UQ Pharmacy and the Future

9 September 2021

Studying at UQ Pharmacy means you’re contributing to the pharmaceutical industry in more ways than one.

evening shot of UQ pharmacy school
UQ Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE)

A key component to the pharmaceutical field is the creation, research, and distribution of medicines. We sat down with Dean and Head of the School of Pharmacy Sarah Roberts-Thomson, to chat about what studying pharmacy at UQ looks like and to learn about how the university has contributed to the evolving pharmaceutical industry.

If you’ve ever considered a pharmacy degree, or wanted to know more about the profession, check out our webinar below with Sarah from UQ! Sarah is a registered pharmacist and professor at the university, in addition to being the Head of School! Her main area of focus has been on drug discovery, and her research area focuses on calcium signaling and breast cancer.

In our chat with Sarah she discusses some reasons why you may want to consider a pharmacy degree. We’ve summarized some of her key points here:

  • The prescription drug industry is massive, largely due to the aging population, increase in prevalence of chronic illness, increase in health care costs, and due to personalized medicines
  • Strong future international demand for medication experts
  • Pharmacies are an essential service (as highlighted by the COVID-19 outbreak)

Working as a pharmacist is impactful and there are a lot of places that students can take the degree—either in in a more classic setting like a community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy, or within the pharmaceutical industry. You can also take this degree into government roles or as a specialized pharmacist.

The University of Queensland is known as a comprehensive research university and has more than 20,000 international students as part of its student population. Within the realms of health, the university has a high research impact in pharmacy and pharmaceutical care. UQ is home to the development of the life-saving cervical cancer vaccine, Gardasil.

UQ Pharmacy student help the health workforce during COVID

As a result of the pandemic, UQ pharmacists and about 70 undergraduate students have stepped up to assist in the health workforce in Queensland health hospitals. Fifty students also indicated their availability to assist in community pharmacy.

So, if dedicating your life to improving health care (and maybe an emphasis on the research side of things!) is something that you’re considering, the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) program at UQ is one you should consider! This is a great way to combine an interest in science and health care studies!

Part of the program will see UQ pharmacy students learn about other health care providers and their scope of practice.

Check out the webinar!

Webinar Timestamps

0:00 – Intros
1:10 – Professor Sarah-Roberts-Thomson Head of school intro
3:20 – Why study pharmacy
4:43 – Personalized Medicine
6:50 – Herceptin personalized medicine example (monoclonal antibody)
9:32 – Careers in Pharmacy
10:13 – About UQ
11:02 – UQ in the area of health
11:47 – UQ health contributions
13:44 – COVID-19 Research
14:45 – Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
15:38 – What Students Like About UQ Pharmacy
17:00 – St Lucia Campus
17:52 – Innovative Teaching Spaces
18:26 – Simulation Facilities
18:47 – Future Focused Curriculum
19:46 – Practical Placements
20:40 – Supportive Teaching Excellence (SCRIPT)
21:33 – Industry Engagement
22:36 – The Pharmacy Program
23:03 – Canadian Graduate
25:01 – UQ Life – Connecting and Making Friends
25:34 – Virtual Village
25:46 – Semester 2 2021 (internal and external delivery modes)
26:59 – Tuition Fees (Offshore Online Study Tuition Rebate)
27:45 – Questions – Remaining In Australia
28:56 – Questions – Internship Year
29:52 – Questions – Finding Placements
30:55 – Questions – Research
33:09 – Questions – Online Learning Format (as a result of COVID)
37:01 – Questions – Words of Advice To Future Students

UQ  Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

UQ Pharmacy students  enjoy the support of a highly experienced and supportive team of award-winning academic staff, as well as state-of-the-art facilities offered within the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE).

Program: Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Semester intake: February each year
Duration: 4 years

Start your application to the UQ Pharmacy program!

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Would you like more information about how you can study pharmacy at the University of Queensland?? Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Pharmacy Schools Admissions Officer at pharmacy@oztrekk.com.

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