Tribute: Peter Noyce

Peter was an amazing man. He was a friend to pharmacy as a profession as well as a personal friend to so many who remember him today.

From his research and championing of support for early career researchers, he sought to embed the principles of evaluation from other disciplines and develop the research discipline of pharmacy practice with other founding professors of the time some twenty five years ago.

His vision for the need for continuous education and support across all sectors and stages of career development was evident across everything he did. From his research portfolio, the set-up of CPPE, the DH Enterprise fund and all his work with the RPSGB, he was a stalwart and a leader throughout the whole of his career.

His career reads like a who’s who and a role call for the profession but you would never have known this on meeting the man. He didn’t wear his honours as badges, rather he was focussed on the issues in hand.

His reach and profile was global as well as national, with recognition from FIP through his fellowship in 2008, which followed the award of the RPSGB Charter medal in 2002. A man with the profession’s interests at his heart, he served as the deputy chief pharmacist at the Department of Health between 1986 and 1990 and affected much change to the profession there. His personal impact on healthcare more widely was recognized in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday honors, where he was awarded a CBE.

Finally he was a huge advocate and supporter of the profession through his advice and membership of the RPS Faculty Board, and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Pharmacist Support. Peter was a trouper until his untimely passing earlier this year. From those who worked with him at the DoH, the University of Manchester, on research projects, within the pharmacy practice research community, at RPSGB and latterly RPS, Pharmacist Support and CPPE, he was a wit and raconteur, a wise and welcome advisor, a helpful and challenging critic and a person who was on the right side of the profession.

The colleagues of RPS and elected members and advisors thank Peter for his unending leadership and foresight, his support and drive and his friendship and kindness. A true leader of so many and a true friend to so many.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Executive Team and Assembly