Pharmacists work in higher education in a variety of roles; these typically involve research and/or teaching in clinical pharmacy, pharmacy practice, and social pharmacy, but there are also many pharmacists whose expertise lies in the more traditional scientific areas. Pharmacist academics are also found in university senior executive management positions. Clinical academic pharmacists could be registered pharmacists who work full-time in academia, teaching and researching on clinical areas. They can also be registered pharmacists who combine their clinical role with research and/or teaching responsibilities. This might involve educating and training pharmacy students, conducting research into topics such as studying how medicines are used in the real-world including issues such as non-adherence, the efficacy, risks, or mechanisms of action of particular medicines, or into improving the systems and structures of pharmaceutical practice and delivery. This dual role offers an exciting and varied career structure that provides opportunities to pursue academic interests and drive the pharmaceutical innovations of tomorrow.
