Science & Research at the 2025 RPS Conference

A crowded room at the Science & Research stream of the RPS Conference 2025The Science & Research stream at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Annual Conference 2025 brought together scientists, researchers, and innovators from across the pharmacy profession to explore how cutting-edge science and technology are shaping the future of healthcare.

During the morning and afternoon sessions, one of the four available content streams was devoted to Science & Research, so each attendee could choose which sessions to attend based on their personal interests.

Science & Research streams offered a broad and compelling spectrum of content for delegates, and invaluable opportunities to deepen their understanding of the future science landscape, learn from leading researchers, and consider new avenues for innovation and impact within pharmacy.

On this page:

Morning Session

Science, Technology, Data and Ethics - Preparing Pharmacy for the Future

The morning session, delivered in a hybrid format (in person and online), offered a dynamic exploration of how real-world data, artificial intelligence, pharmacogenomics and emerging technologies are reshaping drug development, formulation, medicines optimisation and pharmacovigilance.

Delegates engaged with the ethical, regulatory and practical challenges of data-driven healthcare, considering how pharmacy must evolve to meet new models of care while safeguarding patient safety and public trust.

Chaired by Professor Amira Guirguis, Chief Scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Professor of Pharmacy and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University, the session brought together expert perspectives from across science, technology and policy.

Professor James Goulding, Chair of Data Science at the University of Nottingham, discussed the potential of pharmacy data and AI to deliver societal benefit, highlighting opportunities for improved decision-making, population health insights and service design.

Fiona McIntyre, Policy & Practice Lead at the RPS, examined how digital transformation is reshaping pharmacy policy, professional roles and accountability, and the implications for workforce development.

Throughout the session, lively discussion and audience questions prompted reflection on how the profession can harness innovation responsibly, ensuring that advances in data and technology are aligned with ethical principles, robust governance and the maintenance of high professional standards.

RPS members can watch the morning session again (you must be logged in to do so).

Afternoon Session

Inspiring Research and Evaluation - Building Capability and Capacity

The afternoon session focused on celebrating excellence, leadership and career development in pharmacy research.

An in-person-only event, it showcased the winners of the 2025 RPS Science and Research Awards, and highlighted routes into clinical and academic research.

Professor David Jones, Hanbury Medal winner and Professor of Pharmaceutical & Biomaterial Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast, delivered a keynote entitled Re-Make, Re-Model: A Pharmaceutical Innovator’s Tale, offering reflections on innovation, translational science and impact across his career.

Dr Qonita Kurnia Anjani, OPERA Award winner and Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, presented Transforming treatment access through microneedle-based drug delivery: From concept to preclinical validation, illustrating how cutting-edge delivery technologies can expand access to essential treatments.

Dr Jennifer Stevenson, also an OPERA Award winner and Integrated Care Pharmacist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, shared her talk When a question in everyday practice ignites a clinical academic career, demonstrating how real-world clinical problems can catalyse rigorous research and sustained academic collaboration.

A panel of rapid-fire 60-second presentations supported by a single slide, and highlighting different pathways into research and evaluation across academia, clinical practice and policy, was delivered by:

  • Dr Daniel Okeowo, Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Newcastle University and member of the RPS Early Careers Expert Advisory Group
  • Dr Cathrine McKenzie, Associate Professor in Critical Care Pharmacology at the University of Southampton and member of the RPS Science and Research Committee
  • Dr Sarah Trenfield, Head of Science Strategy at the Medical Research Council
  • Dr Jennifer Stevenson, 2025 OPERA Winner and Lead Pharmacist for Older Adults, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London.

The session also featured short oral presentations from the five highest-scoring research posters:

  • Anya Bowen – An exploration of the facilitators and barriers to primary care pharmacists providing mental health care during medication reviews
  • Dr Bawan Ahmed – Relative analgesic effectiveness of pharmacological interventions in knee osteoarthritis: a component network meta-analysis
  • Charlotte Jones – Establishing the determinants and potential solutions for pharmacy professionals engaging with research: a theory-based national survey
  • Dr Clare Depasquale – An evaluation of the Scottish Pharmacist Clinical Academic Fellowship programme: developing research to advance pharmaceutical care practice across the NHS
  • Yusuf Ghazali – Development of a nanofibre-based drug delivery framework of thymoquinone for transdermal application in localised breast tumour therapy.

These presentations exemplified the depth and diversity of contemporary pharmacy research, spanning mental health, musculoskeletal disease, research capacity building, clinical academic career pathways and novel drug delivery technologies.

Throughout the day

Demonstrating Impact: Advancing Patient Care and Policy Through Pharmacy Research

Professor Amira Guirguis and Professor Diane Ashiru-OredopeDelegates were able to connect across sectors, share insights and reflect on how pharmacy science can continue to drive innovation, address system-wide challenges and improve outcomes for patients and populations.

Professor Diane Ashiru-Oredope underlined how robust pharmacy research directly informs healthcare delivery and public health policy, demonstrating the value of generating and applying evidence from within the profession. 

Professor Amira Guirguis, in her newly appointed role as RPS Chief Scientist, further emphasised the importance of embedding science at the heart of RPS strategy by strengthening the links between research, policy and professional practice, and ensuring that pharmacy remains a key driver of evidence-based improvement across the health and care system.

Award winners and invited oral presentations

The Science & Research awards recognise outstanding early-career researchers and exemplar research presented at the RPS Annual Conference.

In 2025, joint winners of the Outstanding Pharmacy Early-career Researcher Award (OPERA) were selected, and five authors were invited to deliver short oral presentations based on the highest-scoring research posters following further judging of all eligible abstracts.

2025 OPERA Award Winners

  • Dr Qonita Kurnia Anjani – Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast.
    Recognised for innovative research developing long-acting and minimally invasive microneedle and implant-based drug delivery systems with real-world impact on treatment access and patient outcomes.
    Dr Jennifer Stevenson – Lead Pharmacist for Older Adults at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
    Recognised for impactful research on medicines-related harm in older adults, including development of the PRIME risk prediction model informing NHS approaches to frailty and medication safety.

Invited Oral Presentations

The five invited oral presentations listed below were selected as the highest-scoring research posters and invited for short oral presentations in the afternoon session, following a further round of judging that considered scientific quality, relevance to practice and potential for impact.

Download the presentations:

Poster Presentations and Awards

The 2025 conference received over 300 abstract submissions and poster presentations – the highest ever for the RPS conference.

The research abstracts covered a wide array of topics including antimicrobial stewardship, novel drug delivery systems, clinical pharmacy services, pharmacy education, and health data analytics. 

They are published as a supplement in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice (IJPP), and the supplement is available to download. RPS members, you can download a PDF of all the research abstract posters below, but you must be logged in to do so.

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For RPS Members Only

These posters provide a platform for early career researchers and experienced scientists to present emerging evidence and novel approaches that address real-world healthcare challenges. The diversity of work showcased the profession’s commitment to evidence-based practice, patient-centred care, and innovation in medicines optimisation.

Our Poster Awards recognise outstanding contributions to pharmacy science and innovation, and underscore the ongoing commitment of the RPS to celebrating excellence in pharmacy research and practice.

1st prize was awarded to Shaila Ahmed for Developing the 2025–2028 National Prescribing Indicators for NHS Wales: A Stakeholder-Led Approach.

2nd prize was awarded to Sharon Coane for Exploring generational perspectives of current and future pharmacists relating to job satisfaction, retention, and career aspirations.

3rd prize was awarded to Kimberley Sonnex for Preparation for Independent Prescribing from the MPharm Degree: A Mixed Methods Survey.

And in an IJPP editorial, Paul Bennett, Cathrine McKenzie, Christine Bond, Amira Guirguis and Diane Ashiru-Oredope highlighted the profession’s growing engagement with translational research, implementation science and interdisciplinary collaboration - all essential for tackling pressing healthcare challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance, personalised medicine and health inequalities.

Innovative Practice Examples

RPS members can download and view all the innovative practice examples below, but you must be logged in to do so.

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For RPS Members Only

Full list of 2025 Annual Conference Innovative Practice Examples

Below is a list of all the Innovative Practice Example presentations from the 2025 RPS Annual Conference. The format in which they are displayed is:

Submission ID – Author Name – Poster Title

21 – Maxine Sheree McCabe – Physical assessment skills training for Designated Supervisors (DS) and Designated Prescribing Practitioners (DPPs)

23 – Nipa Patel – A quality improvement project in primary care to Increase ACR testing for patients with CKD stages 3 to 5.

27 – Sarah Cavanagh – The expanding role of registered pharmacy technicians, are you maximising your workforce?

32 – Sarah Trust – Hypertension and Health Inequalities in Primary Care (a pharmacist led approach to addressing gaps)

33 – Sarah Trust – Reducing Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care: A Pharmacist-Led Risk Reduction Initiative Across a Brighton PCN

34 – Patricia Mccormick – Overcoming workforce challenges through a holistic and comprehensive approach to recruitment and retention

37 – K Louise Allen – Improving Access to Sexual Health Resources: The Role of Community Pharmacies in Wales

57 – Ruth Rudling – A service evaluation highlighting the benefits of a pharmacist in the hepatology service

60 – Rosie Adsley – Using simulation to prepare final year students for complex consultations in community pharmacy

63 – Amy Semple – Improving access to Structured Medication Reviews in seldom-heard communities: Understanding the enablers and barriers to addressing health inequalities.

68 – Sannah Hussain – Evaluating Timeliness of Analgesia in Sickle Cell Crises and the Impact of Care Bundle Use in the Emergency Department

70 – Eleanor Paton – An evaluation of the pilot induction for NHS Education for Scotland’s (NES) Pharmacy Foundation Training Year  (FTY) Supervisors

71 – Randa Mostafa – Audit of Dalteparin Formulation Administered to Paediatric Patients at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH)

75 – Tomazo Kallis – The Cornwall GP Pharmacy Forum: A Novel, Co-Produced Learning Community with Real-World Impact on Local Practice

76 – Kirsty Macfarlane – Developing a novel multi-disciplinary holistic medicines review for care home residents.

77 – Stephanie Lurshay – Transforming Homecare Services: RPA-Enabled Invoice Processing

83 – Asma Tarar – Assessing Safety of Inpatient Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) prescribing using EPMA reports (Electronic Prescribing System)

92 – Temitope Odetunde – “Are We Getting It Right? Assessing Adherence To National Guidance On Discharge Information”

93 – Temitope Odetunde – Redefining inpatient medicines management: Pharmacy assistant as catalyst for safer and more cost-effective care

98 – Marianne Boden – Implementation of an electronic tool for the prioritisation of pre-operative patients for pharmacy review

105 – Ashifa Trivedi – Mapping a Paediatric Hospital at Home Service Against RPS Virtual Ward Standards: A Service Evaluation

107 – Amna Farid – Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship on the Colorectal Surgical Wards at St Mark’s by Timely Escalation and De-escalation of Antimicrobials for Inpatients

109 – Ellie Douds – Challenges and Opportunities for Pharmacy Services within Virtual Wards: A Scoping Review with Narrative Synthesis

110 – Helen McClay – Identification of patients most likely to receive aminoglycosides to prioritise pre-emptive mtRNR1 genomic testing

111 – Sian Heaton – Exploring barriers and enablers to the Pharmacist Designated Prescribing Practitioner role in secondary care

113 – Oladimeji Ray Ore – Implementation of a non-Medicines Information (MI) centre-based patient and healthcare professional medicines helpline in a large multi-site acute tertiary Trust

114 – Jaswinder Dhap – A Retrospective Service Evaluation of Independent Prescriber (IP) Pharmacists in Community Pharmacy: Insights from the IP Pathfinder Programme at Bloxwich Pharmacy

116 – Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy – Public and Patient Involvement in Action: Enhancing the Impact of NHS Antimicrobial Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic

119 – Unoma Okoli – Impact of Post-Hospital Discharge Medicines Review: A Methodological Approach Pilot Study in Buckinghamshire Care Homes

123 – Patricia Edwards – A qualitative exploration of the reasons for and the professional value of, undertaking the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Credentialing

130 – Aisling Considine – Spotlight on an Emergency Planning Pharmacy Service

134 – Sandeep Hunjan – Primary Care Network Antidepressant Reduction Project

135 – Brendon Jiang – Supporting Care and Review for Improved Polypharmacy Treatment. A Public Behaviour Change Initiative.

136 – Neha Bhatia – Future Proofing Pharmacy Workforce; Building Regional Designated Prescribing Practitioner Infrastructure

137 – Sharon Coane – A retrospective evaluation of specialist pharmacist-led diabetes reviews across an integrated care system

141 – Zena Uppal – Unlicensed Medicines – Fail to Prepare and Prepare to Fail

142 – Ola Abdelfatah – INdependenT prEscribinG in community phaRmAcy; whaT works for whom, why and in what circumstancEs (INTEGRATE): A Realist Review

143 – Amareen Kamboh – Upskilling the Early Careers Pharmacy Workforce – a coordinated approach

144 – Niall O'Boyle – An evaluation of secondary care pharmacy experiential learning for Final Year MPharm Students in Northern Ireland

145 – Sonal Patel – Strengthening student and trainee engagement: A GPhC-led initiative

150 – Yunzheng Jiao – Feasibility and Accuracy of Pharmacy Technicians in Clinical Trial Prescription Verification

152 – Siobhan Simpson – Perceptions of Enablers and Barriers to completing the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Core Advanced Pharmacist Curriculum

158 – Tania Ramos – Unseen but not forgotten: A pre-post feasibility  study of Pharmacy Technician-led home visits for people who are housebound living in socioeconomically deprived areas.

162 – Julianah Esan – Evaluating the Impact of a Medicines Management Pharmacy Technician in Diagnostic Imaging

163 – Zena Uppal – Enhancing Pharmacy Site Leads’ Confidence in Emergency Preparedness Procedures: A Training Evaluation

164 – Rebecca Howman – Pharmacist-Led Opioid Stewardship Rounds: Driving Safer Prescribing In Orthopaedics

167 – Prameely Sriramanan – Optimising Part-Pack Usage and Reducing Drug Wastage In Inpatient Dispensary Of A Large Teaching Hospital

168 – Ben Thomas – The Yellow Card Biobank: Strengthening Pharmacovigilance through Pharmacogenomics

170 – Sian Price – UK-Africa Leadership Fellowship in Antimicrobial Stewardship (UK-ALF-A): A Bilateral Learning Approach to Advancing AMS Expertise Among Pharmacists

 

171 – Brian Gatungu – Optimising Patient Transition from Stelara to Wezenla: Impact of a Biosimilar Switch Team

172 – Helen Jackson – Evaluating service provision: a themed review of registered pharmacies providing homecare medicines services

176 – Jagjot Chahal – Bridging Health Gaps in prevention:  Cardiovascular Risk Assessments in Community Pharmacies for Underserved Populations

177 – Laura Morgan – Embedding Inhaler Recycling Into the NHS

184 – Nirusha Govender – Future Proofing Pharmacy Workforce: Building System Designated Prescribing Practitioner Infrastructure

185 – Amna Sara Khan-Patel – A review of the adoption of Closed Loop Medicines Management in NHS Trusts

187 – Niharika Duggal – Pharmacist Clinics in Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR)  A System-Wide Multi-Disciplinary Approach for Lipid Optimisation

189 – simmy daniel – Establishing a Localised Pharmacy Career Ambassador Programme in North East London: A Strategic Approach to Workforce Development

190 – Georgia Brown – Improving the Timeliness of Administration of Parkinson’s Disease Medications in Secondary Care

191 – Yasmin Patel – Optimising Psychotropic Medication Reviews for People with Learning Disabilities and Autism via Cross-Sector Collaboration and Structured Training in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).

192 – Geraint Jones – Enhancing pharmacy career awareness in Wales through immersive technology

193 – Paula Wilson – Early findings from the Community Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Pathfinder Programme in England.

194 – Atta Naqvi – Pharmacy students' experience of an inaugural lecture on intercultural competence

195 – Sonal Patel – Exploring Support for Neurodivergence in the Pharmacy Workforce: A Multi-Organisational Scoping Review

199 – Gillian Cameron – Work Based Assessment of Pharmacist Prescribing – Promoting Reflective Practice, Peer Review and Assurance for Pharmacist Prescribers

200 – Dipa Kamdar – Inclusive Practice: Exploring how pharmacy students can be better prepared to improve health literacy of patients, especially in neurodiverse individuals

201 – ABIMBOLA Aleshe – Mindful of a Gap: A Managerial Review of the Training Structure of the Hospital Pharmacy Technician Workforce

202 – Arvind Sami – An analysis of the acceptability and viability of using the Vfrac tool within community pharmacy in England: A Qualitative Analysis

210 – Catherine Tucker – Opinions and perceptions of Pharmacy professionals’ ability to deliver a new high-quality, consistent Familial Hypercholesterolaemia gene testing service.

214 – simmy daniel – Building the Mental Health Pharmacy Workforce Pipeline through undergraduate placements

216 – Gautami Satish – The influence of cultural background versus  education on a healthcare student’s confidence in CAMs

217 – Faiza Yahya – Pharmacists delivering primary care research through an innovative model

219 – Sara Visram – Training for Community Pharmacists in Wales Delivering the Pharmacy Independent Prescribing Service: Impact on Prescribing Practice.

222 – Shirley Ip – Provision of pharmacy education in relation to falls and medicines at community strength and balance classes in Epping Forest, West Essex

225 – Claire MacDonald – Guiding Effective Treatment in Gentamicin (GET-Gentamicin) project: an initial exploratory study

233 – Miray Arslan – Gamification in Aromatherapy Education for Pharmacy Students: Development of the “Scent Maze: Healing Secrets” Game

234 – Victoria Ling – An exploration of Trainee Pharmacists’ preparedness to undertake clinical assessments and an evaluation of a trust-level clinical skills education programme.

236 – Adefunke Adeniyi – Periodontitis: The Overlooked Complication of Diabetes

239 – Sarah Tunnard – Role of Specialist Pharmacy Technician in structured medication reviews for older people admitted with a fall.

241 – Simmy Daniel – Bridging Acute and Mental Health Pharmacy: Supporting Workforce Integration

242 – Oluwademilade Kadeba – An audit to evaluate the safety of new amiodarone initiation in patients at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT)

245 – Sarah Baig – Mass Primary Care Placements for Undergraduate Students in Dudley, Black Country Integrated Care System

246 – Maria Staines – Transforming Pharmacy Training: Oriel Recruitment and Pharmacy Workforce Collaboration Across The Southeast

254 – Helena Dunne – Establishing a Pharmacist Rehabilitation and Optimisation Service for Patients Listed for Surgery

272 – Anwen Richards – Pregnaemia: Improving the management of anaemia in pregnancy through a multi-disciplinary approach.

274 – Bianca Levkovich – Applying systems engineering to support safer sodium valproate use

277 – Gurdeep Kaur Major – Holistic Interventions by Mental Health integrated Community Service Pharmacists

283 – Amina Slimani-Fersia – A Quality Improvement Approach to Valproate Safety

288 – Rachel Howatson – Perfecting Patient Pathways From NHS 111 To Pharmacy First In The South East

292 – Lindsay Morgan – A Tale of Two Programmes: Accomplishing RPS credentialing in postregistration training for pharmacists at two English universities

297 – Brooke Shelly – Opioids in the Outback: A Rural Aussie Team’s Script Shift

303 – Emily Wighton – Reimagining Community Pharmacy IT Through Co-Design: A first-of-type event to develop collaborative thinking using a 'hackathon-style' process

305 – Vanessa Veiga – Transforming Controlled Drug Pathways in Critical Care: A Pharmacist's Strategic Approach to Safety and Standardisation

307 – Elizabeth Anne Savage – NHS Lanarkshire: Polypharmacy in Practice

308 – Shannon Nickson – An innovative multidisciplinary Heart Failure Academy to improve the detection and management of heart failure in Yorkshire and the Humber

313 – Lauren Ross – The risks and benefits associated with the self-selection of medication: A systematic review

315 – Amira Chaudry – Submission Title: Sustainable Pharmacy Practices in Community Pharmacy – A Themed Review