The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is proud to announce the presentation of three prestigious new awards today at its annual conference. The Daniel Thomas Award, the OPERA Award, and the Barnett Award aim to recognise and celebrate outstanding contributions to the pharmacy field.
The Daniel Thomas Award recognises pharmacists or pharmaceutical scientists who died while actively practising in the profession. The first winner of the award is trailblazing RPS Fellow Nina Barnett a truly dedicated colleague who contributed so much to the profession. This award is made in memory of Daniel Thomas, a pharmacist who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War in 1917 while serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps.
Nina’s husband, Andre Ingram, said: “I am honoured to accept the Daniel Thomas Award on behalf of my wonderful wife, Nina. She would have wanted me to thank everyone she worked with who enabled her to excel at a career she loved.”
The new ‘Outstanding Pharmacy Early-Career Researcher Award’ (OPERA) celebrates the achievements of early-career researchers within the pharmacy field. This award recognises individuals who exhibit the potential to achieve world-leading status and serve as role models, inspiring others to pursue and persevere in research careers.
This year's winner is Stephen Kelly, a lecturer in pharmaceutical microbiomics at the Queen’s University Belfast School of Pharmacy, whose research focuses on microbiome analysis and its functional exploitation for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications. Stephen is giving a presentation at the annual conference as part of the prize.
Stephen Kelly said: “I am delighted to receive the 2023 OPERA prize in recognition of our research into the effects of the microbiome on health outcomes. This award reflects the hard work of various collaborative projects and highlights the impact of investigating such an important area of pharmacy research.”
To honour Nina Barnett’s memory, RPS has created an award in her name to recognise those who have instilled a culture of excellence in mentoring and professional development.
The Barnett Award is named after RPS Fellow Nina Barnett, who dedicated her life to coaching and mentoring members of the healthcare family and was an instrumental part in developing the RPS mentoring programme. The award celebrates individuals who have dedicated their careers to supporting, mentoring, and advancing others and have instilled a culture of professional development excellence within the profession. Nina's family are also raising money to establish an annual bursary to help a pharmacy or medical student in financial difficulty.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson says: "We’re thrilled to present these new awards, each recognising exceptional contributions to the pharmacy field. Presenting these awards celebrates the innovation, commitment, and mentorship within the profession, inspiring pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists for the future.”
More on the RPS Annual Conference 2023.
Read more about RPS Honours.
Read more RPS news stories.
Contribute to Nina's fund.