Claire Anderson elected as RPS president

Professor Claire Anderson has been elected as president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. 

She was previously chair of English Pharmacy Board and is the second woman after outgoing president Sandra Gidley to be elected president of the RPS in its current form.

Anderson thanked Gidley for “her leadership and passion for our profession, particularly for leading our response to the pandemic.”

Giving her reaction to Pharmacy Business this morning (July 13), she said: "This is an exciting and a challenging time to have been elected president, with the new board members and chairs bringing fresh perspectives and ideas, the new RPS strategy, the changes brought about by the pandemic, and the proposed transformation of pharmacy education.

"I look forward to working with the profession over the next couple of years."

She said her future priorities would include expanding RPS' influence, focusing on implementing change, and advancing on the work the society is already doing around equality, diversity and inclusion.

“I promise to always be equitable in my decision making, to stand alongside all our members and be an ally, to amplify the voice of pharmacy, to advocate for change and to support future generations of pharmacists.”

Anderson, who currently serves as professor of Social Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham, was elected a member of the English Pharmacy Board in 2012 and has also served as vice-chair.

A 1982 BPharm graduate from the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Anderson did her PhD (1997) on 'Health Promotion by Community Pharmacists' from King’s College London, where she developed the first community pharmacy diploma.

With over 30 years' academic experience, Anderson is a global leader in pharmacy practice research. She has played a significant part in developing and evaluating new professional roles for pharmacists, particularly in public health.

Anderson also has extensive research leadership experience within pharmacy and across a number of health, education and social science disciplines, having previously worked across hospital, community and primary care as well as being a CPPE tutor for many years.