Vanessa Lontos is a community pharmacist, previous pharmacy owner and inspiring pharmacy leader, speaker, and coach. Vanessa provides coaching and development to pharmacists and pharmacy teams across Australia, focusing on patient engagement, team culture, leadership, and change management to enhance their ability, and confidence, to deliver comprehensive health solutions and expanded pharmacy care.

Prior to launching her consulting business, Vanessa led the Learning and Development team at Sigma Healthcare. Vanessa is also currently a Learning Consultant with THINKA supporting leaders and teams to develop skills and capabilities in Thinka’s ‘human skills’ curriculum.

In 2010 Vanessa was a finalist for the City of Port Phillip Citizen of the Year award and won the 2019 ARCHI Award at Sigma Healthcare. Vanessa lives with her daughter in Melbourne.

You can find Vanessa Lontos on LinkedIn.

Yvette Anderson is a clinical accredited pharmacist and pharmapreneur passionate about neurodevelopmental conditions.

Spanning over 15 years as a registered pharmacist Yvette has experience in aged care, consultancy, community pharmacy and both private and public hospital pharmacy.

In 2020 Yvette launched The Spectrum Pharmacist, a combination of professional knowledge and lived experience to increase awareness, promote inclusion, and provide education and support.

In 2022 Yvette won the PSA Pharmacy Shark Tank and the PSA Victorian Pharmacist of the Year for her commitment and initiatives in the neurodivergent space.

You can find Yvette Anderson on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

Steve Morris is the CEO, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Steve is motivated by making positive and real change in people’s lives through improved health care.

After completing a degree in pharmacy and spending time volunteering early in his career in India, Steve realised his strengths were strategic and that he wanted to make a wider difference with the work that he did.

Steve has worked in numerous clinical and management roles within health spanning pharmacy practice including hospital, community, primary care, industry and NGO sectors.

Career highlights have included three years driving change at NPS MedicineWise ensuring a collaborative and consumer centred approach to improving outcomes. Overseeing significant reform of pharmacy services in SA Health, developing and driving the strategy that increased efficiencies and reduced service inequities, increasing the employee base while simultaneously delivering $30 million in savings. Previous to that Steve developed and delivered a strategy to successfully bring more business focus, increasing the funding base and more flexible service delivery to the National Prescribing Centre in the UK.

You can find Steve Morris on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

Vivian Lee is a Senior Consultant at IQVIA, as part of the Strategic Insights and Analytics team.

Her expertise is in leading and executing projects in the management consulting and commercial effectiveness area of practice for Consumer Health and Pharmaceutical clients, where she brings her in-depth industry knowledge of the retail pharmacy landscape, categories and consumer behavioural trends.

Vivian’s background is a registered Pharmacist with 15 years of experience working in various roles within the industry, including ownership of multiple pharmacies, Digital Marketing Manager, Examiner for the Pharmacy Council of NSW and Pharmacist Advisor to the aviation health industry.

You can find Vivian Lee on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

Tom Simpson is the President, Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia and Executive Director, Statewide Hospital Pharmacy Tasmania, and has held positions as Chair, Statewide Pharmacy Executive Committee, the Tasmanian Minister’s Health Council and the Pharmacy Board of Tasmania.

Tom is a member of the SHPA Leadership and Management Specialty Practice Leadership Committee and holds a conjoint position as Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Tasmania School of Pharmacy.

Tom was awarded 2018 Tasmanian Pharmacist of the Year and the 2019 SHPA Medal of Merit, recognising outstanding contribution to pharmacy practice locally and nationally.

You can find Tom Simpson on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

Jamil Karaki, a Locum Pharmacist deeply rooted in the world of retail pharmacy and education. Jamil wears multiple hats, not only as a dedicated educator in the pharmacy program at the University of New South Wales but also as a dynamic content creator on TikTok, where he imparts invaluable health tips and tricks to the public as @megamindpharmacist.

Jamil's pharmacy odyssey began during his student years when he ventured into retail pharmacy, swiftly climbing the ladder to manage large pharmacies and lead teams of up to 47 staff members by the young age of 27. Along this journey, he started sharing his wealth of knowledge through what he termed 'Megamind sessions' - educational forums where he enlightened fellow pharmacy professionals and students about common ailments and their treatments.

These sessions served as the foundation for Jamil's rapidly growing social media presence, amassing nearly 60,000 followers and counting. But Jamil's passion for teaching didn't stop there. Upon joining the pharmacy course at UNSW, he collaborated with Dr. Ramesh Walpola to teach the double-degree pharmacy course. This opportunity allowed Jamil to nurture his newfound passion for guiding the future generation of pharmacists, ensuring they grasp and excel in the intricacies of the profession.

Yet, Jamil's ambitions reach even further. He aspires to become a pharmacy owner, with a vision to revolutionise the pharmacy experience for the public in an unprecedented and innovative manner. Join us as we explore Jamil Karaki's incredible journey, filled with dedication, education, and the relentless pursuit of transforming the world of pharmacy.

You can find Jamil Karaki on LinkedIn, TikTok or Instagram.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

Brooke Shelly is one of the few pharmacists across the country working in General Practice as a General Practice Pharmacist (GPP), she was one of the first to hold this role in Victoria. Currently, Brooke enjoys a portfolio career, working as a GP Pharmacist consulting at Ontario Medical Clinic, Consultant/Credentialed Pharmacist delivering Home Medicine Review (HMR) services, and her role as a Senior Clinical Pharmacist at Beyond Pain.

Brooke regularly acts as pharmacist lead for the Murray PHN on their clinical working group teams and has contributed to various Health Pathways as Subject Matter Expert. She has also facilitated and participated in many government round table events representing rural pharmacy at both State and Federal levels. She has recently commenced her first term on the PSA Victorian Branch Committee and the Board of the Pharmaceutical Society Victoria.

Brooke Shelly is a thought leader and conversation starter. She champions the cause to see diversification of the traditional pharmacist role for our next generation of pharmacists, in particular advocating for innovative models of care for pharmacists delivering primary health care to the 30% of Australians who live in regional, rural and remote Australia.

She graduated with a B.Pharm in 2009 from La Trobe University in Bendigo and in her final year of study was awarded the Pharmacy Student of the Year for Victoria. Most recently she was a Finalist in the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Allied Health.

Brooke holds a Graduate Diploma of Management, HMMR/RMMR credentialing and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, she is also a Pharmacist Immuniser.

Over the past 4 years, Brooke has been privileged to play her role as the medication expert at Ontario Medical Clinic as their GP Pharmacist. There she is involved in pre-consultations with patients, reviewing patients history, pathology and collaborating with the patients GP to achieve medication optimisation. She assists in the training of the GP registrars, nurses and in the clinical placements of medical students in the chronic disease management space and enjoys overseeing the PIP QI program. Brooke never misses an opportunity to teach the next generation of healthcare professionals about the benefits of inter-professional collaboration and the integration of allied health into Primary Care as part of multidisciplinary teams.

You can find Brooke Shelly on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.

We're delighted to bring you a very special conversation. We have with us the dynamic duo at the helm of the National Australian Pharmacy Student Association, or NAPSA. Our guests are none other than President Flynn Swift and Treasurer Georgia Bridges who work tirelessly to support, guide, and advocate for pharmacy students nationwide.

They've been involved in numerous initiatives, supporting the professional growth of thousands of students, and they're here today to share their insights, experiences, and advice with you all.

We will be talking about their journeys in pharmacy school, what motivated them to take on these roles, and how being part of NAPSA has influenced their pharmacy education and future careers.

So whether you're an aspiring pharmacist, an early career pharmacist, or someone interested in student leadership, this episode is packed with insights you don't want to miss.

About Flynn Swift
Hi everyone, my name is Flynn and I'm the National President of the National Australian Pharmacy Students' Association (NAPSA). I am a 4th-year pharmacy student at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.

About Georgia Bridges
Hi I’m Georgia, I’m a current 4th year pharmacy student. I’m the 22/23 outgoing treasurer of NAPSA, a position I’ve held for 2 years now as well as the vice president of the RMIT Association of Pharmacy Students. I came into pharmacy after pursuing another health career but have grown to love it and I’m excited to see it continue to expand and new roles for pharmacists emerge every day!

You can find Flynn Swift and Georgia Bridges on LinkedIn.

Do you have questions about your pharmacy career? Then contact us or meet our team.