“During the time of COVID-19 women have been less productive with academic publications than men because of all their caring duties, and I am sure this decreased productivity has also happened in other roles,”
Claire Anderson, chair of the .
Professor Anderson was the first female chair at her school of pharmacy in ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, UK, in 2003, when only 11% of professors at the university were female.
"I am passionate about pharmacy and about pharmacy education and am proud of what we have achieved in developing our MPharm course at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. I am also proud about how I have worked with colleagues around the world to develop pharmacy education. I am proud of the research I have done that has progressed the role of pharmacists, for example, as prescribers, in a public health role, and in GP surgeries, to name a few."
"Pharmacy in the UK is a female-dominated profession, so it was only when I started work as an academic that I entered a more male-dominated world. I then got used to being the only person at the committee meeting without a beard! However, I have often been encouraged, well supported and mentored by many of my male colleagues and I would not have achieved all that I have without them. I was also lucky to have strong women as role models — especially my late mother, who always believed in me and encouraged me to believe that I could do whatever I wanted to."
About the author: Claire Anderson is professor of social pharmacy at the division of pharmacy policy and practice school of pharmacy, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, UK, and chair of Royal Pharmaceutical Society English Pharmacy Board.
Posted on Tuesday 9th June 2020