Honour for Chief Pharmaceutical Officer

The Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science was presented to Dr Keith Ridge at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre yesterday. (Wednesday, Sept 8 2010)

The honour was presented by the School of Applied Sciences in recognition of his significant contribution to the Pharmacy profession.

Dr Ridge said: “I am both honoured and delighted to have received an honorary DSc from the University of Wolverhampton. I hope this helps to reflect the changing and strengthening role of the pharmacy profession in the care of the public.”

Head of Pharmacy at the University, Professor Rae Morgan, said: “We are very pleased to make this award to Dr Ridge. As Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, Dr Ridge is at the forefront of professional development in pharmacy, and this award recognises his significant contributions to the profession.”

Dr Keith Ridge has been Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health since March 2006. He has led major changes to pharmacy including the establishment of a new pharmacy professional regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council, and the publication of a landmark Government White Paper: Pharmacy in England: Building on Strengths, Delivering the Future, which set out a vision for pharmacies to provide clinical and public health services.

Under the auspices of Medical Education England, he established and leads the Modernising Pharmacy Careers programme, which will shape the future of undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy education. He also played a senior role in the UK’s Pandemic Influenza Programme, and has represented Government nationally and internationally.

Previously, he was Chief Pharmacist at University Hospitals Birmingham, and North Glasgow University Hospitals. As well as redesigning pharmacy services in Glasgow, he led the West of Scotland’s Chief Pharmacist’s successful bid to modernise pharmacy services to cancer patients and advised Scotland’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer through membership of the National Pharmaceutical Forum.

A founding member of the Scottish Medicines Consortium, Keith studied pharmacy at The School of Pharmacy, University of London, graduating with First Class Honours in 1987 and registering as a pharmacist with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) in 1988. He gained a PhD from the University of Manchester in 1998, evaluating medicines systems in hospitals and became of Fellow of the RPSGB in 2010. Keith has also practiced in community and industrial pharmacy.

ENDS

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