Nominate a female pharmacy professional to be one of our Women to Watch

The Pharmaceutical Journal’s #PJMindTheGap campaign has been highlighting social inequalities that exist in pharmacy for over two years now, but we are determined to do more to help tackle this problem head on — and we need your help.

What do we want to do?

The aim of our Women to Watch campaign is to recognise and celebrate the achievements of female pharmacy professionals who are furthering the profession, but whose work is currently going largely unrecognised. We want to identify female role models within the pharmacy profession who can inspire others, as well as encourage the future generation of female pharmacy professionals to be brave and reach their full potential.

This is not an ‘award’, but recognition for an individual’s contribution to the profession and/or society. There will be no ‘winners’ or ‘losers’. We merely hope to profile those who have not yet been recognised nationally. 

How will we do this?

We are asking you to nominate women in UK pharmacy that you know are doing fantastic work. We want to profile them in The Pharmaceutical Journal and help provide inspiration to others.

Self-nominations are also encouraged.

Nominees will be assessed by The Pharmaceutical Journal team and a panel of external contributors. Names of nominees and individuals who place nominations will not be made public.

Each nominee that comprises the final Women to Watch list will be profiled in The Pharmaceutical Journal as part of a wider programme of work by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society inclusion and diversity group.

How to nominate someone

Individuals can submit a nomination by completing the nomination form below or using this link.

Please ensure all the required information in the nomination form is provided. We will be unable to accept partially completed nominations.

Self-nominations must include testimonials from at least two colleagues (other pharmacist or healthcare professional, or pharmacy or healthcare team member).

Who can nominate?

We invite nominations from any individual working in the health sector including:

• Pharmacists;
• Pharmacy students;
• Preregistration trainees;
• Pharmacy technicians;
• Other healthcare professionals;
• Other individuals working in health e.g. medicine counter assistants, non-clinical managers.

We would ask that individuals only nominate one nominee if possible, as we aim to publish a diverse list of women from all sectors and locations.

Who can be nominated?

Any nominee who fulfills all of the following criteria will be put forward for the shortlist. They must:

• Be working or training as a pharmacy professional within the UK. This includes:
  • Pharmacists;
  • Pharmacy students;
  • Preregistration trainees;
  • Pharmacy technicians;
  • Pharmacy assistants/counter staff.
• Identify as female and be of any age, ethnicity, or at any stage in their career;
• Not currently or previously be elected, or paid, to sit on the board of a national organisation or executive committee that has more than 500 members. This includes:
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society;
  • General Pharmaceutical Council;
  • National Pharmacy Association;
  • Pharmacy Defence Association;
  • Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee;
  • British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association;
  • Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK;
  • NHS.
• Nominees can be members or ambassadors of the aformentioned organisations, a trustee of a charity, or a previous winner of a local award, such as employee of the month.

Who are we looking for?

Nominees will be assessed on the following criteria; however, please note that nominees do not have to demonstrate evidence of all five qualities in order to qualify for the list.

The Pharmaceutical Journal team and external panel of contributors will take the individual circumstances and diversity of candidates into account when drawing up the final list of Women to Watch. Nominees will be assessed on their work which can be both paid or unpaid (e.g. volunteer work).

What qualifies as ‘supporting evidence’?

Please include all relevant evidence in this section to support your nomination by proving that this nominee deserves to be included in the list. Examples of evidence could include:

• Survey results showing a particular service has improved patient quality of life and/or experience;
• Audit data showing the clinical impact of a new service;
• Testimonials from colleagues and/or patients;
• Figures representing enhanced operational efficiency and/or cost reduction;
• Local recognition of success e.g. prizes, awards — or lack of, if appropriate!

Please ensure the evidence is as recent as possible. Incomplete evidence will be accepted and considered only in the context of the whole application.

For more information:

For more information, or if you have any questions, please get in contact with our careers editor and #PJMindTheGap lead, Angela Kam, at angela.kam@rpharms.com.

Nomination Form

To open the nomination form in a new browser window click this link. It should take no more than eight minutes to complete. 

• Shortlisting for The Pharmaceutical Journal Women to Watch campaign has been postponed due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19, but nominations are still open. If you know a female in pharmacy who is committed to helping others, especially during these uncertain times, nominate her today.