An award has been created to honour RPS Fellow Nina Barnett, who played an instrumental part in developing the society’s mentoring programme
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) announced three new awards – the Daniel Thomas Award, the OPERA Award and the Barnett Award – at its annual conference on Friday.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said each award recognises “exceptional contributions to the pharmacy field.”
The Daniel Thomas Award recognises pharmacists or pharmaceutical scientists who died while actively practising in the profession.
It is named after Daniel Thomas, a pharmacist who died during the First World War in 1917 while serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps.
The Outstanding Pharmacy Early-Career Researcher Award or OPERA Award recognises the achievements of early-career researchers within the pharmacy field.
The Barnett Award recognises those who have instilled a culture of excellence in mentoring and professional development.
It has been created to honour RPS Fellow Nina Barnett, who played an instrumental part in developing the RPS mentoring programme.
She dedicated her life to coaching and mentoring members of the healthcare family.
RPS Fellow Nina Barnett became the first winner of the Daniel Thomas Award.
Nina’s husband, Andre Ingram, who accepted the award on her behalf, 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.”
Stephen Kelly, a lecturer in pharmaceutical microbiomics at the Queen’s University Belfast School of Pharmacy, was presented the OPERA Award.
He is recognised for his research on microbiome analysis and its functional exploitation for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications.
Stephen 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.”
Stephen also gave a presentation at the annual conference.
