Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s BAME Network elections and congratulations to the newly elected committee!
President, Sima Hassan
Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice and MPharm Associate Programme Director,
Sima has worked as a community pharmacist for over 18 years. As a member of the BAME pharmacist community she recognises and appreciates the complexities of issues that they face, the scope for further work in this area and the need for wider recognition. Sima’s current leadership role as the Associate Programme Director at Aston University involves leading the teaching, learning and assessment of the MPharm Programme and working with students on Staff Student Committees (SSC) to drive and implement change, which includes work around equality, diversity and inclusion. Other leadership roles include student fitness to Practice Officer and University Disciplinary Board member at both Pharmacy School and University level.
Sima said, “Thank you for electing me as President of the PDA BAME Network. This is a prestigious position and one with huge responsibility. Understanding intersectionality in racism and creating an awareness of this phenomena and taking positive steps to tackle this issue is important when striving to achieve equality, diversity, and inclusion. I want to work with all members collaboratively to ensure that we can bring positive changes and build on previous and current accomplishments of the PDA BAME Network.”
Vice President, Wai Chan Lau
Primary care network pharmacist,
Chan was previously a PDA Representative at LloydsPharmacy and understands the challenges pharmacists face both in the community and at practice level from her experience of being a relief, store based and locum pharmacist in independents as well as large multiples over the past 6 years and now she is working as a primary care network pharmacist.
Chan has experience of supporting members through difficulties at work and has been a guide and mentor for pharmacist colleagues and friends.
Chan said, “I wish to improve recognition of BAME pharmacists’ achievements at work, and ensure BAME pharmacists are treated equally amongst their peers.”
Honorary Secretary, Osariemen Egharevba-Buckman
Foundation trainee pharmacist,
Osariemen served as a PDA Student and Trainee Rep as well as a BPSA Southern Area Coordinator. She has since founded her very own pharmacy organisation that works to close the attainment gap at foundation trainee level between black students and other demographics.
As a foundation trainee pharmacist, she hopes to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations of pharmacists. Osariemen is keen to bring in new ideas and innovations to the PDA BAME Network.
Osariemen said, “In the words of Simon Sinek ‘leadership is not about the next election, it is about the next generation.’ Being elected as the honorary secretary for the PDA BAME Network is a great opportunity for there to be an increased inclusivity not just for the now but for the future. I hope to work with the other leaders to provide effective change for the BAME members of the PDA, building on the previous work of the outgoing team. I hope to be a part of a network working to increase intersectionality and inclusivity for all individuals in the BAME community within pharmacy.”
These are the second set of elections since the PDA BAME Network was launched in April 2020. The Inaugural network President, Elsy Gomez Campos will now serve an additional two years as the network’s Immediate Past President.
The PDA would like to thank Elsy, Inaugural Vice-President Sherifat Muhammad Kamal, Inaugural Honorary Secretary Dorothy Egede and all members of the first PDA BAME Network for their contribution to establishing the network and raising the profile of BAME pharmacists, a task that was additionally challenging due to the pandemic.
Since 2020 the network has hosted events tackling Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy and the Sewell report on the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities and its effect on BAME pharmacists. The network has held panel sessions around Race Equality in Pharmacy at the Pharmacy Show and Clinical Pharmacy Congress. The network has produced regular newsletters, created factsheets such as the BAME terminology factsheet and most recently worked with PDA staff to develop an Anti-Racist Pharmacy Toolkit alongside commenting on issues relating to race equality in pharmacy.
The PDA is a proudly anti-racist organisation, and the activity of the network will continue to grow.
The PDA kindly ask that you take 5 minutes out of your time to fill in the survey below to inform the new committee of what you would like to see from the network in the future.
COMPLETE THE BAME NETWORK SURVEY 2022
Get involved
- Follow the PDA BAME Network on social media using the hashtag #PDAbame
- For more information about the PDA BAME Network, click here.
- If you would like to get involved with the network and its activities, please email: bame@the-pda.org
- Join the BAME Network
- PDA Anti Racist Pharmacy Toolkit
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.