Alumni

I did my PhD in the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, UK from 2002-2006.  My thesis was entitled “Type 2 Diabetes in Malaysia: Perspectives of Malay Patients and their Health Care Professionals” and used qualitative research methodology which was new to me.  I have gained much insight into the real world of patients and their health professionals’ problems in addressing issues of health related behaviour.  It was a good experience as I now know the various methods and the importance of both quantitative and qualitative research methods.  I was also introduced to the techniques of computer-aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) using Nvivo, which helped me tremendously in my data management during data analysis stage and also with the translation requirements of non-English speaking respondents in my research.

As the founder and former Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy in my university, I returned to help with the research area of Pharmacy Practice which is still new and needs more aggressive research especially in qualitative research in health and medicines.  Upon my return to the Faculty, I was immediately invited to give a talk on how to enhance qualitative research using CAQDAS to other faculties.  In addition, with this knowledge and expertise, I won two Bronze medals in two exhibitions (national and international level) for innovations in research that I participated within last six months since I returned.

Throughout this time I have kept my links with the University of Nottingham, both in UK and in Malaysia through research collaborations and joint PhD projects particularly the Malaysia Nottingham Doctoral Programme.  I have acted as consultant in various areas of research in pharmacy, as well as curriculum design for pre-degree and postgraduate degrees in pharmacy and others.  Gaining a PhD from University of Nottingham has opened many doors and opportunities for me and I hope more good things to come in the future

I have been involved in pharmacy service development for the last seven years as part of my roles within Boots The Chemists. Over this period of time I have observed some of the market changes within the pharmacy environment, and experienced first hand some of the issues in developing and implementing pharmacy services that are both sustainable and scalable. My personal and business interest in the factors affecting service delivery led to the development of me further investigating these issues as part of a PhD.
I approached the Pharmacy Department at the University of Nottingham about undertaking this PhD with them because of the research they had already conducted looking at innovative pharmacy services. I also felt that I had the full support behind me into conducting this PhD from both a research and commercial perspective, not something that is traditionally associated with academic research studies.

The conclusions that came out from my PhD have already been implemented within Boots, something that I feel very proud of. My personal development from undertaking a research study and the experiences that I have gained has also given me a greater understanding of the bigger picture, and has enabled me to advance at work.

Having completed my PhD (ethical problems in UK community pharmacy) in 2007, I am now involved in further academic research as a research fellow employed by the University of Nottingham but seconded to the University of Sheffield. The post involves an evaluation of supplementary prescribing by nurses and pharmacists and will keep me busy for the next year, after which I hope to continue working in academia - hopefully combining my interests in ethics, law, pharmacy and health care generally.

My time spent as a PhD student at the University of Nottingham was both invaluable (in developing research skills, for example, and learning from other academics) and enjoyable.

My professional background is in clinical pharmacy, where I developed a particular interest in cardiology. I completed my PhD at DSRMH in 2008 on cardiac rehabilitation patients' perspectives on coronary heart disease and treatment (http://etheses.nottingham.ac.uk/608/). After this I moved to the University of Sheffield, where I was involved in a number of qualitative research projects and taught on the undergraduate medical degree course as a Lecturer in Public Health. In January 2010 I moved to Keele University to take up my current post of Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, which involves teaching on the MPharm course and pursuing my research interests. These principally lie in the fields of medicines usage and pharmacy practice, although I also have interests in a diverse variety of related fields, including public health, health communication and the sociology of health and illness. I benefitted from having the opportunity to develop my research skills as a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, particularly in qualitative research, in a supportive environment and with the internationally-recognised expertise of my supervisors.