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PHARMACY SCHOOL PROPOSED FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF READING – University of Reading

The University of Reading has announced that it intends to establish a new School of Pharmacy that will receive its first intake of MPharm (Master of Pharmacy) students in October 2005. In addition to providing undergraduate pharmacy education and post-graduate research, the new Reading Pharmacy School is ideally located to serve as a regional centre for post-graduate education for registered Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians in the Thames Valley area and beyond. The University of Reading is expanding its health-related activities to serve the Thames Valley region and boasts a number of internationally-renowned research groupings including those engaged in: the biomedical sciences, medicinal chemistry, neutraceuticals, food biosciences and plant sciences. Professor Gordon Marshall, Vice-Chancellor of the University, commented: "I am very pleased that we are moving forward to the next stage of this initiative, building on a number of centres of excellence at the University of Reading which currently contribute to health at a local level." The MPharm degree is the only qualification in the UK that leads to professional registration as a Pharmacist. Currently, there is a significant shortfall in the number of qualified Pharmacists within the hospital and community pharmacy sectors and this situation is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future. As well as providing vocational training for pharmacy, it is intended that the University of Reading course would provide a thorough grounding in the practical and theoretical skills required of science graduates, enabling access to a wide range of careers in academic and commercial bioscience. In addition to having the full and enthusiastic backing of a number of senior academics within the University, the proposal has been welcomed by many members of the Thames Valley pharmacy community. Several senior Pharmacists from within local NHS hospitals (the John Radcliffe Hospital, the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals and the Wexham Hospital), industrial Pharmacists and community Pharmacists all have given considerable support for the venture and many will be involved with the project. Bill O'Donnell, Chief Pharmacist, Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust commented: "This is the best news of the year. Apart from helping to expand the profession, the presence of a School of Pharmacy at the University of Reading creates a buzz of expectation for everyone involved with pharmacy. It will be good for the profession, good for the hospitals in Reading and great for the patients we all serve." The project is being led by Professors Gavin Brooks MRPharmS, Professor of Cardiovascular Research, Laurence Harwood, Head of Organic Chemistry and Philip Strange, Professor of Neuroscience. Initial discussions have been held with the professional body, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) and the University has entered stage II of the accreditation process. Professor Brooks is likely to be the new Head of the Reading Pharmacy School and the University expects to appoint a number of other key pharmacy-related posts over the next 12-18 months. Further information on the Reading Pharmacy School will be available on the University's website from 8 August 2003 (www.rdg.ac.uk/pharmacy). For more information please contact Professor Gavin Brooks on 0118 378 6363 For photographs contact Carol Derham on 0118 378 8004 Note for Editors Regional Presence of Pharmacy Schools There are 16 universities in the UK where Pharmacy is currently taught at undergraduate level and the University of East Anglia will become the 17th in September 2003. There are no MPharm degrees currently offered in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire. There are two courses offered in London, one in Brighton, one in Portsmouth, one in Bath and one in Birmingham. The University of Reading The University of Reading is at the cutting edge of teaching and learning, as well as being one of the top twenty research intensive universities in the UK. Founded in the nineteenth century and gaining a Royal Charter in 1926, the University offers a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, social sciences and fine art.