Chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) for Northern Ireland Professor Cathy Harrison has been designated as a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).

Professor Harrison is among 28 new fellows of the RPS for Distinction in the Profession of Pharmacy, announced last week.

The fellowship recognises the distinction members have attained in a particular aspect or aspects of their pharmacy career and are based on nominations from members.

The society currently has 824 fellows from across the profession, representing a variety sectors and career stages.

Professor Harrison received the award in recognition of her ‘very significant leadership and sustained contribution to the development of pharmacy practice in Northern Ireland and beyond’, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland said.

Professor Harrison said: ‘I am proud to be a member of the RPS and have greatly valued the professional support they have provided to me throughout my career.

‘At a time of change and new beginnings in pharmacy professional leadership across the UK, I am humbled to have received this accolade and grateful to colleagues who have supported me throughout my career.’

She offered her ‘continued best wishes’ as the RPS works to transition into a Royal College of Pharmacy, of which Professor Harrison said would ‘strengthen the voice of pharmacy in healthcare transformation and maximise the contribution of the pharmacy profession to patient care’.

Welcoming the announcement, minister for health in Northern Ireland Mike Nesbitt said that Professor Harrison’s work had ‘shaped’ key strategies and services within health and care services in the country.

This included the Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework (MOQF), a Pharmacy Workforce Review and the rollout of general practice pharmacists as part of the multidisciplinary team.

He commented: ‘This award is a well-deserved acknowledgement of the outstanding leadership that Professor Cathy Harrison has provided as my senior professional advisor on pharmaceutical and medicines issues, as well as to the HSC [Health and Social Care] and wider pharmacy profession.’