Mr Philip Howard, Consultant Pharmacist in Antimicrobials at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, was given the UKCPA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017.
Mr Philip Howard, Consultant Pharmacist in Antimicrobials at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, was given the UKCPA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2017.
A pharmacist for over 30 years, Mr Howard has a national and international profile. The UKCPA recognised Mr Howard’s considerable achievements in his role as Consultant Pharmacist in Antimicrobials which include representing the International Federation of Pharmacy (FIP) at the World Health Organization and supporting the development and implementation of the 2016 and 2017 CQUIN for antimicrobial stewardship. Mr Howard is also the first pharmacist to become Vice President/President Elect of the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a major achievement personally and for antimicrobial pharmacy practice.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), a member of the RPS Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobials, and a spokesperson for the RPS and the charity Antibiotic Action. He was a member of the Department of Health ARHAI Antimicrobial Stewardship Group that produced the Start Smart then Focus Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines, and the HPA Primary Care Unit which helped produce the RCGP TARGET guidance on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care.
He led the first global survey of hospital antimicrobial stewardship in 2012, has published numerous peer reviewed articles and is in demand as a national and international speaker.
He is described by colleagues as “kind and generous in sharing his knowledge and information through Twitter and his numerous slide sets”. On accepting his award, Mr Howard paid tribute to his family and colleagues and urged all pharmacy practitioners to take all opportunities available to them: “Push at the open door, and you’ll find that it opens easier than you might think. And leave that door open for others to follow you through.”
The awarding panel also recognised Phil’s immense contribution to UKCPA over the years. He is a past Chair of the Surgery & Theatres Group, was a member of the UKCPA General Committee and is a previous UKCPA Chair. Mr Howard is now a UKCPA Trustee and a committee member of the UKCPA Pharmacy Infection Network.
The UKCPA also recognised the outstanding contribution to pharmacy by Dr Cathrine McKenzie, Consultant Pharmacist in Critical Care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
A previous Chair of the UKCPA Critical Care Group, Cathy is described as compassionate and caring, “lavishing her time and spirit on patients, and inspiring others to do the same”.
Dr McKenzie’s research interests in sedation and in particular her work on midazolam and its major metabolites has transformed the understanding of the use of this medication in critical care for application not just in the UK, but also in the international community. The discovery of active metabolites that accumulate in renal failure fundamentally changed the way that intensivists used midazolam in the critically ill, globally shaping sedation practice in critical care units.
She is recognised as key to developing and driving forward the competency framework for pharmacists working in adult critical care, published by the Department of Health, which influenced the formation and process within the RPS Faculty, of which she is a founding fellow.
Dr McKenzie has advanced the research agenda for pharmacists and was instrumental in conceiving, obtaining funding from UKCPA, and delivering the landmark PROTECTED UK study, which is the largest pharmacist intervention study published.
She is described as “visionary, with a charm and force of personality that brings others with her, leading to real change for the better”. Accepting her award, Dr McKenzie said that her passion for pharmacy and patients continues, and thanked her family and the UKCPA Critical Care Group for their friendship and support.
