The Pharmacy Student of the Year (PSOTY) competition showcases the top pharmacy students in Australia, celebrating their exceptional skills, knowledge, and dedication to the pharmacy profession. The Wildcard category provides students who did not win their local competition another opportunity to compete and demonstrate their capabilities on a national stage at PSA25 in August.

PSA National President Associate Professor Fei Sim FPS congratulated Brielle Geard on their outstanding achievement.

“The PSOTY competition is a valuable platform for pharmacy students to showcase their clinical knowledge, communication skills, and professionalism. Brielle has demonstrated excellence in all these areas, and this award highlights their potential as a future leader in the pharmacy profession,” Associate Professor Sim said.

The Wildcard competition involved a rigorous assessment process, with participants judged on their ability to solve complex clinical scenarios while effectively communicating with patients and healthcare teams. Brielle stood out for their exceptional communication skills and knowledge.

Ms Geard will now progress to the final round of the PSOTY competition, to be held at PSA25 in Sydney, where they will compete against other state and territory winners for the coveted Pharmacy Student of the Year title.

PSA acknowledges and thanks the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association (NAPSA) for its ongoing support in the Pharmacy Student of the Year competition, which nurtures and inspires the next generation of pharmacists.

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2025 marks the 27th year that Precedent Productions will honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of the Australian small business community.

With over 100 categories, this year’s awards will crown the nation’s Small Business Champions, with winners announced at two glittering red-carpet gala events at The Star Sydney on 28 and 29 March 2025.

The program is open to all industries and free to enter, with applications closing on 10 February 2025.

“Small businesses play a critical role in creating jobs and driving economic growth across a wide range of industries, often earning the title of the backbone of the national economy,” said Steve Loe, Founder and Managing Director of Precedent Productions. “The Australian Small Business Champion Awards provide an invaluable opportunity for operators to have their work evaluated by an expert panel, gain industry recognition, and benchmark themselves against the best in their field,” Mr. Loe added.

Among the program’s previous winners is Justin Vetsavong, CEO of Canberra-based Leaky Roof, who took home the 2024 Small Business Champion Entrepreneur Award. “This honour not only recognises my personal achievements but also shines a light on the incredible team behind me,” Justin shared, highlighting the transformative impact of the awards on his business.

Businesses from every corner of the nation – from regional hubs to capital cities – are encouraged to enter.

The Awards are proudly presented in partnership with NOVA Employment, Castaway Forecasting, BOA, VJB Group, Xcllusive Business Sales, and Big Clean.

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With a generous $60,000 prize pool, these Awards recognise the exceptional work being done in a range of settings across these four sectors that is positively impacting communities nationwide.

HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said HESTA was honoured to be able to help highlight outstanding achievements across these four critical sectors.

“The HESTA Excellence Awards are a wonderful opportunity to showcase excellence within the aged care, allied health, community services, and disability services sectors. Many of our members work in these sectors, and we are continually inspired by the dedication and innovation professionals demonstrate in these fields,” Ms Blakey said.

“We are incredibly grateful for the commitment these professionals bring to our community each day. I encourage people from around the country to make a nomination and help us celebrate and recognise the remarkable contribution these individuals have made.”

The HESTA Excellence Awards recognise individual excellence and highlight the collaborative team efforts that drive progress and innovation within these sectors.

Until midnight (AEST) Tuesday, April 8, employers, colleagues, and individuals from the aged care, allied health, community services and disability services sectors can nominate or be nominated for the Individual Leadership or Team Excellence categories.

Each category will have four winners, recognising excellence in each of the four health and community services sectors.

The eight winners will each receive $7500 – donated by longstanding Awards sponsor ME (a subsidiary of Bank of Queensland – BOQ). Prize money can go towards personal or professional development or the further development of processes or services in the workplace.

BOQ Group Executive of Retail Banking, Greg Boyle, commended the professionals in each sector for their dedication and hard work.

“These awards honour the tenacity and dedication of the frequently overlooked champions in our healthcare sector. Since 2007, ME has been awarding community grants to the victors of the HESTA Awards, and we take immense pride in observing their escalating importance year after year,” Mr Boyle said.

Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, ahead of the highly anticipated awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday, August 7, 2025.

For more information on how to nominate and details about the awards, visit https://www.hesta.com.au/awards/excellence-awards

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The awards powered by WA Business News, recognises organisations with long and sustained growth, who embrace opportunities to stand apart from the rest in today’s evolving landscape and create impact in the community.
With a record number of entries of 163 nominations across the state, this year’s judging panel faced the challenging task of selecting the exceptional finalists and award winners and were immensely proud of the outstanding calibre of this year’s nominees.
The finalists and award winners were announced at Business News’ annual WA Business Awards hosted at Crown Perth on Friday 29th November. It was an incredible evening with over 900 guests celebrating the achievements of local and regional businesses.
Pharmacy 777 was honoured with the Large Business of the Year award on the night, sponsored by ECU’s School of Business and Law.
CEO Jason Brotherson accepted the award on behalf of the wider team –
“Thank you to all of our people within our entire network, our members and our support team at 777 Group Administration for your commitment in serving the health of our community. This honour is in celebration of you all!”
Established on Canning Highway in Applecross, WA in 1962, Pharmacy 777 has grown to have over 85 locations across Australia with continuing commitment to serving the health care needs of their local communities, working together with the wider health care network.
Focused on developing purpose-led, health driven Community Pharmacy businesses, Pharmacy 777 aims to build a legacy with a unique multi-faceted support model, continually guiding team members towards their core values – Professional, Caring, Exceptional Service and Growth.
“777 Franchising supports independent Pharmacy Owners through complex industry headwinds and navigating the ever-changing scope of practice developments,” said Jason.
“We’re passionate about Community Pharmacy and support our owners to make an impact in the local communities they serve, building health services in line with their business growth plan as well as patient needs.
“Together, we are focused on delivering meaningful patient health care outcomes with a strong cultural ethos of “Here To Serve”. This award is a fantastic recognition of the teams’ ongoing work.”

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The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) has announced the recipients of the Dr Erica
Sainsbury Awards, which were established to recognise and reward leaders in pharmacy
education and practice.

Awards were presented to:
• Mr Branko Radojkovic: Early Career Pharmacy Educator Award
• Dr Hilai Ahmadzai: Pharmacist Supervisor Award (Hospital)
• Mrs Shanae Draffen: Pharmacist Supervisor Award (Outstanding support of
overseas-trained pharmacists)
• Ms Taren Gill: Pharmacist Supervisor Award (Community)

The Dr Erica Sainsbury Early Career Pharmacy Educator Award recognises and rewards an
individual who demonstrates innovation and passion in teaching and who places students first and foremost.

The Dr Erica Sainsbury Pharmacist Supervisor Award recognises and rewards pharmacists
who display the attributes and skills considered invaluable in the training of pharmacy interns during the period of supervised practice. Interns submit nominations for their preceptor or supervising pharmacists. New categories for the supervisor award were introduced this year recognising preceptors in hospital, community, and for those supporting overseas-trained pharmacists.

CEO, Bronwyn Clark says Erica Sainsbury shifted the dial in our thinking about accreditation and social accountability and these awards recognise both early career educators and intern supervisors.

“We saw an outstanding selection of applications this year and I pass on my congratulations to this year’s winners. I know Erica would have loved to hear their stories,” Ms Clark expressed.

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AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says the atmosphere of inspiration and connection has been electric.
‘There is a reason this is Australia’s largest scientific pharmacy conference, and it is thanks to our members, delegates, supporters and everyone else who plays a role.
‘At its core, Medicines Management provides a platform for pharmacists and technicians from all areas of practice to learn about the latest developments in pharmacy and broader health care.
‘But the reality is more intangible: it is the buzz in the air, the relief of finding peers who
face similar problems, and the spark of an idea that leads to cross-country partnerships and friendships.’

Amid the celebration of outstanding achievement from emerging pharmacists, technicians and hospital teams, AdPha President Tom Simpson reflected on the seven inaugural Distinguished Fellowships, bestowed at the start of the blockbuster event.
‘The remarkable progress we have made this year, culminating in a triumphant conference upon our return to Adelaide, is possible because of the strong vision of our recent leaders.
‘On behalf of a grateful membership I warmly congratulate our 2024 Distinguished Fellows: Ron Batagol DFAdPha, Mel Davis DFAdPha, Professor Michael Dooley DFAdPha, Helen Dowling DFAdPha, Vaughn Eaton DFAdPha, Peter Fowler DFAdPha and Neil Keen DFAdPha.’

The inaugural 2024 AdPha Registrar of the Year is Sarah Risdale, a senior Infectious Diseases pharmacist at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital who played a key role in the hospital’s COVID-19 pandemic response and was an active contributor in education at local, state and national levels while completing the program.

The 2024 AdPha Resident of the Year is Alex Lotric, AdPha Resident Training Program candidate at Alfred Health in Victoria, for her research presentation: ‘Pharmacist in vascular outpatient clinic improves guideline adherent medication prescribing in patients with vascular disease’.

The 2024 AdPha Members’ Award winners are:
• The 2024 AdPha Early Career Pharmacist of the Year is Hana Amer (SA/NT), a PhD Candidate and Pharmacist at the University of SA and SA Pharmacy honoured for her significant contributions to advancing pharmacy practice through her leadership in the statewide evaluation of Partnered Pharmacist Medication Prescribing (PPMP).
• The 2024 AdPha Technician of the Year is Rhys Wright (SA/NT) who as the Project Office and Pharmacy Technician Lead for the SA Pharmacy Statewide Cancer Services Program, has played a pivotal role in enhancing cancer medication supply and improving patient safety.
• The 2024 AdPha Hospital Team Innovation of the Year is Remote Clinical Pharmacy Service (ACT) led by Monica Rayson, which has demonstrated innovation and collaboration by addressing workforce shortages through the recruitment of remote pharmacists.

The MM2024 Conference Award winners are:
• Best overall oral presentation: Emma Whitney (ACT)
• Best first-time oral presentation: Sarah Risdale (Qld)
• Best original research oral presentation: Kate Ziser (Qld)
• Best case report oral presentation: Ngoc Hoan Dang (Vic.)
• Best pharmacy practice oral presentation: Sarah Linton (Vic.)
• Best technician oral presentation: Lara Tully (NSW)
• Best student or intern oral presentation: Suwasthigan Suganthan (NSW)
• Best overall poster: Jeffrey Wang (NSW)
• Best original research poster: Jessica Rogers (Vic.)
• Best case report poster: Khanh Thu Truong (Vic.)
• Best pharmacy practice poster: Cara Kolopelnyk (SA)
• Best technician poster: Mardi Simmons (Vic.)
• Best student or intern poster: Deanna O’Kelly (ACT)
• People’s choice poster: Annie Sharp (Vic.)

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Presenting the award on the final day of Medicines Management 2024 (MM2024) in Adelaide, AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says Susan is a strong and effective mentor for many up-and-coming pharmacists seeking to make an impact in equitable access to health care. ‘Susan is a tireless advocate for rural pharmacists.
‘Understanding the unique skill required to work in rural and remote areas, Susan is constantly finding ways to support the growth and development of pharmacists to help them deliver optimal outcomes for their patients such as advocating for AdPha to provide a credentialling program for Partnered Pharmacist Medication Charting.
‘As Chair of the AdPha Rural and Remote Leadership Committee, she has successfully campaigned for ongoing recognition of her field and in her role as Deputy Director of Pharmacy at Northeast Health Wangaratta, she is leading the development of an innovative and collaborative pharmacy internship program giving interns exposure to multiple rural health services including community pharmacy and general practice.
‘Susan also convenes a collaborative network of rural hospital pharmacy interns and their preceptors across the north of Victoria, enabling knowledge sharing via clinical case presentations, connecting peers across health service boundaries, and supporting newly registered pharmacists to guide the next cohort of interns that follow in their footsteps – her efforts to ensure early career pharmacists thrive in rural practice environments knows no bounds.’

In supporting her nomination, fellow AdPha Rural and Remote Leadership Committee member Kelly Beswick said Susan is always the first to ensure there is a Rural and Remote lens included within relevant standards of practice and advocacy efforts.‘Susan is a fierce advocate for rural and remote health, ensuring that the nuance of living and working in these locations is understood and recognised.
‘She is always looking for ways to promote the rewards of working in these challenging but rewarding locations, and to provide ongoing professional development and education for practitioners working in these areas.’

In his letter of commendation, David Ford, Director of Pharmacy at Northeast Health Wangaratta said Susan has committed herself to ensuring her experience and opinion is heard, both within and outside the region.
‘Susan is a warrior for equitable and accessible rural health services for people who reside in the country.
‘She also leads intern pharmacy programs, networking and education, which are important strategies to help ensure early career pharmacists remain practising in rural communities.

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Presenting the award on Friday afternoon at Medicines Management 2024, AdPha President Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) says Adam’s focus in open-source science and transparency of statistical methodology is pioneering better cardiovascular care in regional and rural Australia.
‘Adam’s work towards improving outcomes for patients post heart attack is nothing short of
prolific; with five national and international publications under his belt, published and cited in numerous academic papers and featured in newspapers and radio, Adam is a true force in cardiology.
‘He is helping to shape policy through his involvement with the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance, while his work has led to collaborations with the Victorian Heart Institute and the University of Western Australia.
‘Adam is now acting as chief investigator with a third Medical Research Future Fund grant to build reproducible economic evaluation models for use in heart failure and atrial fibrillation care – an important project seeking to address gaps in cardiac care by exploring pharmacist models of care.’

Mr Simpson says Adam’s noted achievements are ‘extraordinary’, having been
accomplished in just the last three years.’As chair of the AdPha Cardiology Leadership Committee, Adam revamped education offerings through
his involvement in 13 seminars, completed research on novel anticoagulents in at-risk groups presented at our national conference, and co-led the Standard of Practice in Cardiology for Pharmacy Services which received a citation award.
‘Outside AdPha, he was the first pharmacist to win the Allied Health, Science and Technology prize for best oral presentation at the Cardiac Society of Australia and Zealand (CSANZ). He is a founding member of the Clinical Special Interest Group for the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy, a board member for Safer Care Victoria Cardiovascular Advisory Group, co-creator of the Cardiovascular Dashboard for Victoria and co-author of guidelines for the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand.’

Commending Adam for the honour, Renee Dimond FANZCAP (Edu., Paeds), Deputy Director of Pharmacy Clinical Services & Education at Grampians Health in Victoria noted Adam’s influence has extended well beyond the pharmacy profession.
‘Adam’s work significantly contributes to broader healthcare initiatives that will have lasting
impacts on patient outcomes and reinforce the role of clinical pharmacists as essential
contributors to the healthcare landscape.

In his commendation, Dr Jedidiah Morton, Research Fellow, Faculty of Pharmacy and PharmaceuticalSciences at Monash University, noted Adam’s abilities ‘are due in large part to his passion for improving patient care and his phenomenal work ethic.’
‘Adam frames all research questions with a direct concern for realistic and timely improvements in patient care and has little interest in “lofty” science that may publish well but has little possibility of improving outcomes for patients.
‘Indeed, Adam has never once put his career advancement ahead of doing important and robust work; giving back to the research community through training as well as
teaching across numerous advanced pharmacy units.’

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Last month, in recognition of the relaunch, RID won an Australian Marketing Institute [AMI] Excellence Award. Judged by industry peers, AMI awards recognise and celebrate marketing initiatives and campaigns demonstrating creativity, innovation and measurable sales results.

Todd Adamson, Sales General Manager, RID Australia: “The relaunch was highly successful, delivering revenue growth of 68.2%, adding SKUs and improving market presence in all sales channels from pharmacy to grocery. All measures have set the stage for RID’s continued resurgence as Australia enters peak insect season.”

As the first brand to sell insect repellent in Australia, RID has become a trusted name for millions of consumers. Over its nearly seven decade journey, RID has cemented its reputation for reliability, providing essential preventive and reactive care. The recent relaunch has strengthened RID’s unique medicated formula, highlighting its appeal and visibility in a competitive market.

Rob Milne, Marketing Manager, RID Australia: “Shining a light on RID’s unrivalled formula in terms of efficacy and safety was a major focus of the relaunch. Standing out in the evolving Personal Insect Repellent (PIR) category was another element of the relaunch. It is gratifying to see the combination of increased sales, profitability and the AMI Marketing Excellence Award, cementing the success of RID’s relaunch.”

With several exciting new products in development, RID is committed to continued innovation, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of Australian consumers while remaining a trusted leader in first-aid repellent care.

RID’s range is available from major and independent pharmacies, supermarkets and Bunnings.

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