Dunedin-based Pharmacists Gemma Ballantyne, Alisa Tan and Marc Rooney are among the seven finalists for the inaugural Early Career Pharmacist Award to be announced on 24 November 2024.
Southern Pharmacy Service Manager Craig MacKenzie wishes Gemma, Alisa and Marc all the best and would love to see the inaugural award come South to one of these amazing trio.
“It is wonderful to see Southern is punching above its weight with three finalists up for the award. Gemma, Alisa and Marc all make a significant contribution to our pharmacy services, are very professional in all they do and fantastic members of our wonderful team,” Craig says.
Gemma Ballantyne started her internship at Southland Hospital in 2021 before moving to Dunedin Hospital in 2023.
“I’m grateful to be nominated for this award and it is encouraging that the award exists to recognise Early Career Pharmacists across the country doing fantastic work,” Gemma says.
She enjoys the challenge of investigating medicine-related problems, finding solutions, and interacting with patients to improve their healthcare experience.
Alisa credits the “amazing” pharmacy team at Dunedin who have all supported her.
She originally started her career as a pharmacist in a community setting before starting with Southern two and a half years ago.
“Transitioning into a hospital was a bit of a learning curve, and the nomination is reflective of all the support our teams have given me and the great example they are for pharmacists early on in their career,” she says.
Pharmacist Marc Rooney has been back with Southern for almost three years. He started at Dunedin Hospital in 2019 and then spent two years working in a community pharmacy.
“I enjoy being part of the multidisciplinary team and being able to come together to provide positive outcomes for patients. It’s rewarding to see patients clinically improve and have other health professionals value our input.”
The awards are being held at the National Hospital Pharmacy Association Conference where the theme this year is “The future of New Zealand Pharmacy – it's a stunner!”.
Guest speaker topics include dynamic role of pharmacists, leadership and workplace culture, technology developments and clinical topics on toxicology and haematology.
The conference will be held at the Dunedin Centre between 23 - 24 November 2024.
The full list of finalists for the Early Career Pharmacist Award are Alisa Tan (Dunedin), Courtney Fredriks (Christchurch), Gemma Ballantyne (Dunedin), Marc Rooney (Dunedin), Olivia Hayman (Wellington), Stacey Woods (Bay of Plenty) and Stephanie Murphy (Auckland).
Image caption: Award finalists, from left, Gemma Ballantyne, Alisa Tan and Marc Rooney.
