To mark International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March 2025, Pharmacy Forum NI and the Society hosted an event to explore the future of pharmacy in Northern Ireland.
Using the World Café format for facilitating table discussions, a group of pharmacists spent the morning sharing their insights into topics such as:
- What does leadership mean to you?
- What do you believe are the strengths of female leadership?
- What do you see as important enablers for your leadership journey?
- What are the challenges and opportunities for progression and recognition of leadership in Northern Ireland?
The event was organised by Professor Roisin O’Hare of the NI Universities Network and Una O’Farrell of the Pharmacists Defence Association, in their capacity as Board and Committee members of the Pharmacy Forum.
Speaking after the event
Professor Roisin O’Hare said:
“Almost 70% of pharmacists in Northern Ireland are women, and this event was about celebrating us in the profession. I was impressed by the breadth of people who turned up, right from 1st year MPharm students, all the way up to the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, talking on the same level about issues that are important to them.
“What came up was a desire for more mentorship (both formal and informal) to develop leadership skills, and support women in leadership positions. Leadership is not a job title, it’s something all of us have as part of what we do.”
Una O’Farrell said:
“I’m delighted at how this event went. Everybody in the room brought their A-game and the energy in the room was palpable. It is both unifying and powerful to have those more established in their careers talk to those who are just starting about their common experiences of, for example, nervousness and imposter syndrome. The more these issues in the context of the pharmacy profession in NI are discussed the less limiting they become”.