Board of Directors
Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) - formerly known as SHPA - is governed by a Board comprising eight elected directors and three appointed directors, supported by seven state and territory branches, Specialty Practice streams and other reference and advisory groups.
The eight elected directors include seven pharmacists and one pharmacy technician, following member ratification of a new constitution in May 2024 enabling AdPha Technician Members to nominate for and be nominated to become an Elected Pharmacy Technician Board Director.
AdPha has a proud history of inclusion and leadership in the Technician space. Enabling a Technician Board Director is another step toward AdPha embracing the entire profession across its membership as a truly representative peak body for advanced pharmacy practice in Australia.
Board Executive
Tom Simpson
President
Tom Simpson is the Executive Director, Statewide Hospital Pharmacy Tasmania, and has held positions as Chair, Statewide Pharmacy Executive Committee, the Tasmanian Minister’s Health Council and the Pharmacy Board of Tasmania. Tom is a member of the AdPha Leadership and Management Specialty Practice Leadership Committee and holds a conjoint position as Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Tasmania School of Pharmacy. Tom was awarded 2018 Tasmanian Pharmacist of the Year and the 2019 SHPA Medal of Merit, recognising outstanding contribution to pharmacy practice locally and nationally.
Dr Kate O’Hara
Vice-President
Dr Kate O’Hara is the Deputy Service Manager – Clinical at the John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle and the Cannabis Advisory Pharmacist for NSW Health. A Specialist Women’s and Children’s Pharmacist Kate was elected to the AdPha's Women’s and Newborns Health Leadership Committee in 2017, to the AdPha Board of Directors in 2019 and the AdPha Vice-Presidency in 2022. An ACT Health Quality Award recipient (2018) with a passion for clinical pharmacy and education, Dr O’Hara works across a range of areas with pharmacists and technicians to develop clinical pharmacy services, and is AdPha's national spokesperson for Residencies and pharmacy research.
Ramy Aziz
Treasurer
Ramy Aziz is an experienced non-executive director and senior executive with significant financial and governance experience. He has served as a director and chair of finance, audit and risk committees on ‘for-purpose’ organisations in the healthcare, education and finance sectors. Ramy brings finance, treasury, governance, strategy and general business acumen skills to the board and is Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Audit and Risk Management Committee of AdPha. Ramy’s prior executive career was primarily within the finance sector and included senior management and executive director roles with listed and private entities. Most recently, Ramy was a former Chief Financial Officer of ASX Ltd.
Board of Directors
Lindsay Cane
Lindsay Cane brings experience as a seasoned CEO and Director to AdPha, having led national and state health agencies, sporting organisations, not-for-profit and private sector businesses. Lindsay is currently CEO of the Royal Far West, which provides specialist medical care and allied health support services for children in remote NSW, a member of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee for Rural Health, and non-Executive Director of the Confederation of Australian Sport and Australian Masters Games, having also led Netball Australia and a private communications consultancy.
Emily Diprose
Emily is the Director of Pharmacy at North Canberra Hospital (formerly Calvary Public Hospital Bruce) in the ACT, providing comprehensive clinical pharmacy services, aseptic manufacturing, quality use of medicines and research programs, as well as teaching and education. Leading and managing the team of approximately 45 staff through recent challenges including the pandemic, implementation of a Digital Health Record and the transition from private ownership to ACT Health, Emily has developed her interest and skills in change management and clinical governance. Emily has been actively involved in AdPha both locally and nationally for many years, and has returned to the AdPha Board having served previously. Having retired from competitive sport and now a mother of two, Emily remains busy balancing home and work life, and enjoys bike riding and walking with family and friends.
John Evans
John is currently General Manager, Pharmacy Services (Vic, Tas) within Icon Group’s pharmacy division, a role that sees him overseeing approximately 25 pharmacy services across private and public hospital, IVF services, prisons, pharmacy compounding and community pharmacy. Icon Group is a global, integrated cancer care business, though its pharmacy division covers the full spectrum of pharmacy specialties. This John’s second career stint in pharmacy, having also spent 15 years working for The Salvation Army. He has been the chair of AdPha Vic branch and loves nothing better than being on the saddle of a mountain bike or on foot with a map and compass chasing checkpoints in the bush.
Paul Firman
Paul Firman is the Assistant Director of Pharmacy (Cancer Care Services) at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and the former Chair of the AdPha Queensland Branch (2018-21). A member of the AdPha General Medicine Leadership Committee, Paul has held a variety of pharmacist positions across practice settings and is dedicated to a thorough understanding of the profession and the important roles that practitioners have in the delivery of patient care.
Dr Jacinta Johnson
Dr Jacinta Johnson is Lecturer in Pharmacy, University of South Australia and Senior Pharmacist – Research, SA Pharmacy. Jacinta brings experience in clinical education, in primary healthcare working in with Drug and Alcohol Services, and in community pharmacy. Jacinta is passionate about supporting early career pharmacists to experience rewarding careers that have a meaningful impact upon community health, and her contributions have been recognised through the AdPha PL Jeffs Early Career Pharmacist Award (2017), the PSA Early Career Pharmacist of the Year award (2018) and the AdPha Early Career Pharmacist of the Year award (2019).
Katie McDermott
Katie McDermott is the founder of a digital inclusion marketplace See Me Please aimed at making online services accessible for all parts of our community. Before this Katie oversaw the digital channel for Service NSW. Katie led globally recognised innovations such as the NSW Digital Drivers Licence, Active Kids Vouchers and the Service NSW App. Katie has studied digital innovation at MIT and also sits on numerous boards including the University of Sydney’s Computer Science Industry Advisory Board, ACT Procurement Board and the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia.
Brenda Shum
Brenda Shum is the Chief Pharmacist - Royal Perth Bentley Group. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons), majoring in Pharmacology; Bachelor of Pharmacy; and Master of Business Administration (Health Management). She has worked in multiple clinical and operational areas in a tertiary setting, with more than a decade in senior management roles. A member of the AdPha Leadership and Management Leadership Committee, her professional interests include bridging the transition of care between hospital and community settings; and expanding the scope of pharmacy practice to optimise patient outcomes.
Tara Clayson-Fisher
Technician Observer
Tara Clayson-Fisher is the Statewide Pharmacy Technician Manager in Tasmania, providing leadership and development of the Pharmacy Technician and Assistant workforce across the state. Tara is the current Chair of the Technicians and Assistants Leadership Committee, was the first pharmacy technician to be recognised as a Fellow of the organisation and is AdPha's first Technician Observer on the Board of Directors. In 2023 Tara was named SHPA Pharmacy Technician of the Year.
Board Sub-committees
Finance, Audit and Risk Committee
Ramy Aziz (Chair), Dr Kate O’Hara, John Evans, Brenda Shum, Tom Simpson, Lindsay Cane.
Nominations Committee
Tom Simpson (Chair), Jacinta Johnson, Emily Diprose, Paul Firman, Katie McDermott.
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Contact the Board
PO Box 1774, Collingwood Victoria 3066 Australia