I was born in Durban, South Africa and
relocated to Dunedin, New Zealand in 2003. I am a registered pharmacist in South Africa
where I trained and also completed my masters’ degree. My journey through the
pharmacy world remains an interesting and varied one. It began with manufacturing
the medicine (SA Pharmaceutical Industry) to managing the medicine in patients
(Community and Hospital practices) to developing practitioners (academic
positions at the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Otago) to the broader public
health system. Guiding me along this journey has been the principle of
improving access to healthcare, with a specific focus on medicines.
In 2009, after receiving my doctorate
from the University of Otago, we returned to southern Africa (SA and Botswana)
where I took on the role of Technical Adviser to the Southern African
Development Community’s (SADC) Pharmaceutical Programme. During this period I
joined hera: Right to Health and Development (www.hera.eu), a Belgium-based, health consultancy
firm, as a partner. This partnership has allowed me to undertake consultancies
in east and southern Africa, and Nepal, in pharmaceutical policy reform and
evaluations.
We returned to Dunedin in 2014 where I
continued with consultancy work. I was looking for opportunities to use the
skills I have developed over the years when the position of General Manager:
CCPG came up. Supporting Community Pharmacists to deliver pharmaceutical care
that contributes to improved health outcomes in the primary care environment is
what attracted me to this role. The forward thinking, innovative and positive
spirit I continue to experience in all of my engagements with the People of
Canterbury to date further fuels my excitement for my new role as General
Manager: CCPG.
Travelling, meeting people, experiencing
different cultures food, music and dancing are social activities that keep me
going. We are looking forward to this next phase in our lives – not quite the
empty nest syndrome but the different beginnings.
Return to Our Team