Helapet:net - Educational Initiatives

Tim Sizer
PTQA Course Director, University of Leeds

Director of Courses including Certificate/Diploma/MSc in Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance, University of Leeds.

A pharmacist, Tim obtained his degree from the University of London and went on to various roles in the hospital service of the United Kingdom, eventually acquiring 22 years experience in the management of personnel and environments for the aseptic preparation of medicines, and as a lecturer and researcher.

Now working at the University of Leeds, Tim is responsible for postgraduate and CPD programmes for healthcare professionals with links to pharmaceutical activities, and is a specialist lecturer in pharmaceutical technology and aseptic practice.

Tim also undertakes the role of an independent Pharmaceutical Consultant to the pharmaceutical industry from time to time and advises on GMP inspection and audits.

One–time advisor to Joint Formulary Committee for the British National Formulary (BNF).

Co editor of ‘The CIVAS Handbook’ (1993, 1998, 2007), with Richard Needle; and contributing author.
Executive member of NHS Pharmaceutical Aseptic Services Group.

Executive member of NHS Pharmaceutical Technical Services Education & Training Group

Past Chairman & Honorary Life Member of British Pharmaceutical Nutrition Group BPNG.

Founder Member of British Association for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN), and current member of the BAPEN Education Committee.

Member. Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Great Britain

Mark Oldcorne
Principal Pharmacist, Quality Assurance, Wrexham Maelor Hospital

Mark studied at the De Montfort University of Leicester and obtained his degree in pharmacy in 1980. He trained in hospital pharmacy before returning to University to a teaching and research post, specialising in aseptic processing, sterilisation, Good Manufacturing Practice(GMP), Quality Assurance and Quality Control, and pharmaceutical dispensing.

Returning to the hospital service in a senior position in 1990, Mark’s current role means he is responsible for the development and direction of the pharmaceutical Quality Assurance service in the Wrexham Trust and North Wales area.

He has additional responsibilities for Health and Safety, Information Technology; and research & development. His research interests include environmental monitoring and the development of ‘risk-reduced’ products for patients An advisor on Quality Assurance and control to other NHS hospital groups.

Qualified Person under the Provisions of the Medicine Act (1991 to date)

Member of Society of Environmental Engineers. (1988 2006)

Member of the PTQA Course Management Committee (University of Leeds) and Module Director for Module CONT 5010M Aspects of Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance

Member of Welsh QA/C and WASPP groups)

Part-time Teaching Fellow, University of Leeds.

Alison Beaney
Regional QA Specialist, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle

After obtaining a first class honours degree in Pharmacy at Sunderland School of Pharmacy, Alison Beaney completed her pre-registration training at Newcastle General Hospital.

Following further study at Strathclyde University, she obtained an MSc in Pharmaceutical Analysis and began a career in hospital quality control at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.

She later returned to north-east England to take up the post of Quality Control Pharmacist at Freeman Hospital, and in 1991 was promoted to Regional Quality Assurance Specialist.

Alison has served as both secretary and chairman of the NHS Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance Committee and is also a member of numerous working groups of the committee. She edits the Quality Assurance of Aseptic Preparation Services book, the recognised standards for unlicensed aseptic units, on behalf of the national QA committee. Advising units on the layout and design specifications for new and upgraded aseptic units within the North-East and Yorkshire is an essential part of her role.

In addition, Alison is actively involved in the management and teaching of the Pharmaceutical Technology and Quality Assurance postgraduate course at Leeds University and undertakes practice-based research. Research on risk assessment of preparation of injectables in clinical areas led to the issue of National Patient Safety Alert 20 in March 2007.

Graham Sewell
Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, Kingston University

Graham Sewell completed his doctorate at the University of Bath and has since held senior hospital pharmacist positions at Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth, combined in each case with academic appointments. During this time he developed a strong interest in both clinical and pharmaceutical aspects of oncology, and was one of the founders of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP).

In 1999, Graham returned to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at Bath as Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice. In October 2004, he took up his current post as Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the new School of Pharmacy at Kingston University. He has also retained a practice base as Associate Director of Pharmacy at Plymouth Hospitals Trust.

Graham has written over 130 peer-reviewed publications, including many in oncology-related topics, and is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice. In November 2004, he was appointed Editor in Chief of the new Journal of Hospital Pharmacy Science, an official journal of EAHP. His main research interests in oncology include clinical pharmacokinetics, therapeutic optimisation, cancer biology, formulation and drug delivery and ambulatory chemotherapy.

Unusually for one who detests the “health and safety zealots” currently so prominent in the UK, Graham has encouraged high standards in the handling of chemotherapy as part of the overall professionalism of oncology pharmacy practice. He is an active member of several national and international committees with interests in the practice and research of cancer therapy, and became President of ISOPP in April 2004. Graham recently received the McKinnon Award for his achievements in the research and practice of oncology pharmacy at the joint HOPA/ISOPP Conference, Los Angeles, June 2008.