends beyond community pharmacy. Recognizing the importance of education and mentorship, she founded Viva Voce tutoring service, fostering confidence and capability in interns for their final oral exams. Her commitment to education led her to roles at the Pharmaceutical Council of Western Australia with the intern training program and later at the University of Western Australia in the Master of Pharmacy program.
At UWA, Liza’s compassion and commitment to social accountability have distinguished her as a true leader. In her 40’s she embarked on a PhD which researched ways to enhance information exchange during over-the-counter consultations while working full time as an academic. Her research has informed curriculum development and accreditation standards nationwide, with further impact in the new PSA Professional Practice Standards and the updated FIP Global Competency Framework.
She has transformed the learning experience of students in the Master of Pharmacy at UWA with an innovative Courage, Connection and Resilience curriculum to graduate pharmacists with the human skills to thrive in the dynamic and evolving pharmacy profession.
Liza represents the Council of Pharmacy Schools of Australia and New Zealand on the steering committee of the Leaders in Indigenous Pharmacy Profession Education (LIPPE) Network. This network is developing pharmacist education to enable culturally safe pharmacy practice.
Media contact: Georgia Clarke M: 0480 099 798 E: georgia.clarke@psa.org.au
